Making Time for Art: A Survey
If you’re not making time for your creative work,
you’re cheating yourself—and others who would
benefit from your expression, says Jill Heppenheimer of
Santa Fe Weaving Gallery. As co-owner of the gallery for
more than fifteen of the gallery’s thirty years, Heppenheimer
has been encouraging makers of art clothing to push their
creativity. She also organized the fiber-centric Design
with Heart conferences and now coordinates tours for global
textile nomads.
In the Summer 2007 issue of Fiberarts, Heppenheimer
writes about how successful artwork reflects both technical
skill—developed through dedicated practice and experimentation—and
a creative vision that speaks from deep inside the artist’s
soul. She profiles three artists—DY Begay, Ramona
Sakiestewa, and Lewis Knauss—whose work reflects both
ingredients because they have made their art a priority
even while they juggle demands such as jobs or family that
compete for their time and attention.
In conjunction with the Summer issue, we posted a survey
to find out more about the challenges readers are facing
in their creative lives and what strategies have worked
to overcome obstacles and take their artwork to the next
level. Although we’re not collecting responses any
longer, here are the questions. We hope they will stimulate
some reflection about your creative life.
- How would you describe your life stage and how it affects
your artwork? For example, do you have a non-art-related
day job? Do you juggle parenting and/or elder-care responsibilities
with your creative interests?
- What are the obstacles to creativity that you encounter
in your life?
- How do you confront these obstacles? Think about your
overall philosophy or specific strategies.
- What goals do you set for how much time to spend or
what constitutes "accomplishment" in the studio?
- Creative leaps generally follow some breakthrough. Think
about your most recent one: its circumstances, the outcome,
and how that affects where you go next.
- Do the other aspects of your life influence your artwork
in any way? How?
- What about the converse: how does your art influence
the other aspects of your life?
- Talk about creativity vs. artistry: Do you view the
two as distinct or the same? What have you discovered
about the role that your life plays in delving into either
or both?
Watch future issues of Fiberarts magazine for
articles addressing these topics.
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