They are announcing Nobel winners this week and that got me to thinking about Masters in different fields. It is obvious that the way to get to the top is lots of work and practice. Some years ago I met a favorite artist/writer, Faith Ringold. She spoke of publishing her first book in her 50's and how many very talented people she'd met who weren't willing to do the necessary work to "succeed". She said if she had listened to her mother she'd have gotten a "regular" job years before and Tar Beach would have never been published which would be a loss for children the world over.
I always hoped that wouldn't be me, giving up before I found some measure of mastery or success but lately I've felt rather like a slacker. I can't change the past but I'm working on stepping up my game with more focus on my art quilting & related subcategories of art, as well as life in general.
I've recently jumped into Indigo dyeing and renewed challenging myself with Photoshop. Maybe I'll have some successes to post at a later date;maybe I should narrow down my interests but that's under consideration and yet to be decided. For now I'll say I hope I'm always willing & able to stay open to new challenges and be a lifelong learner. Maybe that will be my area of mastery. Connie Akers, Master Student. I figure I could do a lot worse. Now back to the machine where I'm quilting blocks that my great grandmother pieced before I was born. This is for my great nephew Danny & I will count it as a success in passing along family history.
1 comment:
congratulations on the new book! I am inspired by the idea of being a master student. Seems like a great way of keeping a child's approach to the possibilities rather than getting caught up in the end result.
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