Yes.

Last month I saw an exhibit of painted and stitched tissue paper hanging from the ceiling. It was fiber art exhibited in a gallery. My lizard brain stood in front of this work gobsmacked, all it saw was colorful tissue paper. My creative brain saw movement color and play orchestrated by exactly what this artist wanted me to see weightlessness and joy. Rather than comparing my work to this artists, I decided I wanted to compare my courage to hers. I want the courage to say, “Hell yeah it is tissue paper…on the ceiling… and I am daring you to reach deeper.”

What if it were a row of socks hanging in that gallery. Or a series of felt patches. Or yarn. Or weaving. Sometimes it is easy for us fiber artists to get hung up thinking what we are making is too mundane to be considered art. But this is the medium where we find creativity in texture, color and form.

Tissue paper…

There is no magic formula to being a fiber artist other than committing to move forward. Even if you were the best fiber artist in the world, you would still have to commit to continue to grow and move forward, exploring new ideas. Growing. So if you are using fiber to express your visual language no matter what that looks like, then you are already a fiber artist.

Good enough is subjective. So commit to strive to make fiber art that you love. Your heart will show through if you are being true to what makes it swell with pride when you make something you love.

So, today is going to be about moving forward with my weaving. How are you going to move forward today? Leave me a comment below.