So this
happened.
At the beginning of 2019 I was going through my writings/notes and
journalings for the past years and I recognized a theme. I procrastinate a lot
and as a consequence I don’t do well at starting and finishing
projects/ideas/tasks. I have a lot of ideas, projects, and tasks and I spend a
lot of time thinking- just sitting and thinking about them. Even this post has
been on my mind since the start of the new year.
I realize
once I do get started it either gets finished or gets advanced to a point where
I need to consider my next step. I rarely have a beginning to end plan and when
I do things tend to change along the way. However that puts me back into the
sitting and thinking about it mode. Which is okay, except when I’ve come up
with the next step I tend to just keep thinking about it rather than start
doing it.
Then this happened.
I went into
Facebook and Facebook popped up a memory for me:
On
1/18/2011 I wrote a note “So instead of sitting and thinking of what to do I’m
gonna adopt Nike’s slogan and get up and “Just Do It”!”
Wow that
was in 2011! Guess I didn’t do what I said that time.
Then this happened.
A few weeks
later I was on my way to church and thinking about my starting/finishing
situation. I pulled up at a stoplight. The car in front of me had a bumper
sticker that said “Just Do It”. Yup that’s right. Another prompt.
Then this happened.
A few weeks
later I was leafing through some old magazines and the Summer 2009 Art Quilting
Studio magazine had this The Last Page article “Go Do” by Cynthia Shaffer:
 |
| Photo of magazine article |
One line she
wrote struck me “Go Do is also followed by “you can’t finish until you start”.
Uh-huh another prompt.
So I am
attempting to encourage myself to get up and get started.
Towards the
end of 2018 I was trying to get myself out of a somewhat depressed/overwhelmed
state that had stalled my creative self. I came across a group on Facebook
called Stitch Meditations. I wrote about it here. It helped me recoup a lot. So
I was determined to do one a day for 365 days – a whole year. I fell behind a
few days but did 2+ a day to catch up. But then I reached #64 and stopped – well
not completely. I was still creating working on a small wall hanging quilt. I
just wasn’t doing a completed daily Stitch Meditation.
Then my
daughter started encouraging me to join in the 100day project. I had done a
similar challenge back in 2015 to do some art every day. I made it to day 51.
So I’m thinking 50-60 days is about my limit.
I went to
Instagram to look at one post my daughter thought I would like.
And then this happened.
I started
scrolling through the #100dayproject and sure enough another prompt. Andrea
Scher posted her first day one:
 |
| Instagram photo by Andrea Scher |
So I’ve
decided to join in. I plan to do some form of random slow stitching every day
for 100 days. It may be on a Stitch Meditation, or a small collage or an art quilt,
or even an original embroidery design or scribble. It may only take an hour to
finish or it may take several days.
But every
day I will pick up needle and thread and slow stitch something.
 |
| Photo of my day one 100dayproject |
Just start!
Rose
3 comments:
Wow! You got some real strong messages from those prompts! I think sometimes we overwhelm ourselves to the point of not being able to move forward. Sounds like you are working through the blocks nicely, and I love your meditation piece. Right foot, left foot, and do the next indicated thing is my motto. The stitch meditations have been an immense help to get me back into hand stitching, and hopefully the groups you are following now will do the same for you. Happy creating!
Thank you Judy! I love it when I get a comment because that means at least someone is reading my blog and that encourages me to continue. I love your "right foot left foot" comment. It reminds me of when the therapist was trying to teach my husband to walk again after an illness. He had to use a cane and they kept repeating left foot, cane, right foot and then my 4 year old grandson started reminding him also.
I love your message, Rose. For some reason, the stitch meditations have taken up residence first thing in the morning since January 1st. No time constraints, no more ‘I’ll do this many’ pieces. It is what it is, right? Also, I no longer yell at the one persistent squirrel who comes into my little patio for a peek. I just ask it to leave and find fun elsewhere. I await your future.creations.
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