When Jon put up a photo he took of Piper and me, on his blog the other day, something happened. He got over a thousand shares on facebook and I got some new traffic on my blog and lots of new friend requests on facebook. I had three people in a short time wanting to buy the wallhanging I made based on my trip to Blue Star Equiculture where the photo was taken. Two of those people I never heard from before.
I know it’s a horse thing. And Yesterday when I went into my studio I knew if I made another wall hanging with a horse in it, it would probably sell pretty quickly. I thought to myself, all I have to do is put a horse in it, that easy. So when I went to my studio, I pulled out a bunch of vintage napkins with blue flowers appliqued on them and started to cut them up and sew them back together. I was as far from a horse as I could get.
What is it? I mean, I love making those wall hanging, or I could even have maybe made some horse potholders, right. But I didn’t do either. And if I had to say why, it’s not because of some high ethical artistic standard like, I Will Not Give In to the Market Place. It’s that I got scared. So much coming at me and all that mystical horse mojo that threw me into a stupor after spending a day at Blue Star. Everything inside me yelled Retreat!
So I did, to that place that never fails to ground me and bring me back to myself. I went to my studio and made a quilt. It’s a safe place, but not a hiding place. Just the right amount of speaking in color and shape and texture to settle me down. And it worked. I know this quilt is redolent with my experience with Piper and my visit to Blue Star. I’m not conscious of exactly how, but I know from experience that this is how it works for me. It’s like sleep in a way, the place where things get sorted out on another level. I’m not always exactly sure what happened, but when I wake up, I’m feeling better and ready for whatever comes next.
A buffet of goodness as well as a feast for the eyes. Your instincts are creating a pleasure to see, feel and touch. Dreamy.
Maria
I really like the way this quilt turned out. Sometimes empathic people need to get quiet or pull in after overwhelming emotional adventures. The photo is spectacular. Both your eyes and Piper’s eyes are closed.
Something I once read described “real life” as the “waking dream”, as distinguished from the dream that comes when asleep. I’m not sure why that helped me so much, but it gave me new appreciation for sleeping and dreaming, and less anxiety about so-called “real life” (which was just another kind of dream). It made sleeping dreams as important and “real” an experience as anything else, I guess.
Well, that sounds like a lot of gibberish, but I don’t know how else to explain it.
Doesn’t sound like gibberish to me Jill. And I see what your saying, and it does makes sense to me.
The quilt is Warm & Happy. Rather matches your glowing heart around the horses. 🙂
The quilt and the picture are both beautiful!! I’d never have guessed that burgundy and orange-red would look so vibrant together. Annie