bursting forth whole cloth
the notion becoming real
holding a shared breath.

the idea of it
fragrance but a memory
petal on the floor

a question becomes;
the possibility shows:
between play and work.

Gwenn Seemel (@gwennpaints) tweeted today: “When a work of art is finished, it’s finished. I don’t touch it again”

I had just posted a little lunch time musing along the same lines but mostly about the difference in process between quilting and writing, so I messaged her back and she was most understanding. Later I went over to read her whole blog post and I left the following comment:

I agree with you, Gwenn: I see my past work as a progression. I might still be drawn to similar subjects but my ideas and techniques have changed over the years. I would be hard put to re-make something I’ve done before and I know it would be too hard for me to alter it. I do know people who chop up their unfinished works or works they don’t like anymore to make something new but my work doesn’t lend itself to that once it’s complete. I encourage folks not to feel embarrassed by old works – it’s where you were vs where you are now.

What I was pondering today was the difference in mindset between what I do re making big quilts of abstract, contemporary designs (I have no idea how to really describe them) vs the writing that I’ve been doing lately.

For quilts, I get an idea, figure out logistics and construction and go for it but I have a pretty good idea of what it’s going to look like. There are decisions to make and can be changes along the way, although these are generally small. When I get to the end, I’m done, it’s done and it pretty much looks like I hoped it would and hopefully even better.

For writing, I have much less idea about the finished product. The process is much more off the cuff. There is a need to go back and edit and re-write and I’m finding that very hard to do because it’s outside my past experience.

I wonder how you get in that mind-set to re-read and re-write/edit? How do you stay on task? Maybe I’m just too biased still. On my quilting side, once a project is pretty much done, it’s pretty much done – there are decisions to make perhaps – what color thread to use for quilting or how to finish the edge, maybe what the title is – but there’s not a re-do or do-over at that point.

When melons aren’t ripe
or are dreaming inside seeds
I’ll be missing them.

This summer’s lunches:
a salad, an egg, pickle,
and chunks of melon.

Watermelon red,
cantaloupe and honey dew:
sweet and thirst-quenching

I slipped the black bag
into the big metal box
goodbye weighty clothes

Unnecessary
what things we carry with us
our lifelong burdens.

We turn away now
the things we don’t need or want
the path lies ahead.

—

the nights hint at frost
the cold of winter ahead
when the sun’s not warm.

I stand in one place
with stillness and a quiet
watching the world turn.