Comments on: Depth vs. Breadth

By: Lisa Call

Lisa Call — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 14:08:20 +0000

Excellent comments everyone - thanks for the support. I agree with all of you. There are a zillion conversations out there that can pull us in too many directions and I do much better when I ignore them. All the big email lists and group blogs and personal blogs - it’s just too much information and distraction.

Which is why I love blogs - I can read them when I feel like it and ignore them when I want to and comment when I find the time.

By: Sally

Sally — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 13:29:03 +0000

I totally agree with Jafabrit’s comment above — words are easy to spout, but being a role model is a very strong position and will affect more change than lecturing. Best to you! Love seeing the progression of your work.

By: jafabrit

jafabrit — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 13:21:58 +0000

I don’t think it’s selfish. How can one create if one is pulled in so many directions and it takes away from your art? While I enjoy reading differing viewpoints and art discussions/debates I find I cannot afford to get sucked into them. They take up too much time emotionally, intellectually and physically, time that could be spent honing my craft, my art, my love, my life.

I think you can achieve your goal and set an example by concentrating on your art and continuing to create work that cannot be dismissed as just a quilt.

By: Olga

Olga — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 09:04:46 +0000

Saying No is very difficult, especially when one feels strongly about something. On the other hand one should be firm and stick with one’s own priorities. I have found that being ’selfish’ has been vital in my building up a body of work of increasing quality, and it allows me the vital pondering time for development of ideas.

The odd thoughts I throw up in my own blog sometimes cover the question of art and art quilts (such as my post Influences: whence and whither? of 9 March), but I gave up long ago on any hope of debate. Perhaps not enough people read or are interested in my blog - or perhaps the people who get on with making art with their quilts just don’t wish to or have the time to involve themselves with blogs.

I have found in the past few months that the ’selfishness’ needed to progress my art work has made me cut down on the amount of time spent on the internet. There are so often debates which I’d like to get into, or topics which seem fascinating, but reading them just has to be enough because otherwise my mind could spend each whole day wandering down infinite paths of interest. So I confine myself now mostly to reading a tiny selection of blogs daily, and commenting only from time to time - and mostly when not only do I feel I have something to say, but I’ll admit: when I’m in between other activities.

But I find that I so often want to say yea to what you write.