For most of the time that I’ve been quilting I only made quilts for my own enjoyment. I never contemplated selling them or entering them in a juried show. I’ve made them for myself, given them away as gifts, or donated them. I was perfectly happy with those options.
Ever since I retired in 2015 I’ve become obsessed with entering contests and trying to sell quilts. I have not had much success with winning or selling. This has led to a lot of disappointment and has taken some of the previous enjoyment out of quilting. My husband even said that I focus too much on winning. So I think I’ve lost my way and I need to get back to just quilting for myself. I need to do what will make me happy rather than worrying about making pieces to enter contests.
This is not to say that I have lost all my enjoyment for quilting, but the constant worry about whether something is good enough to win a prize has changed my focus. And now I know that that is not a good thing. Recently I’ve also realized that I’ve enjoyed my smaller projects more…making ornaments, gnomes, or crows. They were not made to enter into anything or sell to anyone. They were gifts. I also really enjoyed teaching my daughter how to sew a skirt. That brought back the joy of making something to wear….just the pure joy of sewing.
Sometimes I wish I had just stuck with making beautiful traditional quilts. I wonder if the art quilts have led me to my current dilemma. The amazing thing is that I’ve gotten into all the juried shows that I’ve entered. Most of those have been in competition with paintings, photos, pastels, and mixed media. So I know that my art is good enough to get in. It just doesn’t win or sell. For a normal person getting in would be good enough. So why am I obsessed with winning?
Idaho Beauty https://idahobeautyquilts.blogspot.com/ has a blog about goals and whether we should be setting goals. Or maybe we need to think about what kinds of goals we are setting. Or if setting goals does more harm than good. Setting the goal of selling and winning is obviously causing harm to my psyche. Maybe my goal should be to do what I want and enjoy what I’m doing. I think the only thing that I will enter in the future is the Recycle show. When I do enter I will know ahead of time that my piece won’t win so the usual disappointment that I feel will not come to pass.
I’ve started a small project of a grapevine wreath with 3 crows. The crows are made from wool felt and are all hand stitched. I will be able to take them with me when we go to NJ. It will give me something to do. This will be for our daughter’s door.
I’m still taking my AI image class. Here’s my latest image.
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| AI Image of a camping trip. Dark sky with countless stars. |
Oh my. I have to admit that I once faced that dilemma of dashed hopes/expectations with my art quilts. That is one reason why I no longer do art quilts. The sad truth is, quilts simply do not sell - unless one is recognized by the quilt world as "extraordinary."
ReplyDeleteMake your quilts for fun, for the creative lift it gives you, for yourself or others you wish to share with.
Certainly continue to create your other delightful critters! They are quite charming - and they may even sell at the right place and time. Try The Gallery Shop in Lemont and the Tait Farm store where lots of little delights are sold.
Just keep on creating for YOURSELF. Your work is extraordinarily good in my humble opinion. But don't expect buyers to come running to see your work.
Have fun!
Pat
I feel the expectation of winning validates the work for the maker. So not winning is a disappointment. In our last show I put in a piece that I expected to get a first place ribbon. I got a second place ribbon. I had also entered, in another category, a quilt that my group bullied me into entering and it got a first place ribbon. You just never know how people are going to respond to your work. Selling is another thing in which I have no experience. I find it very hard to part with my makings. I hope you can find some peace and get back to enjoying making for makings sake.
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