“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

This quote was taken from the “Man In the Area Speech” by Theodore Roosevelt given at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, 1910.

I’ve been thinking about this quote and how it relates to me, the artist. Sometime in creating something new, I never know how well people will respond to it until I get feedback from a show or from friends with whom I may show samples while I’m creating them.  People will either buy something new that I've created because they love it or they won’t.  Frequently, I get compliments about how well my creations are made. I can’t help but think that quality is the mark of a true artisan.  Today, I decided to give you an idea of the place where I work, my studio or sewing room (although sewing room is a misnomer since I do far more than just sew here).

I own a Janome that I've had for six years, and a swedish sewing machine that was given to me by a friend.

Whenever I’m creating, I don’t worry about whether someone likes it or not.  My greatest concern is whether this work is worthy of my efforts. I don’t desire to do things “half-assed”.  I don’t think of myself as a perfectionist; however, I do believe in doing my very best and then, letting my work go.

For me, the creative process is messy as indicated by all the stuff in my studio.  I have bins of fabric, stacks of containers of beads and other items I use as embellishment.  I have racks of thread and a three-drawer storage bin full of trims that include ribbon, lace, bias tape, hem facing, blanket binding, rolls of rawhide, and strips of silk that I use in various ways.  I also have jars of buttons, crochet hooks and knitting needles of various sizes that I use whenever I knit and crochet or add trim that I make to finish a garment. My book shelves contain reference design books as well as the notebooks that contain my stencils and back-up photocopies if I need to reproduce damaged stencils. Another bin contains paints, stamps, dyes, and miscellaneous found objects that I use to stamp designs onto fabric and paper.

I use a laptop and I also have a desktop computer and laser printer.  In addition, I have a photo-smart printer/scanner that prints beautiful photographs that I occasionally sell at arts and crafts fairs.

These are the tools that I use along with my imagination and honed skills to create. So, this is where I experience the most exquisite peace; when I’m in my studio creating beauty.