Not so Slow

A few months back I posted some statistics that indicated I was getting slower and slower in the creation of Artwork. (see post: I’m Approaching the Speed of a Turtle)

I now have my 2019 numbers to add to the data set and my trend of slowing down has reversed.

While all the reasons I listed in my previous post are still a Factor (mostly I am stitching much more intricate designs – click on image above to see details of my stitching.)

What was the change this year that sped me up?

I stopped making small work in 2019.

I completed only 9 textile paintings in 2019 and all of them were large works.

The reality is small works take a disproportionate amount of time to make when compared to larger textile paintings.

It was an exciting moment to see these numbers appear in my spreadsheet. My turtle tenancies have been curbed!!!

2020 will be another year focused on creating larger artworks so I hope to see this trend continue.

The “in Progress” Factor

I also know part of the reason I sped up is some of the artworks I completed in 2019 were begun in previous years. So the full amount of time spent creating each of the 9 artworks I finished are not included in my total hours.

For now, I’m going to let that go and not worry about it. While this factor can greatly impact my output, I think the trend is the same from year to year. I also start work each year that is not finished in that year.

We’ll see what 2020 brings to see if I need to rethink the way I calculate these number.

The Happiness Factor

I received a lot of responses after my article about slowing down. It is an interesting thing to think about.

My favorite question was what would change if I added a happiness column to my table. Great question!

I think in general I’m pretty darn happy to be making my artwork so it wouldn’t change much. Although that isn’t entirely true – as I shared recently – I have been struggling with finding my footing with a new series the last few years.

The slow down in 2017 and 2018 could be an indication of feeling rather unsettled and directionless throughout some of that time. Although I was equally in “searching” mode at the beginning of 2019 – but the difference was I refused to distract myself with smaller work. I stayed focused on the goal of making a body of larger artwork.

What I do know is I like numbers so I’ll keep tracking them.

Based on last years efforts – I am using 5.5 hours per square foot as the estimate for how long it will take me to quilt a new artwork. We will see how accurate it turns out being.