Champagne and Socks

I’ve been really enjoying Deborah Biancotti’s  Blog Brief series on Creative Exhaustion. Many people are contributing one paragraph answers to her question “How do you deal with creative exhaustion?”

It’s had me thinking. I’m aware it’s been well over a month since I’ve done craft of any kind. I did have that two week period of not being able to use my hands – though that ended a week ago. In part, I’ve been cautious about not over straining my hands, wrists an arms. But also, to be honest, I’ve had no desire whatsoever to pick up any old or new projects.

Instead, I’ve spent every spare “free” moment working. There is so much publishing work to do and I am very behind on deadlines and am working on a few projects that I’d like in train before the novel manuscripts submissions period happens. And there is always accounts to balance, doublecheck, keep track of and so on. I really have been working on my taxes in preference to crafting.

What is that about?

And in part I think it’s that I have no space to be creative right now. Or ALL my creativity is being funnelled into the press and I haven’t a scrap to spare. Crafting does take up headspace and I guess it can be distracting – in that relaxing, destressing, fun, absorbing way that it is. And I’m a bit sad that I’ve had no space for it this last month or more. I miss it. I’m also a bit sad that that means I am essentially working in all the hours I am awake. I watch about 1 hour of TV right before I fall asleep in which I do nothing but watch TV. But I also have no time to spare right now.

Doesn’t mean that I don’t dream about it. I found myself ordering some charm squares and fat quarters on the weekend. It turns out that they will post them to me at my hotel in San Diego. I LOVE that store! And it occurred to me that I could take my charm quilt template with me, scissors, needle and thread and could quite easily at least work on the charm quilt with the squares that arrive. Why not? I usually knit a pair of socks at a convention but I don’t intend to take any to knit this year. I think that would be a nice way to let myself out of my focus and be a bit craft creative again.

And as I was hunting around in my stash last night (ordering my fabric made me realise I had not received my last fat quarter order! and I wanted to confirm I did not have it), I revisited all my projects in progress and the few that are there waiting for me. And I got a little bit of the bug, the yearning to be playing with my fabric, back. I think sometimes I just forget about it if it’s not in front of my face! Anyway, I promised myself that with the Xmas leave I just booked for myself this year, I would set up a Gilmore Girls marathon and spread out several projects and pick them up and put them down at will and just play with them. I wonder what I will get done!