Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Artistic License...

In the last 2 weeks a couple of my customers have bought longarms for themselves...it takes business away from me, but I have to be so excited for them : D.  I really love what I do and have to share the info that I have gathered thus far.  I can't wait to go see their set ups and help in any way I can. 

I was talking to  one of my friends (with a new longarm) yesterday before quilt guild...she stated that it just wasn't going well and she just had to walk away.  I told her "absolutely" you just have to walk away.  As I recently put on my logo "Stitches of Love", it is true.  If your mind isn't right...if you're stressed, tired, hurting etc. your stitches will show it.  When I find that I just can't seem to get it right, I usually just have to step away. 

I find it is artistic license to step away.  It is as important as any other criteria you use for making decisions on design etc.  Unfortunately, I had that experience myself today...I worked all day on an 18" x 18" wall hanging - ugh!!!  I have less trouble with a king size 110" x 110".  However, this particular quilt I am doing custom, which means that each section will be a different design.  All the designs have to flow (look good on the part of the quilt they are on and go with the other portions as well).  I did 4 sections and then hated one of them...after picking out (taking out all the stitches) for  that section (which is no small task even for a small area : ()  Then, I had to find another pattern for that section, which I think I did, but as I was loading it onto the quilt...my machine froze - ugh!!!  So, as it was almost time to go get my little boy from daycare, I decided it was a sign that I needed to step away : D.  So, I shut it down and hopefully after a good nights sleep, I will successfully finish it tomorrow : D.

It is important to build artistic license into the promise dates as well.  It is impossible to know how much time, so I just do a little bit of time and hope for the best...if I run into more issues than expected, I let the customer know and go from there.  I never thought I would be an artist, but I think what I do could be considered art...thus requires artistic license. 

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think we all need "artistic license" to walk away and get a fresh perspective. I can only write for so long - then it's BREAK TIME while my brain refreshes.
Sue

Lisa Birnesser said...

Walking away with a promise to return to a project really helps my patients as well as creativity. PS...I learned what a longarm is today!

Karen Presecan said...

Very insightful Liz. Your work shows your artistic vision so well and reading this article made me realize how much you and I have in common! After a shoot, I often do not even look at the images until the next day, at the least, to give myself that time to "step away." For me and photography, the artistic vision is not only in the photographing but also in the editing process.
I also think that you are so right in helping your former clients succeed with quilting. Giving advice and your tips will only benefit you in the long run. Your other clients will continue to seek you for YOUR artistic vision. And by helping people discover their passion, you are setting a wonderful standard as a human being and a successful business woman! I say, Bravo!

Donna Gunter said...

Since I write alot, stepping away from it is one of the most valuable things I can do for my piece. I can better spot typos and other errors upon my return. Even better, the process of stepping away might help me "fix" something that I didn't like in the piece or otherwise make it better in some way.

I used to try working through something until I found a solution. Now, with the wisdom of age, , I know that taking a break is the only thing that will help me.

Brandi Kae said...

Nice article, Liz. Thanks for sharing.

Melanie said...

Hi - I love your article. First, I love that you start with saying how people buying longarms from you takes away from your business but clearly you love what you do and believe in abundance, so you understand that there is plenty of business no matter how many long arms you sell.

Second, I love the permission to step away from any creative endeavor. As soon as you start forcing it, you change the energy and the flavor of your product. Giving yourself permission to step away is essential to delivering a product you are proud of to your customers! Thanks for the reminder :-)