The impact of balance and proportion on my creative process
and why I thrive with structure and boundaries…
Proportion is about the size and scale of elements, while balance is about their arrangement and weighting. In art, proportion can be used to help create a sense of balance. Balance helps to ensure that everything receives equal attention and that no one element dominates.
Having been trained as a weaver I think I have always been concerned with proportion, however, when I feel overwhelmed for whatever reason I have started to realise balance and the benefits of structure and boundaries provide me with an opportunity to reconsider my priorities, especially if I am about to embark on a new painting series.
They provide an opportunity to speak out, to say ‘no’ and blow the consequences.
Sometimes life feels a bit like an emotional roller-coaster. I am learning to recognise this sensation sooner however, and respond in a more measured manner, which is inevitably having a positive result on my creativity and sense of self and wellbeing.
I have developed a number of practices that I now turn to when I start to feel unsettled, out of balance and overwhelmed, including:
Spiritual - reading
Meditation - both morning and evening
Exercise - I go for a walk with nordic sticks. I might do a circular walk past the leaning tree, or through the woods to Jack’s den again and again (see photos below), which often tempts me to take photos and more photos and plan to return with a sketchbook...
Cooking - I make soup or a cake from scratch, or plan a menu
Structure is the arrangement and organisation of interrelated things/elements and it can provide us with both motivation to progress and a feeling of safety…
My home, sewing-room/studio space and painting studio help me feel motivated and safe, as do daily drawing and/or stitching. I am very curious and interested, so following a particular line of enquiry is another avenue. This has probably always been the case, but not as structured as it is now.
An example of a significant project that clearly demonstrates this is my rust exploration. It might well include spotting rusty colour bracken or rust in a pile of newly chopped wood, not just on bits of metal or rusted corrugated iron. Recently I’ve been combining sketches/studies of ancient yew & holly trees with my linen fabric, together with portraits I did of a Danish silent movie star when I joined a London Drawing School online course. Putting these elements together is a new line of enquiry - the resulting images might or might not be recognisable.
Rust on a piece of cut wood
Over time I have developed a way of organising and structuring my various enquiries, including:
Keeping note books and many sketchbooks.
Keeping lists. Nowadays I am more likely to do this on my phone rather than on loose pieces of paper which can go astray. Mind you sometimes paper notes can be useful when I spot one from the corner of my eye while involved in another project. They can also get glued on to my studies or even become a big part of my artwork!
I keep a Moleskin diary in my handbag.
Since 1st October 2023 I’ve done a daily 20 minute #slowstitching practice.
This January 2024 I repeated the #21daysinmyartworld challenge on Instagram set by Tara Leaver.
Being a naturally indecisive person I could be accused of changing my mind! I may go for weeks having coffee with breakfast and then once everyone around me has got used to this ritual I may suddenly change it.
I am developing a habit of decluttering.
Writing my blog really helps me go through piles of correspondence I have kept, or books, or recipes [on bits of paper] or scraps of my own linen, or even my clothes - I have too many although often it feels like not enough!
I have a regular meditation and walking practice.
All of these structures are very important to me as when they slip I feel frustrated and unhappy.
I know when I am completely in balance because I am sleeping well, not anxious, or frustrated and I trust I will have all the time in the world to make my art; there is no hurry
My studio rituals include tidying, rearranging studies and making new sketches from existing work. In the office I use a timer on my phone and STOP when the alarm goes off, then I leave for a walk/coffee whatever and return refreshed.
My de-cluttering habit has stepped up considerably since my husband ‘tanked’ our cellar. This now is a wonderful bright dry clean area where we can store excess toys and baby equipment when the grandchildren are not with us. It also houses my loom with space for me to start weaving again. In addition there are many boxes and files of correspondence, mine as well as items inherited from my father, the idea is that I have space to spread and to declutter without impacting our everyday living areas.
Tidy cellar after tanking with my loom set up and ready.
Boundaries are our considered limits or rules
“Our boundaries define our personal space – and we need to be sovereign there in order to be able to step into our full power and potential.”
I am very aware of setting boundaries for myself. I am currently in a state of convalescence after keyhole surgery and I make myself take a daytime rest, stretched out fully. Even during this quieter period I have noticed how easy it is for me to ‘do too much’, falling into an ingrained habitual process which is not appropriate currently or even needed.
I have to keep a wary eye on my actions and be strict with myself!
Since wearing hearing aids spontaneity seems to be a thing of the past, as I’m often too busy concentrating on hearing what people are saying. However there isn’t a complete lack as I often spontaneously notice something new and potentially useful for my art practice either at home or out and about.
Boundaries show up in my art life in both the process of making, what I make and where and help me feel sovereign of my own ship...
Usually I only make work in my sewing-room studio and my art studio, however last summer I extended this to an outdoor set-up. I drew and painted my linen fabric hanging from the ancient yew trees immediately outside my studio. This was inspirational and has provided me with both finished work and lots of studies to take forward.
I try to restrict myself to being in the studio for a measured length of time, sometimes only for 20 minutes then I stop and take a break.
In the actual making I will work only on my painting or my daily stitching at any one time.
Curiously a watercolour I recently did at the kitchen table, while listening to PM on Radio 4, does look very much like stitches. I guess there will always be a crossover…
“I hate this feeling. Like I’m here, but I’m not. Like someone cares. But they don’t. Like I belong somewhere else, anywhere but here, and escape lies just past that snowy window, cool and crisp as the February air.”
— Ellen Hopkins
When I caught Covid in November 2021 I didn't feel in balance and this felt very uncomfortable and unpleasant. I was about to join a 3 day painting course which, of course, had to be abandoned. I thought I could quite happily work in my own studio but found my concentration span was very short.
In order to navigate this episode I carefully monitored how I felt physically and emotionally and on the positive side it gave me an opportunity to be slightly less physical and more cerebral to fit my state of health.
I now appreciate It would be helpful if I returned to this memory more often than I have been.
I recently read an article about the Imposter phenomenon - first identified by Pauline Clancy, which struck a chord with me. A lack of self-belief of not being ‘good enough’ - seems like most people, certainly high achievers, feel this way sometimes.
It feels like I am constantly ‘chasing my tail’ - trying to improve myself to be better. If I allow myself to believe the many complimentary letters of encouragement I have unearthed while decluttering this clearly is not the case!
So, I will continue mindfully on and see where this life now takes me, taking all of this useful reflection and learning with me....
