UNFINISHED ART IN YOUR STASH? A GROUP PLAN CAN HELP...

How many art pieces or projects did you start in 2019 (or earlier) that aren't finished? If you're like me, I get excited planning and starting new projects, and make good progress on them up until the next idea comes along. Then my interest wanes and sometimes I finish them, sometimes not. On some pieces I'm unsure what step to take next, so the picture just sits until the answer comes, which may be months... or never....

Then I stumbled across an idea on a friend's blog - to post a list that is shared with others of those unfinished projects that we really would like to finish. The idea was to identify 12 outstanding projects, and target one each month to work on and complete by the end of the year. 

I shared this idea with friends in an open studio group, and was met with an enthusiastic response. A recipe for success we hope!

And so an excel spreadsheet was born and shared, and after a few tweaks, we each got our lists posted. 12 projects seemed reasonable, with monthly updates reporting on our progress. Some chose to add projects that hadn't actually been started, but ones they had been thinking about doing. I thought that was a great idea. While it would be nice to finish one piece each month, progress on a few is okay too as long as we are moving forward.

Sharing photos is of course welcome, as is asking for feedback, ideas, input, or whatever is needed to help us stay on track. But being accountable to each other is the best part. 

The goal of course is to have all the art pieces completed by the end of the year, giving us almost 12 months, but also not letting any new projects we undertake fall to the wayside. But any of those that aren't done will get added to a list next year.

"Now that’s all I want to do!  I’m very motivated..."

"I am excited to begin!"

"I am sure it will help me to finish my artworks, to give life to other works ..."

We are already seeing results after just a few weeks. I've managed to make a bit of progress on 3 of my art pieces, and finished one of the smaller ones - a fibre art interpretation of Electrified Cat's Moss. Although it had taken me months to find the right technique, once I did, it came together very quickly. And like the comment above, I too am motivated to get my unfinished pieces finished. 

I'll sign off this post by sharing a quote in Olympic speedskater and cyclist Clara Hughes' book Open Heart, Open Mind. This quote resonated with me, especially since I worked in sport for several years, but also because applies to any walk of life, and any type of project.

"You can only attract success for yourself if you want every single 

one of your competitors to be good and strong. 

When you wish good things for others, this comes back to you. 

The strength to be kind is not often asked for, 

but this is perhaps the most important strength to have."

Quote by an elder to Clara Hughes 

Very true.

NERVOUS ABOUT PUBLIC SPEAKING? HERE'S A TIP

I was honoured recently to give an artist talk on the lichen fibre art piece I had made for the Creative Reactions show in May. The invitation was to speak at a staff lunch & learn session at the Collection Facility of the Museum of Nature in Gatineau and came from the botanist I had worked with as I created this artwork.

The invitation meant I'd be speaking to a group of 25-30 botanists, all experts in specialized fields and with so much more knowledge than me about lichens, even those who couldn't claim to be an authority on lichens. And that left me feeling somewhat intimidated at first.

Since I've had some experience with public speaking and with giving artist talks, I was confident I could deliver an interesting presentation to this group. It would take a bit of preparation however. 

We can look to structure and tips when writing a draft: ensure a strong start, give an outline of what you will talk about, provide evidence to support key ideas, pause after making important points, a wrap up to end, and so on. But none of these would establish my expertise as the artist.

The key - I realized and kept reminding myself - was that I am the expert about my process of creating this piece of fibre art. Me, not them. 

And that was what the group wanted to hear about - how I made each lichen and interpreted it through fibre, why I chose lichens for this piece of art, what I learned through this process, how the goals of art being a visual tool for science were met. I didn't have to be an expert on lichens - just had to have learned enough to reproduce them in a visual format. 

So if you're at all uncertain about giving a talk in public, remember that you are the expert. You, not them. And that the people in the room really are interested in what you have to say. 

That was certainly my experience with the group of botanists I spoke to. They asked lots of great questions, and later welcomed me with open arms to participate - with my art - at their annual Open House. And where I discovered I was able to actually answer quite a few general questions from the public about lichens. Who knew my expertise had grown so much!