Aspirations

This cold has really knocked the stuffing out of me.  Normally I will weave for 45 minutes before taking a break - not because I'm tired but because I know it is good for my body.

The past few days I have been weaving on the AVL - just one towel at a time - then taking a break.  This morning I wove one towel on the smaller Leclerc and after one towel I was tired.  Normally I weave 2 and a half towels before taking a break, but not today.  I can't believe how weak I am although truth be told, it has been nearly a month since I have done any 'serious' weaving.  Don't use it?  Lose it!

On the other hand, I have had plenty of time to think.  One of the things I have been thinking about, of course, is The Book.  The one I intend to (keep) writing. 

Several things have happened over the course of the past few weeks which have called me to really think about and clarify what I am trying to do and why I am trying to do it.

With so many beginning type books already available, I feel that rather than simply add more to the heap of knowledge on that pile, I want to try to go beyond 'beginning'.  My goal has always been to try and explain the 'why' of weaving (as best I am able), not just the what. 

I already know that an ebook isn't going to garner the type of sales a 'real' book will.  Weaving shops won't carry it, it won't get wide distribution, I don't have a big advertising budget.  So sales will be low anyway.  My expectation of sales?  Not very high.

This will be more of a specialist presentation, not of interest to many, just a few. 

Then I read an article about 'best selling' books.  The definition was 1 million sales. 

Do I aspire to be a 'best' seller?  No.  Not at all.

The weaving community is tiny in comparison to the general population.  The percentage of people who weave who will be interested in what I have to say will be a tiny slice of that tiny population.

So what are my aspirations?  Do I want to sell the book?  Yes, of course.  Weaving is my career.  I earn money by teaching and writing about weaving - of course I want to make sales.

My aspirations boil down to this:  I hope that by sharing my experiences and whatever I know about weaving to assist others in their explorations.

I do not pretend to know all the answers.  I don't even know all the questions.  Because weaving - the creation of textiles using a loom with warp and weft - is huge.  Gigantic.  Mix in all the different fibres, the different types of equipment, the different qualities of cloth and the exploration of even a tiny part of the craft can take a lifetime.  It has certainly taken mine.  I was 25 when I decided to become a weaver. I have been a weaver for 40, going on 41 years. 

And I still learn.  I still make mistakes.  I still find weaving endlessly fascinating.  Right now I seem to be in a bit of a holding pattern in terms of learning.  I've been sticking to the tried and true - for the most part.  And that's ok, too.

Life goes through rough patches, smooth patches, detours and scenic routes.  And it is all good.  It is all life.