Or rather, is taking me a while.
I looked back at my photos on my phone and realised that I’ve been making this piece since the 26th of April. I think this might be the longest I’ve ever spent on a weaving.
Of course, weaving in its nature is time consuming, but this feels like a whole other level.
It got me thinking that this piece signifies a few things to me.
1. The passage of time
What I enjoy a lot about making something with my hands is having a physical remnant of a piece of a time in my life. Our memories get ingrained in our heads, but I find that my brain can sometimes warp those snapshots into being more grand or not quite real, resembling a dream in some way. The physicality of a piece however, and specifically how it feels, takes me back to when I was making it and sometimes grounds my memories more or helps me remember what I was feeling at the time I was making. Which brings me onto…
2. The piece goes through life changes
As I’ve been making this piece for a long time, it reminds me that it’s come along with me through different moments in my life. If I look back to the 26th of April, I remember feeling anxious about my work, my future plans, turning older and not quite reaching the goals that I set for myself. Now that the piece has grown with this passage of time, I’ve grown a little myself. It’s special to me that we in some way, together, have morphed into new areas.
3. Weaving is slow
I’ve mentioned this already, but it goes without saying that the art of weaving is slow. It’s what I love and also hate most about it. Backstrap Weaving provides me with a way of creating that makes me focus primarily on making, but it can equally be frustrating as it may feel like it never ends, especially as my body starts hurting from a lot of time spent inside the loom.
4. Pushing through the creative process
I’ve written about the creative process previously but the struggle is real when you’re within it! I’m sure a lot of you relate. I’ve been through the initial ideas stage, making stage and now I’m in a bit of a resentment stage, where I’m not entirely sure if I like the piece and if to just leave it.
This morning, I put it out on the table and thought that actually, yes, I do want to finish it but it’s just not quite there yet. So, I need to push through that wall and get it to where it needs to be. I have a few ideas, so let’s see where they take me.
5. Inspiration from outside of your making bubble
I went to the opening night at Hauser & Wirth this week, specifically to see Amy Revier’s new work. It was so life giving to me. It made me excited to be back in London, fall in love with this city in the summer all over again, and also it was great to meet Amy Revier herself, as I’ve followed her work for a while now. It was a privilege to listen her speak about her often difficult journey over the past year, and also to hear how she’s moving onto some faster sculptural work as part of her portfolio.
This encounter injected a sense of excitement to me. Making should be playful and stimulating, and it’s okay to not know what will come out of it. And it’s okay to make fast work and also slow work.
So, goodbye to overthinking!
I’m now off to play around with this piece and see where it takes me. I might hate it, I might love it, but what I know is that I need to just do something with it.
As always, thanks for reading!
Have a great rest of your weekend,
Alex