I think one of the hardest things about being an artist is to actually go to the studio and make stuff. It is especially true if you work in your home because there is always a distraction, laundry, dinner, a book, and I could go on and on. At the end of the week I sometimes realize I haven't been in my studio much at all...no wonder artwork isn't piling up! Quite a few years ago a friend suggested that I do a small piece everyday, something that would take less than five minutes. I have done this off and on for several years and it really helps for the times when I am feeling less than creative and as a place to begin everyday I am in the studio.
Here's how it works. Decide on materials you want to work with and an image you'd like to repeat or a way to work with the materials. Keep it small and simple. Get the materials ready for several days or weeks so that when you go to the studio you pull out your materials and get right to it.
If this seems a little vague, it is. Here is what I am doing right now and that might help you to figure out how you would use this technique. I chose to work with rectangles of black fabric torn to about 3 x 4 inches, a smaller piece of muslin torn to various sizes and red thread. Every day I layer the two fabrics in a way that seems interesting to me and then make a mark using stitching with the red thread. I have decided to leave all of the threads hanging from the torn fabric as a sort of record of the process. Literally, this takes me less than five minutes a day. I now have a nice pile of these pieces. I find that often how I am feeling or what is going on comes through in these very small pieces of work, making a record of my days.
