Quilting during COVID-19
Like hopefully everyone else, I have been practicing social distancing for the last 3 weeks or so. I’m taking walks when the weather is nice, and for the rest of the time I’m staying at home. It’s a new reality that we’re all living in. Humans are not wired to be isolated, and it’s taking a toll. It has sunken in that this is going to take quite a few months, possibly through the summer, and so I have to pace myself. An occasionally necessary trip to the grocery store has become a real event, taking precautions, and then after-care once back home, washing, wiping, and cleaning. I have accepted that certain things have become scarce, like toilet paper, or even impossible to buy, like hand sanitizer, and I’ve honestly never used this much soap before.
All of this has an impact. I worry about loved ones, like my mom (in her 80’s) and my sister and brother who all live in the Netherlands, friends in different countries, and my partner’s children and grandchildren. There are cancelled events we were looking forward to. My brother would have visited this week; my mom was scheduled to come over in May. And there is the personal risk of exposure that, while small if we all do the right things, is certainly present. I’m grateful for the existence of FaceTime, Skype, Zoom and other platforms that allow us to connect. And sometimes just a good old phone call with a friend works wonders too. It’s not the same as a hug, but I try to make the best of it. I’ve reached out more and connected with people I hadn’t spoken to for a while. It’s a reminder how precious these long term friendships are.
I’m lucky to have personal space dedicated to sewing and I’ve been spending a lot of time there. But not always as productive as I would have liked. The computer seems to constantly have its tentacles out, and the news then sucks me in, into the abyss if I’m not careful. I find focusing on design, fabric choices, color placements, etc. to be tough, and I manage better on some days than others. I haven’t beaten myself up over the lack of productive creative work though, and every time I was anywhere near approaching the abyss I’ve tried to gently push myself away from the edge, and do at least just a little bit of sewing every day.
I’ve started a new project; an improv quilt I posted about on IG recently. Progress is slow, but then slow and steady will also get me there in the end. I’m giving myself space and time. I learn to be patient, which has never been one of my strong suits. You’ll find a larger image of progress on IG.
But as the crisis deepens, I find I haven’t touched my project in over a week. I was too restless, too distracted to wrap my head around creativity, colors and design. I’ve found some relief in sewing face masks to donate to the medical facilities that need them. I had seen a lot of calls to action on that, and the quilting community seems to have answered the calls in large numbers. It feels good to be part of that collective “we”, and I’ve found that making the masks has an added therapeutic effect. It helps me cope with the anxiety and stress by feeling useful, to use my skills for a good cause, and to contribute and support the incredible medical professionals out there fighting this pandemic and caring for the sick. They are true heroes.
So while I seem to have hit the pause (or at least slow down) button on my creative journey and growth as a quilt artist, I’m trying to focus on finding a silver lining. I’m learning to embrace my vulnerability and express what I’m feeling. No work of art can be created without this and I have a lot of growth still ahead of me. I have continued to write my morning pages (you can read more about that in my very first blogpost), which helps me slow down, collect and express my thoughts and makes me aware of underlying anxieties and fears. I’ve noticed that the days I skipped the morning pages I felt more restless, more worried somehow, so I gently force myself to do them. And all in all I’m doing ok. My creative journey can slow down, but it won’t stop, and I’m confident we will get through this.
Thank you for following along here. Stay safe, take good care of yourself and your family. Hopefully you can find some space in your head and time for creativity, in whatever form that helps you cope with this period of isolation.