I read somewhere that a particular cross stitcher spends 10 hours a day stitching. 10 hours! I first thought, wow, they must get so much stitching done and complete so many projects quickly. But then I thought, what else do they do? It didn't say how many days a week they did this, or if it was for so many weeks in a month. I thought to myself, what if I stitched 10 hours a day? In my minds eye I could see mounds of laundry, dust an inch thick on my furniture, floors needing vacuuming and mopping. And then what about other activities like reading or baking, lunches with friends and family, watching favorite television shows? How would I have time for my blog, or looking at the beautiful work of other artists if waking hours were nothing but making my own stitched creations?
I then thought about my own work and the time it takes. Yes, I stitch daily five days a week, in the mornings. Sometimes I can catch some stitch time on the weekends, but I prefer to spend that time with my family and friends if possible. Sometimes, in the evening, after my hubby goes to bed, I may pull out the work and stitch before I start nodding off myself. But as much as I love the work and could do it probably 10 hours a day, I prefer not to do it, and life dictates that I cannot do it. You see, to me, my daily experiences and interactions with people and the world are as much an inspiration to me as my flosses and beads, except they inspire me to be a well rounded person. To have a balance of what is needed of you and what you need is what makes life the wonderful, crazy experience we need to be whole. Art certainly is a large part of my life and what I need to nourish that part of my creative soul, but I also need the daily interactions with people and the mundane tasks of everyday life to keep me grounded and my values intact. So while I salute the tremendous dedication the 10 hour stitcher has to their craft, I tend to lean to a more balanced approach to my art and life, realizing that both aspects need the same nourishment.
