Stichery Dickory Dock (19)

July 3rd
My writing prompt this morning came from an e-newsletter again. Stitchery-Dickory-Dock is a quilting site written by blogger Amy Gibson. I was first introduced to Amy through her "Block of the Month" Craftsy class when quilting was all the rage for me and I was spending hours a day researching how to be a quilter. Hours a day staring at an iPad screen meant getting to know Amy quite well. I loved reading her blog where she wrote all about her journey as a quilter and as a mom. It did not strike me as strange for someone to post so much about her private life to complete strangers. She did not feel like a stranger to me. I studied her lessons in her iPad videos and learned to love quilting from her. She became my friend, another intimate iPad friend. Amy went through many transitions in her life, such as her journey in art, with publishing books and hosting BOM designs for us to try. She told us about her private life with the birth of her children and her decision to homeschool her brood. Over the years, her private blog posts were filled with stories I was intrigued to read. I slowly became less and less interested in her quilts as I found my own style, but I remained interested in Amy as a friend.

Her blog post this morning was the first one in many months and I opened it before any other email, delighted to see her name. She writes, "Have you ever gotten to a place in your life… perhaps right after a big change… where you stopped and looked around and realized you’re lost? Or at least, you think you’re lost. Feels like lost. You look up and realize you’ve wandered off the path into unknown territory. At first, you’re frantic to get “back on track,” but the more you try, the further you seem to get, and that’s when your mind really starts to get the best of you. Why did you wander off in the first place? Were you on the wrong path? Maybe a new, better path will emerge?" My intimate iPad friend was talking about her life since writing her last post. She could have been talking about me.

My Path Emerges
When I walked onto the stage of Camp Kinder Ring's social hall with Sue Smith and Richie Posner, 25 summers ago (wow!), we were planning the backdrop for "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat," a set that I had designed in a previous camp. I took a pencil (perhaps it was a piece of chalk) and ran across the stage drawing the horizon line. Then I quickly sketched in a pyramid and the Sphinx. Within minutes, Egypt became a scene on the stage of our very Jewish camp. When I turned around, Sue and Richie were staring at me. They were holding an old-school overhead projector waiting to begin the scene the way they always did before this crazy person took over. It was revealed to me after my sketching frenzy that using a projector is a great way to enlarge an image and amaze everyone else at camp. With this tool, I could draw without using my artist's eyes. It became an easy crutch, one we used with every colorful and amazing backdrop that followed Joseph. It also became the crutch I used in school with the smart board and it is the crutch I am looking to replace with my expensive projector gift. A projector that will still not work until I buy a $30 adaptor.

So yesterday, in my effort to do something creative, I started Maggie the painting. I have a small 12" square canvas and I considered trying this size as a possible quick business model. As Maggie would be a gift to my friends, (she will not be for sale), I am more relaxed and willing to experiment. All I really have to draw in a dog portrait is the placement of the eyes and nose. The rest of it comes to life as I move around the canvas with my brush. I actually wavered at the thought of drawing without my crutch. I even thought I might enlarge it on the computer to a 12" square image, print it out in tiles to tape together, and then trace it onto the small canvas. A 25-year habit is scary to undo! But within minutes, Maggie appeared on the canvas with a few pencil strokes and within the hour, she was blocked in with shades of brown.

Just like Amy, I've been feeling like I am lost. I think I need these small challenges to remind me of who I am, who I have been all along. Drawing Maggie the old-fashioned way might have been a first step in redirecting me on my path. I thank my friend, Amy, for reminding me that sometimes we all feel lost and that is okay. It is also okay to move on. Embrace the emergence of the right path and celebrate it when we recognize it.