My creative process is slow. 🐌
Two new works that have been a long time coming.
My creative process is slow.
A large part of my art practice at the moment is collecting materials and reflecting on how best to use them.
This was the case for The Mental Load as well as my newest piece which began with documenting videos of removing clothing tags from my kid’s clothing.
Those videos became this short film titled Meltdown Prevention.
This film is a documentation of sensory care. I am shown carefully removing clothing tags from my son’s clothes while he plays nearby in the studio. By recording the process I am making this invisible care visible.
Clothing tags are a sensory trigger for both myself and my son. Due to neurological differences in sensory modulation clothing tags can contribute to sensory overload. Removing tags is an act of care to prevent overstimulation and related meltdowns.
The tags collected were used to create a companion piece titled, Meltdown.
While documenting the removal process was part of the work I knew I wanted to display the tags themselves in some way. I considered many different things, but it was only after making my gleeman’s cloak that my brain considered sewing the tags onto a garment.
It was a great reminder that following our curiosity and doing things we might consider a “waste of time” can feed into our art practice in surprising and unexpected ways.
In retrospect this form seems somewhat inevitable. Sewing the tag back onto a garment. But I had to come at the idea sideways because my previous ideas were overly complicated.
I do have a penchant for over complication.
Other bits and bobs I’d like to recommend this week. (I’ve been saving links all summer so I have more than usual.) 😉
Read
First off, love this piece about Zelda and neurodivergence by
!
I also enjoyed this piece which resonated with my own tangled experience of perfectionism masquerading as professionalism. And the call to “do it messy” from
.
A reflection on permission from
rooted in one of my favorite childhood films The Wizard of Oz,“If only I could go meet The Wizard!
But eventually I learned the only person who could authorize me… was me.”
And
on daily rituals,“So, what makes these daily habits a ritual? For me, it’s about slowing yourself and the process all the way down. Essentially, you want to do what my Grandma called “making it nice”. Making it nice means taking the time over something you enjoy but could easily rush through and noticing how you can elevate experiences you’re already having to make them more special.”
Play
These new Ouisi cards are so fun! 🥰
Watch
The true pace of art (versus timelapse):
Illuminated manuscripts with embroidered mending! 🤩
I love Adam Savage’s YouTube channel and learning about his creative process. (You may remember Adam from Mythbusters.) He is also neurodivergent and I get so much inspiration from watching him work. This video is his reflection on (intentional) visual cacophony. Something I also find inspiring, but have been taught is “wrong.”
A peek into what I was watching and reading last year:
Dark Magic, Secret Projects, and a Link Up
Of Shoes & Ships & Sealing Wax, August 2022 This month I’m combining our new link up with my monthly favorites (books I'm reading, podcasts I’m listening to, etc.) I started this draft weeks ago and have been adding links when I find something worth sharing.
That’s all for this week. I’d love to hear from you.
Feel free to share a link to a post you’d like to share or tell me about a project you’re working on in comments below.
Cheers,
P.S. I don’t seem to be sticking to my fortnightly schedule. 😂 I have too much to share.
If you’ve been around you’ll notice this cycle between posting weekly, trying to pull back, and posting weekly again. I think allowing myself that space is helpful, but I am sometimes afraid I appear erratic. Nevertheless I want to be transparent about my process and this push and pull to manage energy levels is part of it.
It seems to happen when I try to write too many long form posts in a row. While I need to remember Substack posts can take many different shapes!
Last week I wanted to share my chat with
.Morgan Harper Nichols on Creativity as Communication 🎨 Ep. 003
Listen now (73 mins) | I’m back from my podcasting hiatus and so excited to share this episode with autistic artist & poet Morgan Harper Nichols. We talk about creativity and its intersection with neurodivergence. It was such a great chat I completely forgot we were podcasting because Morgan was such a joy to talk to. Join us as we geek out about the things we love and our shared experiences.
This week I’ve finished two art works for my portfolio. Then I found this half drafted Rabbit Hole email which has been waiting to go out for some time.
I’m still going to be mindful of my energy levels, but I may pivot back to weekly because I just have too much to share for every other week. I’m musing on what this means for the paid tier and if I will go back to monthly bonus content. 🧐
Thank you for the shoutout Sarah! I love your comment on how things that may seem like a waste of time can actually feed our creative practice. It's easy in the internet age to feel like only 'productive' creativity is worth pursuing, but that eliminates play and so easily turns joy into work.
I absolutely love the art piece you created from the tags & could imagine seeing it up in an art installation along with other interpretive pieces - fabulous!