Sharing an old favorite from the archives about figuring out your priorities and boundaries in your own creative process. And wondering what you don't give a hoot about creatively.
I agree with you, that I don’t give a hoot about imperfections in my crochet, or other crafts I do for fun (unless it means the object falls apart or does not work). I am getting better at criticism of my written work, from which I hope to earn an income.
I loved reading years ago that Islamic art creators make deliberate imperfections in their work because of their belief that nothing is perfect but Allah (God). I have since taken on that concept, and so my art has imperfections. I do suspect that the Islamic artists deliberately and thoughtfully add one imperfection, while my many offerings of imperfection are as a result of thoughtless inattention.
I had heard something similar about Amish quilters intentionally putting a mistake in their work, called a humility block, but there's a lot of debate about whether or not that is true or myth. Either way, I think that there's something powerful in the practice. I wrote a book called Hook to Heal which is 100 crochet exercises to improve different areas of your life and I used an "intentional mistake" as one of those.
:) Thanks ... I have done a lot of work with craft as therapy, particularly crochet, and what I remind people is that it's just crochet - nothing horrible is going to happen if there's a mistake. It's a great way to practice releasing some of the tension around ideas that things need to be perfect. And I truly believe that practicing that regularly in craft then allows us to practice it in other areas of our lives as well.
Definitely. With the exception of a few niche techniques, crochet is built one loop at a time so that taking it apart only requires going back to the one loop where the mistake is and fixing that then moving forward again. It's a little tougher with dropped stitches in knitting.
So much great food for thought here! I have decided that I no longer give a hoot about making art that is "trendy." I have to simply make what I am interested in.
I am trying hard not to give a hoot about social media, which seems to be getting in the way of focusing on developing my craft as an artist. It's hard because I'd like my creative pursuits (writing and painting) to be more central in my life, but for that to happen, I need them to replace at least some of the income from my day job, so I can work less for the man and more for myself, and I don't know how I can do that without social media. But maybe I just need to exercise some more creativity in that regard...
It is definitely really challenging to figure out how to make a living with art without social media and/or other marketing ... but the more we can work on at least a balance or some creativity with it, the better I think it is.
"how to stop spending time you don't have with people you don't like doing things you don't want to do." That's what retirement meant for me. I've used a similar sentence many times when I talk about my decision to retire, but I frame it more positively. 'I want to do the things I want to do, when I want to do them, and with the people I want to do them with'. It's the mantra of my retired life!
Love this post, think I'm gonna use this as a journaling prompt to do some reflection on really clarifying the things I do and don't give a hoot about. It feels like such a helpful roadmap to have. I know sharing (some of) my work is important to me but in the past year I've really fallen away from giving a hoot about how that happens, i.e. it's becoming more and more attractive to me to be able to do that myself versus chasing publishers or other sources for the 'legitimising' effect it can have when they have a role in helping us share our work. It's an ongoing exploration for me but this has really shown me that I still have work to do in diving into it deeper and getting myself clearer on it! Thanks as ever for your wisdom and generosity 💖
That all makes a lot of sense to me. I think it's always going to be something of an ongoing exploration for me because it will inevitably change with time. But a lot of the core stuff does stay the same and the better I know it about myself, the more I am able to enjoy my creative process. Would love to hear any revelations that turn up as you continue thinking about this.
Thank you Kathryn, I'll be sure to share in due course. The idea of a core that stays constant while also having permission to change is a really nice duality/plurality that feels really aligned to the conditions that feel generative to creativity to me!
I absolutely resonate with your perspective on the art of not giving a hoot. Your list of things artists might not need to give a hoot about is thought-provoking, offering artists the opportunity to reflect on what truly drives their passion and what might be causing unnecessary stress or pressure.
It won't be true for all artists and it definitely won't all be true all of the time but I think it's really good to think about for exactly the reasons you articulated. Is there something you particularly don't give a hoot about with your writing right now?
My “I don’t give a hoot” has been refined so deeply in my 50s. I used to beat myself up about every mistake. I chose very militant perspectives on things that ultimately weren’t that important. It’s taken me half a century to embrace the person I’m truly meant to be. Deciding what I do and don’t give a hoot about and why has been part of that journey. I can’t wait to read your book, I’m a fellow crocheter!
Your list of things artists and creative people might choose to not give a hoot about is great. Knowing what we care about and what we can let go of (regardless of how others do it) is really important as we find and maintain our own balance.
I give 🦉s about vibrant colour, texture and how the process feels while I am doing it. 😊 I don't give so much of a 🦉 about finishing things or things being perfect.
