Fourteen years ago, I was at the counter of Earth Guild while the cashier rung up my purchases for the day. I am not even sure what the purchase was…probably yarn… Or knitting needles. There was a little jar holding a collection of orafice hooks for sale and I thought to myself, ” Wow, hand spinning seems like such a waste of effort”
Mmmmmm… That crow is tasty.
Or how about the time I totally dissed weaving while walking through the Southern Highlands Craft Guild show. “That chunk weaving…pfft. How completely impractical is that coarsely woven fabric?”
Um..Yeah…
I could almost predict exactly the direction my work will take by the things I swear I will never do. Art journaling, soul art, hand knit lace shawls, crochet afghans are all things I swore I would never do. At this rate, crocheted bathroom accessories and hand knit adult onesies are bound to be in my future. I find that the very thing I notice enough to assess and cast judgements, are the very things I am drawn to enough to become tiny seeds in my subconscious. Those seeds hold just enough fascination to remain in my awareness, regardless of being nestled inside all kinds negative reaction.
According to Carolyn Mein, author of Releasing Emotional Patterns with Essential Oils, every “negative” emotion has a positive flip side. For example the flip side of greif is joy, the flip side of self doubt is confidence. So, when it comes to a these art techniques, at some point an a-ha moment flips those doubts into possibilities. The way I see it, If I have such a negative reaction to something, that very thing has the potential to be something I will love.
So, with that being said, when looking for creative inspiration, it is worth giving what you hate another look see. I have never been a fan of salmon pinkish orange. That was until I paired it with my absolute favorite color, deep turquoise. This color happened to be on the exact opposite side of the color wheel as the hideous salmon color. And when paired together, that salmon color made my favorite color look even more vibrant. Now it is my go to color pairing and the starting point for many of my favorite colorways.
So my question for you is. What is repulsing you?
I don’t mean things or techniques you find “meh”. What is giving you a visceral gut reaction that makes your head scream “No f***king way”? Within that reaction is a potential passion. Actually there is already a passion there, it is just waiting to be flipped.
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Fiber artist Stacey Budge-Kamison AKA UrbanGypZ lives and works in Cary NC. She can also be found knitting in public, hammering out her latest e-course at local cafés and spinning yarns in her booth at her favorite arts festivals. A designer at heart, Stacey has decided that her mission is to help fellow knitters, crocheters, weavers and felters embrace their own style and creativity by exploring fiber art as it is a part of their everyday life and helping them embrace the title of artist no matter where they are in their journey. 
When I acquired a floor loom I swore I would never, ever make dishtowels. In my world someone is always grabbing the dishtowels for whatever needs wiping up, whether it is dog drool or spilled juice.
There was no way I would ever spend that much time and money making them when Target has perfectly fine ones.
Well, I finally assembled my previously loved floor loom and guess what was the first thing I warped?!
Yep! I am a dishtowel weaver!
LOL!! I know exactly what you mean. I was thinking the exact same thing about hand woven dish towels. But now I think that would be such an awesome thing to make and have.