Susie Monday . El Cielo Studio

When last you saw this quilt ....After being stuck for a time, and being out of town for longer, I finally made some real progress on what is turning out to be someone living an archetypal life between Eve and Our Lady of Guadalupe, complete with pomegranates, of course.

The snake snuck in, though. And a new arm.

When we last left this quilt, it was still on the design table. I got it fused together, and then up on the wall for final fiddling around and problem solving. I also took lots of photos and screened the results on the computer to start the process of thinking how I will trim the finished product -- though That Decision won't really come until the end, after all the quilting.

Next I go to the machine (or machines -- I am considering renting time on the local quilt shop's long arm to do the "first layer" of free motion work. I don't much like it for all the detail work, since I like to change colors of thread. One factor pushing me this way is that it seems my machine is acting up and, gee, I suppose it must be time for a service call.

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Go with the flow, but it's nice to have a few paddles that you've practised using.

When the pedal hits the metal, you need a foundation of good practice to keep a modicum of balance in place. I've been tending a family member's serious illness this past week, (my dad, he's better), and it takes every bit of good behavior on my part for me to stay centered and available. What works for me is having certain minimum daily requirements for my physical, mental, spiritual and emotional well being. I'm not legalistic about these, sometimes a week might pass before one of my DMR actually makes it onto the to-do list. But I have noticed that the more I practice these habits/skills/routines and rituals daily -- when I DON'T need them --  the easier it is to make it through the rough patches.

The MDRs change over time and sometimes the focus is on one "realm" of being more than another. But recently, these are the practices that are getting me through. These are the real ones, not the ones I wish I did, not the ones I think I should be doing. And I slip up a lot on the dailyness aspect. but they are the minimums and more often then not, I get around to each and every one of them once in 24 hours.

1. Walking, at least a mile, usually about 3 in 1 to 2 mile stints. This one works on ALL the fronts, physical, emotional, spiritual and mental. Usually at home the walks are dog-driven necessity. (We call Bandera, the coon hound, "The Treadmill.")

Bandera, aka "the Treadmill

2. Keeping my email box purged. This is not easy, and stuff still gets shuffled to some unknown folder at times. But mentally, it helps not to open the email and see 300 messages that are just kindof parked there o "in."

3. Cooking. Cooking good, simple, nourishing comfort food is both a creative and physical best practice in my life. It keeps me centered to handle ingredients and to participate in the alchemy of transforming these six things into some one delicious smelling and tasting one thing.

4. Stitching by hand. When I need a meditative moment, having some handwork to attack with the slow steady pace of a nice running stitch just gets me back into now. I carry handwork with me as often as I can, and its been essential for those hours in hospital waiting rooms. Count it practice for all the mes.

5. Affirmation and prayer. Enough said. Remember to breathe. Everything really is going to be all right. I don't have all the information. I can be present, right now, right here. Spinning out into future scenarios is always always a waste of precious energy.

Start with color.

I do this a lot. Over and over. Til its right from the beginning. And yes, the studio stays a mess til this part is done.

(and a bit of a notion of an idea, theme, relation to something earlier done)

Continue with shape and composition.

Work from strong suit to strong suit.

Keep it on the table until it's together enough to put on the wall.

(Where I am now.)

Pin up and look. Keep it up. (still to come)

This pomegranate virgin is in my heart, singing of abundance, life force, generousity of spirit. I am holding her in my heart right now.

What is your process? Where is your strong suit? Do you let yourself start there or try to follow someone else's formula for success. I think your main task as an artist is to discover those gifts, honor them, and let them lead your process. Don't believe other people's formulas. Maybe you try them out to see what works and not, but in the end, just as you stitch together your cloth, you stitch together your way  of working. It will be as unique and as personal and as much a part of your "voice" as any other aspect of visual style or content.