On Creating My Own Work

Over the past few months I have been exploring the different creative paths I can take with my work. There are so many avenues to choose from.

I find myself still thinking that I "should" make what other people are making. I think it is because their styles are ubiquitous and there are many quilters who make the same kinds of quilts (functional or art), using the same or similar blocks and patterns, quilting the same designs, and the only real variation being the fabric colors used.

So I get this sense that I should be doing what they are doing. But when I do, I feel uneasy inside. It isn't a good fit, not only because it isn't "me" or originated by me, but also, if I try to create what others have done, I feel constrained and restricted by the expectations that come from re-creation. But when I work on my own created pieces, I am inspired, excited, and free.

In the end, this just has to do with giving myself the permission to make my own art and not worry about whether it will be accepted either by the quilting community or by others.