Sunday, March 30, 2014

Backlog



Yesterday I mentioned I was feeling overwhelmed.  This is not an unusual feeling for me, I quite often get myself in over my head.  Very familiar with the deep end of the pool I am.

It is one of the hazards of being self-employed.  You wind up pursuing several different options because you never know which one(s) will pan out, which will wither and die.

It seems that for the bulk of this year I have been weaving samples.  Which would be fine, but they are samples with very specific requirements.  They are not the full expression of my creativity, but to satisfy requirements of a very precise nature.  Normally this is not an issue for me - the problem comes from the fact I haven't had time to do anything else.

Even the warp on the AVL is prototype weaving for a designer and I'm not convinced she can sell these items for a price that will make it worthwhile for either of us.  But she is confident, so I have been working away on them, trying to get them woven and off the loom so they can be wet finished and mailed.  She needs them by mid-April so there is no time to waste - deadline looms!

One of the reasons I chose weaving for a career was that I wanted to do the stuff that I wanted to do.  The reality is that I have to do stuff that other people want.  Mostly I'm okay with that but the past few months have been all about everyone else's needs.

I'm looking forward to getting to my needs.

2 comments:

Sandra Rude said...

Oh, yes, I know how that feels - that desperate need to do what YOU want. Good for you - it means your creative side is making itself known, saying "hey, pay attention!" Even if it's something small, like making bobbin lace for 30 minutes, you need to do it.

Lynda Halliger Otvos (Lynda M O) said...

I agree with Sandra that we must make time and space for our needs-creative and otherwise. If I only did for others it would quickly become loads less fun and then I would have to look for another profession...

Thank you for sharing so much of what you do and how you do it; I learn something each time you post.