What Feeds Your Soul

Last week I finished a collage quilt that I started back in September.  I didn't plan things very well, so I bought about 3 times more fabric than I actually ended up using.  Then I saw a post for a Rag Rug class at the local quilt shop and got the idea to make my own using all that extra fabric.  The next day I bought some cotton cording and dove right in. It wasn't the project I thought I would do next. But it's what I'm working on now.  Creativity can be like that. You just have to see where it leads you.

So far the rug looks really cool, but I still have far to go. The bigger it gets, the more unwieldy it will become. But that's ok. I'm enjoying the process today. I don't know how it will turn out. I don't know if I will love it. Maybe I'll make another, but then again maybe not. These things don't matter today. Today it feeds my soul.

When you feed your soul you aren't doing it for anyone else's consumption or consideration. You don't want to be beholden to anyone else's ideas or standards.

Deciding to use your skill/talent for income is a tricky business. It means you're putting it out there for everyone to consider. Some will rave over how great it is. And some will call it shit. You will pour your heart into making things that people will abuse, discard, and ruin. You have no idea how cruel people's words will be.

On top of that, manufacturing something for production can be like playing your favorite songs to death. There are some songs you will love forever no matter how many times you hear them.  But other songs you once loved may become overplayed; it's still a good song you've just heard it too many times. That's what making 100 sequin tail coats is like. There is no thrill or joy left in making another one.

So you see, it's important to decide what you're willing to do for income, and what you keep for yourself. Quilting and knitting are what I do for myself. They feed my soul. I don't want them to become like sewing costumes. I don't want to become tired of them, or hear people say nasty things about them, or how they didn't live up to their expectations.

When I feed my soul, I'm expressing a part of myself. It says something about me. It's the part of me that is not for sale.