One thing or many?

[Sandra Wyman]

Kim in her blog raised what I think is an important point - do we specialise or is it better to do many different things. Personally I think that while concentrating on one thing and learning to do it well may be useful for some things, for artists it's a different approach that's most productive - plus making for a more interesting life. After all art is about exploration, of all sorts of things, playing, picking things up, trying things out, letting one area of life spin off against another. Where would Leonardo or Michelangelo have been if they'd simply concentrated on doing one thing well? It'd be really interesting to hear what other people think, especially in such a varied group as this one.

[arlee barr]

I sometimes wish i *could* focus on one thing---but one colour and one brush just wouldn't work for me! I do find a common thread in my work, whether i realize it or not when i am making it. I bore easily---if i had to do the same things over and over, i'd lose interest. I love learning new things and try to incorporate them into my work, but have had to learn to not let the technique(s) take over--it's easy to put everything in and not let the piece have its own voice then.
I've started thinking of myself more as a mixed media artist who's primary material is textiles, rather than as "just" a textile artist :}

[Raine']

My work is always evolving. I like to try new techniques and new materials. I often ask myself the questions:
what if I do this ? or what if I use this instead of ? The results can be amazing. Sometimes I start out with a small wall hanging and end up with a fabric book. Sometimes I start using one technique and add many others to the process. So working with many things just happens sometimes and this helps my work improve and grow.

[Lorraine Strohkirch]

I totally agree. I try everything I can get my hands on. It is so much fun. I use to stick to one thing or type of art. But that is when it was a business. now that I do not have it. I went into art quilting..I still do my art quilting but it was not enough for me. I am now doing any type of media I can find and take classes to learn about them. Some I like and some I do not. But that is how I find out. Right now I can dabble in any of the forms of art/media that I have done and have a wonderful selection. and loving it. I have an art quilt I am working on, when I need a break, I have a piece of jewelry that I do in my dining room. In my second studio, like today I am painting with acrylics and will be using paverol on a project..So diversity is grand.

[Sandra Wyman]

I suppose what in the end I think I do is play a lot - using all sorts of media, visual and otherwise - and I think that everything else that I do feeds into my art so it is all part of the same thing. Like you Lorraine I used to run a business dyeing fabrics etc and found I had little time for play. However I do sometimes need to focus more on where I'm going with it all. Maybe the secret is finding some kind of balance. I'm happy playing for the moment, but intend to use this rather like sketching as a basis for more considered artwork.

The paverpol sounds interesting - would love to see how you get on!

[Lorraine Strohkirch]

Paverpol, me too. I have had it for awhile and got it out once and put it on something can't remember just to see what it did..read up about it and now going to try and do some sculpting..lol only time will tell..Have to buy something else before I use it, gloves..lol
I am very happy where I am at now. Playing with all types of media..finding out if there is something else I really want to get into but so far, none (my heart is and always will be with my ceramics and pottery..but hands just can not do that now). so I play..lol I do love to make art quilts, love it when I am machine quilting it..that is so much fun. but I have abundance of art quilts that I have given away and still have about 5 that I will not give away and no room on my walls..also have about 7 on two designing walls that needs to be finish..but I have a lot of time so no hurry they will get done. (The longest one hanging is my son's quilt from 3 years going on 4..lol I have done so much to that quilt..but he loves it..so hopefully I will finish before Christmas..lol) any way, I feel one day I will find my way to something solid again..but not now..thanks for sharing all the posting, it is a nice topic and know that wherever it takes you, have fun doing it or it is a job..lol

[Julie Zaccone Stiller]

Great question Sandra, and I just love all this discussion. I love knowing all the different techniques and processes that I've learned over the years, and I'll find myself relying upon some more than others for a time, then moving on to other combinations as I tire of exploring. I find that I do specialize for a while when I am learning a new technique or media. When I am concentrating on a particular process to attain mastery I know that it is important to my eventually being able to integrate the new process into what I'm already doing. This is how the accumulation of knowledge works for me anyways, and I find it exhilirating. Once I feel like I know what I'm doing with something new, I'm onto learning the next thing. But I find it really hard not to want to do it all simultaneously, which is of course not feasible for anybody!