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| Gathering Storm (15 in by 15 in) Feb 2014 |
It takes me about 2 months to make an art quilt so it's asking a lot to have a novice make one in 5 weeks. The only time I made a quilt in a month was back in 2014 when I took Elizabeth Barton's master class. That year I made 10 quilts since there were 10 lessons. We did not make a quilt in June or December. That was a crazy year and I was still working at the time!
One of the things I asked them to do early in the class was to introduce themselves and how long they have been quilting. I also asked them what their biggest fear was. It would be not a surprise to find that they were fearful that they are not artistic. I almost could have predicted that. I had one student that said she had no fears and she was excited. To give you an idea that means one student out of 6 was not fearful. The other 5 were fearful. I think the not artistic stuff might actually be fear of failure. I suppose we all have that to varying degrees. I certainly have a lot of self doubts when I make an art quilt. I think we go from fearless creative kids to fearful non creative adults. Creativity is taken out of us along the way. Thoughts?
Speaking of self doubt.....I have no idea what to make next. I was going to make an antique truck, but am not really motivated to do that. I need to get motivated to make something. I am beginning to stagnate.
Linking to Nina-Marie.
Thanks for reading.
Chris
I've taken a few days to give this question about fear some thought. Frankly, as it concerns those deciding to take a class, I don't think it is fear of failure as much as fear of the unknown and the a notion that one needs to know a certain amount before attending a class. I know this was something holding me back from signing up for drawing classes for a long time, my greatest concern being that I knew nothing about the kind of supplies the class would require me to bring. I didn't want to look stupid either. (Maybe this goes back to early school experiences where kids would laugh and make fun of the tiniest gaffe.) All these little things blocked me from the truth that this is why one takes a class, to learn what you don't know! I also think there is such an overwhelming belief that one has to have innate talent to do anything artistic, that those who do show talent come by it naturally and do not have to learn basics or work hard to make their art. If you've not had much opportunity or exposure then it is easy to think you have no talent and thus aren't going to be able to produce anything good, even in a class. For the brief time I taught quilting classes, I felt the most important thing I could do as a teacher was encourage students constantly down on themselves in a way for them to see that what they were doing was really good work. It always amazed me how many women really had no confidence in their abilities, even when it was right before their eyes.
ReplyDeleteTo follow up on my own experience, I remember doing a lot of drawing as a kid, and even more after taking a summer school art class in junior high school. Not sure when I let that drop away, but I think it was probably in high school or college, when I got so involved in so many other things, including music and sewing, which may have taken the place of the artistic outlet of drawing. I took my first drawing class maybe ten years ago when the description was inviting and the supplies needed very specifically spelled out. Yes! This was exactly what I was looking for, a tiny thing that would give me a bit of confidence entering class on the first day, even though there was still some misgivings that could be considered fears. And from there, it just got better with each class. I hope this is the experience for your fearful students!
Sheila, thanks for your comments on fear of the unknown. Do you think that goes hand in hand with fear of failure? We do tend to want to stay in our comfort zones. So to go from traditional quilting to art quilting is a big leap. One of my biggest fears is creating in public. When I take classes I am afraid I will not be able to come up with an idea and will look like a fool. I am much better creating in private. I do get a little panic in public settings.
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