I agree with you, that I don’t give a hoot about imperfections in my crochet, or other crafts I do for fun (unless it means the object falls apart or does not work). I am getting better at criticism of my written work, from which I hope to earn an income.
I loved reading years ago that Islamic art creators make deliberate imperfections in their work because of their belief that nothing is perfect but Allah (God). I have since taken on that concept, and so my art has imperfections. I do suspect that the Islamic artists deliberately and thoughtfully add one imperfection, while my many offerings of imperfection are as a result of thoughtless inattention.
I had heard something similar about Amish quilters intentionally putting a mistake in their work, called a humility block, but there's a lot of debate about whether or not that is true or myth. Either way, I think that there's something powerful in the practice. I wrote a book called Hook to Heal which is 100 crochet exercises to improve different areas of your life and I used an "intentional mistake" as one of those.
I think you must be the first person to add an intentional mistake into a craft book. I am so impressed.
:) Thanks ... I have done a lot of work with craft as therapy, particularly crochet, and what I remind people is that it's just crochet - nothing horrible is going to happen if there's a mistake. It's a great way to practice releasing some of the tension around ideas that things need to be perfect. And I truly believe that practicing that regularly in craft then allows us to practice it in other areas of our lives as well.
In my opinion crochet is much easier to undo than knitting!
Definitely. With the exception of a few niche techniques, crochet is built one loop at a time so that taking it apart only requires going back to the one loop where the mistake is and fixing that then moving forward again. It's a little tougher with dropped stitches in knitting.
So much great food for thought here! I have decided that I no longer give a hoot about making art that is "trendy." I have to simply make what I am interested in.
I am trying hard not to give a hoot about social media, which seems to be getting in the way of focusing on developing my craft as an artist. It's hard because I'd like my creative pursuits (writing and painting) to be more central in my life, but for that to happen, I need them to replace at least some of the income from my day job, so I can work less for the man and more for myself, and I don't know how I can do that without social media. But maybe I just need to exercise some more creativity in that regard...
It is definitely really challenging to figure out how to make a living with art without social media and/or other marketing ... but the more we can work on at least a balance or some creativity with it, the better I think it is.
"how to stop spending time you don't have with people you don't like doing things you don't want to do." That's what retirement meant for me. I've used a similar sentence many times when I talk about my decision to retire, but I frame it more positively. 'I want to do the things I want to do, when I want to do them, and with the people I want to do them with'. It's the mantra of my retired life!
I like your rephrasing of the mantra!!!
Love this post, think I'm gonna use this as a journaling prompt to do some reflection on really clarifying the things I do and don't give a hoot about. It feels like such a helpful roadmap to have. I know sharing (some of) my work is important to me but in the past year I've really fallen away from giving a hoot about how that happens, i.e. it's becoming more and more attractive to me to be able to do that myself versus chasing publishers or other sources for the 'legitimising' effect it can have when they have a role in helping us share our work. It's an ongoing exploration for me but this has really shown me that I still have work to do in diving into it deeper and getting myself clearer on it! Thanks as ever for your wisdom and generosity 💖
That all makes a lot of sense to me. I think it's always going to be something of an ongoing exploration for me because it will inevitably change with time. But a lot of the core stuff does stay the same and the better I know it about myself, the more I am able to enjoy my creative process. Would love to hear any revelations that turn up as you continue thinking about this.
Thank you Kathryn, I'll be sure to share in due course. The idea of a core that stays constant while also having permission to change is a really nice duality/plurality that feels really aligned to the conditions that feel generative to creativity to me!
I absolutely resonate with your perspective on the art of not giving a hoot. Your list of things artists might not need to give a hoot about is thought-provoking, offering artists the opportunity to reflect on what truly drives their passion and what might be causing unnecessary stress or pressure.
It won't be true for all artists and it definitely won't all be true all of the time but I think it's really good to think about for exactly the reasons you articulated. Is there something you particularly don't give a hoot about with your writing right now?
My “I don’t give a hoot” has been refined so deeply in my 50s. I used to beat myself up about every mistake. I chose very militant perspectives on things that ultimately weren’t that important. It’s taken me half a century to embrace the person I’m truly meant to be. Deciding what I do and don’t give a hoot about and why has been part of that journey. I can’t wait to read your book, I’m a fellow crocheter!
Happy crochet! I'm in my forties and this aspect of my life has gotten better decade upon decade so I look forward to how it continues!
Your list of things artists and creative people might choose to not give a hoot about is great. Knowing what we care about and what we can let go of (regardless of how others do it) is really important as we find and maintain our own balance.
Absolutely! <3
I give 🦉s about vibrant colour, texture and how the process feels while I am doing it. 😊 I don't give so much of a 🦉 about finishing things or things being perfect.