Dismantling the Wreath
I blogged a little bit before about what stitching has meant to me, emotionally, over the past few months. In November, I had a simple surgery which was complicated by surgeon’s error and has led to a long and drawn out recovery.
This wreath made of yo-yo’s was the first of the stitching projects I started after I returned home from the hospital and has hung on my front door long past its season.
The other night, I took it down and started disassembling it, making way for a new wreath project to take its place. I was pleased by the meticulous, careful detail of these handsewn circles, and the foresight I had to assemble the wreath entirely with straight pins. I guess I made it with the intention of disassembling it at some point, because it has all come apart with its pieces intact, and could be re-assembled at any point.
In some ways, I think that the trauma and anxiety of the surgery aftermath is a big part of what has been holding me back recently. Something about disassembling this project has been therapeutic — an un-doing of what has been done. A preparation for moving on to the next thing. Maybe it will help me break up the muddle I’ve been feeling. If nothing else, it will make way for a new season — for spring — with its longer days and new growth.
What about you? What are you doing to get ready for spring? How do you become un-stuck?
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Hi Mal,
I often find myself making artwork in a way that ensures it can be dismantled or will degrade over time. I’ve realized that for me, the impermanent nature of the artwork is a way of reminding myself that eventually whatever I’m going through will be dealt with and psychically transformed into something new or different. Memories erode and change…and so does the artwork. This has been a comfort to me both when I make the artwork and when I go back to look at it months or years later.
Keep us informed as to what your yo-yo’s and wreaths turn into!
Comment by liz — 9 March 2009 @ 12:29 pm
@Liz: There is something very calming for me in this comment, and I thank you for writing it! I have always held to the idea that something which is “right for me right now” may not always be so (and vice versa) and that has been a good process for me to accept and let go. I am working on the next wreath and will post some progress this week.
Comment by Mal — 9 March 2009 @ 1:17 pm
Hej Mal,
Being stuck, not coming forward. I listen to music, all kinds of music and embroider and draw as much as possible. The lyrics often will comfort me, let me cry or make me smile or give me a kick in the butt. Somehow the right music passes along and the energy is found in my stitching work.
See you.
Elizabeth
Comment by Elizabeth — 10 March 2009 @ 2:17 am
@Elizabeth: Music! Why didn’t I think of music!? Thank you for the reminder…
Comment by Mal — 10 March 2009 @ 6:19 am