It is my last day as Quilter 31 in the 52 Quilters social experiment, and my final blog post about quilting and my life. I haven't posted a ton, but what I did post I was proud to share. I hope you found some of what I had to say enjoyable!
My final post is about inspiration. Almost a year ago, I was creatively floundering. I don't mean floundering in a creative way, but floundering to actually BE creative. It was as if all the extra energy I usually had for projects was being sucked down by my business, soccer practice, committee meetings, volunteer work and just everyday life. When I think about last fall, I can't name a single thing that I created. Luckily then, like other important times in my life, the bestie came to the rescue. "Why don't you check out Instagram", she said. "It's great. So many cool things to see and make". I was reluctant. Our pattern is usually bestie sharing a great idea, me waiting forever to catch on, and then banging my head when I finally do catch on and agree that it was a great idea. I had been a Facebook girl, but I was becoming disenchanted. While I recognize that Facebook is a powerful tool for my business, the drama was really starting to stress me out. So, at the risk of finding another drama filled social media outlet, I jumped into Instagram.
What I found was my tribe.
Where in your life can you find a place that fosters goodwill, creativity, kindness, support, and sharing? Do you have a place? Is there an avenue where you can actually be yourself and feel appreciated? Are you willing to express yourself there, in an honest way and not feel as though you're rocking the boat?
Let's face it...we all need a little boosting in life. Whether it's the project you just screwed up, a loving picture of your child, a sick pet, the ribbon you just earned, or just your favorite dinner plate, we all like knowing that someone is interested in what we have to say! After gaining likes and followers, bestie and I jumped into the community of mini quilt swapping, and we were hooked. Instagram had become part of our lives and the people had become our friends. We've even had the privilege of meeting a few of our IG peeps in real life, and it's been more fun than I can say.
So, after we were hooked on swapping, this happened. Here's a look at some of the swap projects I've made since last winter.
Schnitzel & Boo Mini Quilt Swap Round 3
Rainbow Mini Quilt Swap
Rainbow Mini Quilt Swap - label
Spring Fling Mini Quilt Swap
Sherlock Mini Quilt Swap
Alison Glass Mini Quilt Swap
Cotton & Steel Mini Quilt Swap
Instagram saved my quilting and creative mojo. If you haven't drunk the IG water yet, you should definitely try a sip. You'll be ready for a big girl glass before you know it.
I hope you enjoy the rest of the 52 Quilters experiment. I've been thrilled to be a part of it and I'll be following right along. On Instagram, of course.
@52quilters, isn't there a filter so that people promoting their own random business stuff can't leave comments that don't apply to anything?
ReplyDeleteThanks for this - Yes, I delete these comments as they appear. It's easier than putting a block requiring a log-in which puts some people off commenting, but I fell a bit behind. Now all clear!
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