Why slowquietwork?

Slow, quiet note no.12

This question came up at the workshop I was running yesterday and it threw me a little. In my defence I was concentrating on making sure everyone was on track and enjoying their day but I skipped over the question, batted it away and felt a little foolish that I couldn’t give a sensible, succinct answer. It did, though, give me an idea for this Sunday substack.

I have been obsessed with time and how we choose to spend it for a very long, ahem, time. I find it interesting how individuals make very specific choices about how to spend their days, hours and minutes beyond economic necessity and general must-do life admin. I often wonder why some hobbies, interests and activities are perceived to be more valuable and acceptable than others. Anything in the pursuit of health and fitness - OK. Making a thing, preferably to sell - also OK. Sitting, staring into space, watching telly - not as OK.

I am also interested in how final outcomes and end-results are celebrated, some with great fanfare and often without acknowledgement of the work and effort that goes on in the background - this is not unusual in some workplaces when the presenter of the project powerpoint gets the glory but their colleagues and the time spent doing the actual work are barely acknowledged.

A domestic example might be The Barbecue. The season is now approaching when someone is likely to say ‘let’s have a barbecue’, (occasionally) a couple of hours before the weather is about to change and thirty minutes before the nearest supermarket is going to close. That someone drags the barbecue out of the garage/shed/understairs cupboard, dons an ill-fitting apron, perhaps a hat, sets to and grills a range of succulent offerings for the invited guests. That someone is then feted loudly and generously for their efforts.

Someone else makes a list of ingredients, sources the ingredients, prepares the ingredients, decants the ingredients, ascertains the equipment required to cook and consume the ingredients, transfers any necessary implements to the location of the barbecue, sources the condiments and seasonings, arranges the cutlery and crockery on a crumpled tablecloth in a relatively pleasing manner, sits down and is asked whether there is any wholegrain mustard. That someone nips inside, finds the wholegrain mustard, returns to the barbecue, sits back down and might get a ‘cheers, ta’.

Back to the subject in hand ‘why slowquietwork?’…

I mentioned my ‘morning stitches’ in last week’s note - 15 minutes of hand stitching each day, preferably before doing anything else. So far, I’m up to 8 hours, 32 days worth, slowly covering the surface of an old, torn, linen napkin. Each morning I stitch a small square-ish patch in red thread, choosing a slightly different combination of stitches each day, making sure that I don’t put the same stitch side by side. I am making much slower progress than expected. It has never occurred to me record how long my hand stitching actually takes.

I accept wholeheartedly that this may be considered an absolute, total, utter waste of time. It has no purpose. There is no outcome beyond filling the napkin with red stitches. Doing this every day is less than likely to make me a better, richer, fitter, thinner human woman. I come downstairs, make a cup of tea, sit by the kitchen window, pick up the needle, fabric and thread and stitch. In silence. No radio. No news. No music.

I would like to report that I experience an enormous sense of relaxation or calm or serenity while spending these slow, quiet minutes pulling thread through fabric. Perhaps, if I took it upon myself to check my blood pressure, I would see evidence of such. I am not trying to improve my embroidery skills, I am not trying to stitch faster, more evenly, smaller or bigger, I’m simply sitting, stitching and putting it away again until the following day. It’s slow, quiet work.

When I am teaching or talking to other artists and makers, there are often conversations about being creative (or not), skilled (or not), talented (or not), having enough time (or not) and there are many assertions that other peoples’ work is better, more accomplished, more beautiful, cleverer. What I hope to do (beyond sharing a few technical skills and knowledge) is to encourage other people to have the confidence and courage to carve out a little bit of time to simply make and do something, anything that gives them enjoyment, pleasure or interest.

In the words of Henri Matisse “Creativity takes courage” and, in my opinion, a little courage can go a very long way.

Thank you again for taking the time to read this week’s slow, quiet note. If you’d like to receive these free Sunday posts in your inbox, please subscribe below. As ever, your likes, shares and comments are very much appreciated.

Have a good week.

J x