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| Making the base for each other's Empowered Me mask was an intimate experience. |
The sewing circle dynamic is enriching.
I think what women appreciate most in our Something More sessions is the opportunity for individual and group reflection. Working and raising families, contemporary career women have few opportunities to pull aside and get perspective. When I give them an exercise for writing in their journals, they are often amazed by their own wisdom. When I guide a reflective conversation, they experience support and affirmation. And the informal conversation that occurs while working on their own projects is nurturing.
Whether it was a quilting bee, cooking for a harvesting crew, or canning fruit in a neighbor’s kitchen, women in earlier times found that being creative together not only made the work go faster, it generated fruitful discussions. The projects women create in Something More have been chosen because they nurture a woman’s soul. Doing them within a circle adds social meaning to the project.
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| The large conference table at Ophelia's Place is ideal for conversation and creative projects. |
Give more time for projects.
My biggest discovery has been that most of the projects I have designed for this series require two sessions rather than one. Participants attend the workshops because they need designated time away from distractions to work on their creative projects. Few are in a position to go home and take their piece to the level of completion that makes them proud of what they have created. They need to take the project to completion within the workshop time. The companionship they experience in the workshop sessions spurs them on.
This discovery has led me to see that next year I will need eight sessions instead of seven. There will be introductory and concluding sessions plus two sessions each for the Dream Mandala Collage, Future Vision Accordion Book, and either an Empowered Me Mask or I Heart You Folk Art Doll.
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| Women find that working on a creative project reminds them of how creative they were at other times in their life. |
Always get the best materials.
Years ago when I first began studying art, one of my teachers told me that if you want quality results you have to use quality materials. Apparently I needed a reminder. Watching one student’s lovely pastel drawing get smeared I realized I had not provided proper pastel paper. Likewise a couple of students used colored pencils that did not show well on the paper I gave them. So, in future classes, I will ask students to buy a small pack of Caran d’Arche watercolor crayons. These crayons work on many surfaces, are easy to draw with, and when one brushes over them with water, they yield strong color.In another session, I provided students with a cheap form of sticky tack. It was too sticky for the magazine pictures we were using and tended to cause tears when pulled from the pictures.
Now I will ask students to buy UHU Tac, a more stable putty that pulls easily from surfaces. I will also insist that students buy YES glue for their collages. Though more expensive than Modge Podge (which shopkeepers tell them will work but it really won’t), YES glue does not wrinkle paper, has no smell, and does not turn yellow with age. Glue sticks are not permanent; the glue dries out and your collage falls apart.
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| You need quality materials to get quality results. |
Demonstrate Processes and Materials.
I have discovered that I take many things for granted. Students want to be shown how to use the watercolor crayons, sticky tack and YES glue. I’ve been using these materials for so long, I was not aware of how strange they seem when first encountered. In the case of the mask and doll making, I did not take things for granted. I helped the mask makers with set up and we talked through the process before they began. With the doll makers, I spent a lot of time creating a simple pattern and a sample for cutting out the body. I will be asking my current group of students to tell me what they would have liked for me to demonstrate.
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| For the Folk Art Doll, I spent time creating a pattern and sample that made the process very clear. |
What are you learning these days?
