I wanted to make a post for a while about my photos of sewing processes. With all the photos that I took and really like, but that didn’t make it into any previous posts. What better occasion than to do it now.
After one year in the Hive. 🐝
How do you feel at the end of a year?
Do you feel overwhelmed and grateful over all the things that happened? Or is it regret; you could have done so much more?
I was just recently thinking of where I was at that day one year ago.
I must say I like the question and the thoughts that come with it. A lot of times I tend to forget all the things I do, learn, achieve. Because as soon as they passed or I achieved them, those things start to feel normal. Or do I just forget all the effort that went into it?
Maybe we tend to forget struggle, pain, effort. I think it is partially a coping mechanism for the brain.
But at the same time, it also works the other way round, and you forget all the beauty once it gets difficult.
Anyway, while I was thinking about how my life had changed within this year, I realized that it had been around one year now that I started to write and share my work and thoughts on Hive.
And a few days later I got the Notification form @hivebuzz I was right, it has been a year now.
One year, and I find it incredible how much I have learned and achieved through.
I remember it took me about a month or even longer of thinking about my first post until I actually wrote it. Then it probably took me another week or two to write it. I was feeling super shy on how and what to write, doubting anyone would get what I want to say…
Nonetheless I used to love to write. Then it took a few Literature and Language teachers at school to completely wipe out that passion and make me hate writing.
And now I feel like I got that back, which feels really good. Writing about my thoughts and work became a practice and a routine I really enjoy again.
At the same time, it makes me keep track on my work. How it changes. How I change, my ideas, my approaches.
The biggest change is for sure my passion for photography!
I used to never take any photos. Not in my work process, not in my travels, never. Sometimes I took some random shots there and there. But overall, I didn’t like it.
I was too much in the moment to take any pictures, which I always regretted after.
In my work it used to be specially annoying. Because every time I applied for anything, I had to come up with a portfolio full of photos I never took. Trying to take the pictures after, when halve of the objects didn’t even exist anymore…
Today I love taking photos of my process and the finished results so much. That I enjoy it as much as the craft itself. At times I don’t like the result or even the process, but taking photos adds enough to still make me enjoy the project.
In fact, I became obsessed with certain subjects along my, mostly, sewing related projects.
The threads. How beautiful! The shapes, curves, curls they take.
Playing with the light or different postures.
Or just for the sake of the colour.
Always different and always beautiful.
I always liked hands as a creative expression.
And the off cuts. I believe that is my two all-time favorites until now.
Apart from the creative gain there is of course all the exchange I hadn’t expected! The support, the conversations, the ideas...
And that was truly inspiring!
Thank you!
All photos are mine, taken by me during different projects I made this past year.