Calling this a tribal wall hanging is probably a misnomer. I’m calling it that only because the colors and textures have a tribal feel to me. It makes me think of the richness of my culture and how I feel inside.
I made this from fabric scraps and one of my mom’s old jewelry pieces. The piece is hanging in our den-office (we call it that; it’s pronounced denOFFice, just like that).
I’ve been making. I said it was time to start making and I’ve been following through.
Because I am terrified of sharing the little things I make, I’ve decided to do just that, just to be defiant and refuse to let fear or embarrassment or intense vulnerability get the better of me.
I’ve recently learned about the 70-20-10 rule and so, in keeping with its tenets, I will make lots and lots of crap in order to maybe, MAYBE, produce some gems or at least some stuff that doesn’t make people want to run away screaming.
It’s odd that I’m terrified of putting myself out there artistically because I have literally been a performer ALL MY LIFE: music (instrumental and vocal; solo, chorus, bands); dance (performer, teacher, choreographer, troupe director; solo, ensemble); theatre (all the things); writing (all the things). And all of this I did from elementary school all the way through to my Bachelors degree. I’ve only recently decided I just can’t anymore; I’m TIRED. (Somehow, a tiny version of my troupe will be getting together to dance soon. I’m hopeless.)
But there’s something so very PERSONAL about creating a thing with my HANDS and deigning to call it “art.” Who the hell am I? Especially since I haven’t gone to and will not be going to any type of art school except the university that Google offers up. (Hey, there is a WORLD of free instruction out there; actually, I pay a few bucks here and there.) There’s an AWESOME podcast that I listen to, “A Beautiful Anarchy,” that has convinced me that not only CAN I do this but I absolutely MUST do this.
So, in the name of being courageous so that I can learn to get over myself, I will show my works, humble as they are, when I post blog entries (or maybe it’s just because I’m sick of stock photos). I may or may not have something clever to say about the pieces.
I do welcome your comments AND YOUR CRITICISMS (I really mean that) because I’m serious about this. That doesn’t mean you have to be a jerk but I’m not afraid of your honesty.
I’d also be interested in learning how you navigate your own desires to create, whatever it is you create, and how you face your fears.
Please share!
Proof of My Existence 