It always feels good to cross the finish line.

While it may seem that I’ve only been sketching, reading, and gardening this summer, behind the face of this blog there have been untold hours of stitching as well. The plain, hard fact is my textile pieces have so many layers and levels of process, mostly hand-done, that sometimes they seem to crawl along at a virtual snail’s pace. The Rio Olympics provide the perfect analogy: sketching is a sprint, textile work is a marathon. Happily, neither impinges upon the other and working at both seems to have reciprocal advantages.

And I’m sure you can appreciate why I need both.

Poseidon’s Garden     ©2016 Elizabeth Fram                                                        26″H x 22″W, Stitched Resist, Dye, Discharge, Stitching on Silk                                     If ever there was a piece for which it was particularly satisfying to tie off the last thread, this is it. My previous posts “How Do You Define Success”, “One Note Changes Everything”, & “Share the Wealth”  discuss the process and, perhaps more significantly, the struggle of working my way through it.

Last month I finally finished the two pieces shown here, and now need only to tidy up behind them with proper photographs and documentation. Neither of them came together easily, yet they both represent the best type of workhorse. They are rich in lessons learned along the way that, while obvious to no one but me, add measurably to my toolkit for the future.

Capriccio     ©2016 Elizabeth Fram                                   12″ x 12″, Paint & Stitching on Silk   Made in response to the prompt “lyrical” for the 2016 Journal Project, an undertaking you can read more about in my previous post “Creative Yoga”

Work begets work, so the door is now open to fully concentrate on the two new pieces that I began a couple of weeks ago. And boy, does it feel good to start fresh and shift my focus! However, there’s something to be said for setting aside a few moments to mark the transition, to make note of and be grateful for the ground covered, and to hope that what was learned can be applied to the challenges that lie ahead.

On Another Note…                                                                                                                                  

I can’t help but share the most important and thoughtful article I’ve read this week. In her blog post Why “good ideas” never happen & WHY YOU CAN’T AVOID DIFFICULT DECISIONS, Nela Dunato discusses why and how maintaining a mindset that includes the capacity for change is both a necessity and a powerful ally in achieving success, especially for the creative professional. Check it out; it’s a valuable reminder that even small steps can reap large rewards.