This is for all you awesome creatives out there and let it be your mantra, "Don't question your talent!". Ever! And never stop doing it. Long ago I bounced aimlessly from one creative hobby to the next. Collage, oil painting, sketching, machine sewing, jewelry making, rug hooking, ceramics, embroidery, crewel work, gardening, knitting, etc., etc., etc., and then, drum roll please, counted cross stitch. I fell head over heels for this craft and I say craft because that is what it was for me in the beginning. Every minute of my spare time was spent pouring over catalogs and shopping at local needlework shops and craft stores. Like any addiction, "Hi, my name is Debbie and I'm a cross stitch addict", I couldn't get enough of it. When the internet came along, I really was a kid in a candy store, I could shop the world for not only what I knew, but now all the awesome stuff I never knew. The years passed and I never grew bored with it, although my life did make me take breaks from it for, well, life! I learned a lot from other stitchers, from manufacturers, from needlework stores and books. As time passed, my passion went from a blazing fire to a warm glow. I found I no longer just wanted to stitch the patterns and kits I bought but wanted to change them. My attention wasn't so much what new pattern I wanted to buy but how I could customize the one I was working on. What new fibers were out there that would make it more interesting and give it more texture? What kinds of beads were out there and charms and buttons? The next step was to try my hand at designing, using my own colors and imagination. Then it came to how can I integrate all these wonderful embellishments and fibers into my designs and what was the best way to actually make the designs? This is when I realized how much this art helped me evolve into my creativity and still keeps me hungry for more. I never doubted my love for this art and I always enjoyed the ride and that is why I never doubted my talent for it.
That doesn't mean that it's easy or that I don't second guess myself when it comes to a design or materials or even how to execute them because that is part and parcel of creativity. However, I learned early on that trying to make what I thought would trend with the current wave of design failed me miserably. I never was happy with that work. If I am true to myself and sincere, the work always thrills and satisfies and actually challenges me on some level that makes me grow.
So here is my takeaway. If you are listless and uncertain, listen to that voice that is telling you, hey, this isn't right for me somehow because that is your early warning system to not waste more time on it. Keep yourself open to trying things that spark your interest because that is the only way you will find that perfect fit. Don't think you have to be a pro in 6 weeks, 6 months or 6 years because the journey is never predetermined and expertise is ever growing.
The last thing is to never question your talent. If you truly love something, and you certainly know when you are crazy in love with something, you will be good at it because you then are willing to do the work to keep improving and evolving. That evolution will give you your own voice and signature creativity. Don't think that you aren't good enough or will never be good enough because I guarantee you will. It's the unabated passion that will drive you on and keep you focused and never let you question your talent!
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| La Petite Fleurs, framed. The photo makes it look off-white but the mat and frame is a nice bright white and I'm glad I opted for the custom mat. |
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