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Rambling In The Archives 2007
Scientific research shows people who engage in creative activities are happier and healthier. Can looping make the world a better place? I think so. Just before 9/11 a student at Sievers told me about a study she had read that suggested the rise in mental health disorders in women was due in part to this: We have so little time, it seems, for the quiet, repetitive tasks women used to do that let our minds rest while our hands stay busy.
When I teach looping techniques, students seem to breath more deeply, relax, and smile. They remark on how calming this it is. Even when your time is fragmented, you can pick up some looping for a few minutes to help soothe your worries and find perspective on your concerns. When you put it down, it will not unravel. If you break a thread, it will not unravel. If you change your mind about how you want it to look, you're in control of the pattern. You can't "lose your place." I sometimes think I might have been a French nun in another life, quietly stitching prayers into looped needle lace. Looping is still a contemplative process for me, which I find very satisfying and enjoy teaching to others.
That said, I'll admit that it isn't all soothing. I do lots and lots and lots of sampling and trials to help eliminate potential problems students might have when I teach a technique. Sometimes I need to change materials. Sometimes I need to work out tension control issues. Most often, the challenge is that the technique requires more time than a class format allows.
My students are used to hearing me refer to Sampling with a capital S, as in, "There is no substitute for Sampling!" When I'm trying to work out a new class, there's usually a little pile (sometimes it's a big pile) of Samples on my table. I seldom throw away my fits and starts, because each one teaches me something important. When I no longer need to pick stuff out of that pile to reference, I scoop it all up and throw it in a bag I keep of similar Samples.
When I'm gone, somebody's going to go through my stuff and wonder why I hung onto all those junky scraps and unfinished projects. To me, they represent many, many hours of work, many problems encountered, many problems solved. When I'm gone, it won't matter to me how fast that bag of junk gets pitched.
But in the meantime, I've decided to hang that bag on the wall. Proudly. Like a diploma. I worked hard for this.
Maybe you have some samples you've been feeling guilty about not finishing, or not throwing away. Maybe it's time to come out of the closet and celebrate what they really represent. Happiness. Health. Mental health. Healing, A few minutes of peace and quiet and prayer. The example you set to a young person: We don't get everything right the first time. That's life. Keep trying. Have fun.
A better world? Sure.
Donna Kallner, January 2007
Read The Family Sampler for another take on unfinished projects.
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