Hello! Remember me? I accidentally took some time off. First I was sick and then there were holidays and then I blinked and now we’re halfway through March.

Last year, I shared about how I had taken a step back from my art to reassess what was going on. It felt like my art had run out ahead of me and I wasn’t prepared for it. Embroidery started out as a hobby to share with a friend, and then suddenly I was an exhibiting artist with awards and overseas shows and publications on three continents. Needlework carried me through a coupe of terrible years and once I saw light at the end of the tunnel of my health crisis, I felt like I needed to reorient myself.

It might seem odd, but I needed to ask myself what I wanted from my embroidery going forward.

It was a little scary to ask those questions but I’m glad I took the time. As 2022 began, I felt ready to move forward both as a person and as an artist. So here I am, stitching with clarity and goals.

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you will know I’ve been participating in this year’s March Meet the Maker. For those unfamiliar, this is a social media “challenge” to post every (week)day in March with a different topic. These are the topics for this year:

Earlier in the week, I posted on the topic of “Goals” and shared one of the main changes I’ve made in my studio this year. I have decided to spend a certain number of hours stitching each week in my studio, and to keep track of how many embroidery hours I put into each piece. This makes sense for pricing, but has also given me a huge push in prioritizing my stitching time.

And it’s working.
I have already finished 3 pieces in 2022, which is the same number of finishes for the entirety of 2021.

So thank you all for sticking with me on my wobbly artist journey. Things are looking a lot more solid and purposeful for this year. I already have some exciting news to share in my upcoming posts.