First Person
What Are We Waiting For?
Food for thought on a Wednesday:
Boy, does this post resonate with me. I came across it last week, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.
Thanks to Melanie Falick and Jeanette Sloan for digging into the topic of goals and making and creativity and motivation and inspiration.
Jeanette’s question, “What are you waiting for?” is everything.
Melanie’s book, Making a Life:Working by Hand and Discovering the Life You Are Meant to Live, has shown me dozens of people who are putting their creative skills to work. There’s something so inspiring about meeting these people who have made their curiosity into a central part of their lives. Everybody does it their own way. No two lives are the same. Fascinating to see.
As we find ourselves deep into a year unlike any other, what comes to mind when you think of things you haven’t done but would like to do?
I’ll start. Plant a flower garden. Write a second novel. What am I waiting for?
Love,
Ann
PS Settle in with a bit of knitting to enjoy the full conversation between Melanie and Jeanette right here. And keep up with Melanie at her website, on Facebook, and Instagram.
For your own inspiration and bedtime reading, you’ll find copies of Making a Life in the MDK Shop. We’ll include a card handmade by Melanie with your order, while supplies last.
Get my house together.
Same!
Same! Suddenly I’m more decisive. Just paint the thing, move the thing, hang the thing, de-accession the thing. We don’t get to live in this place forever, so let’s live in it now.
Oh, PLEASE write a second novel. I LOVED Bowling Avenue, and I still use that Pure Grass linen fragrance on my sheets.
Yes, yes, yes! I listen to Bowling Avenue whenever I need a healthy distraction. (I have both the audio book and the ‘real’ book)
Yes! Write another one!
Yes, please!!
I second! Ann, please write your second novel!!!
Learn to sew better. And weave an overshot coverlet for a double bed – which I am thinking of doing for my niece’s wedding present. Since she’s not getting married for over a year I might make it….
So many things! But I keep coming back to: go to college. I never really meant to skip over that forever. The Covid situation is the latest derailment, but still, I think this is the year.
You can do it, I finally finished my degree at age 42 and now have my eye towards the goal of a PhD 🙂
Great call to action. Mine is learn to use my sewing machine and start sewing again. My clothing preferences – silhouettes and fabrics – are so simple, why am I not making them?
I’ve been picking this book up every weekend, reading about another maker, making it last. Beautiful!
I’ve alwaiys wanted to play the Native American flute and even bought one, but never really spent time with it. I found an on-line flute-playing course given by Christine Steevens and because couldn’t do any of the vacation stuff I had planned, I put some of my vacation money into taking the class. What a wonderful gift to myself!!. I am so glad that I did it and now I can play my flute and feel really good about the way it sounds. Playing by the river in the woods has been a revelation.
I love that!
Sort my house out, write a book, start a PhD, learn to spin and weave, the list goes on. Don’t have a good answer to what I’m waiting for on some of them, but some elements of my current life would have to go to create the time. I will be listening to this interview next time I get some time to myself though. Thanks for this post Ann, some good food for thought.
Love Making a Life I just got my copy and also got one for my son’s girlfriend, it’s such a beautiful book!
I purchased this book the day it came out. It’s amazing. I love it. Every artist I read about resinates with me in one way or another. I think of different friends and their gifts. Oh, don’t hesitate purchasing this magnificent work or art and research. I’m so grateful to Melanie and her shift in life for such a wonderful reason. If you’ve made anything with your hands, you want this book. I’m not even completed it yet. I just let each artists life story resinate in my soul for a bit. Can’t rave enough about it!!!
I got my masters degree at 44y.o. I am so glad that I did. At times, it was challenging with 2 teenagers raising them as a single Mom. However, I never wanted to quit. I love school and
my college experience enriched my mind and spirit. I attended school in Boston so I had fantastic colleges to choose from as well.
Now, I put off organizing my home. I have to push myself, my reward is knitting!!
Please for the love of all that is good, all that is holy and all that makes us better than we were, please, if you are a citizen of the USA vote. I used to be so proud of my country. I want to be again. Can you help?
Oh, I really hope you’re not kidding about that second novel!!
I’m learning to sew! My mother is teaching me on her mother’s 1935 Singer sewing machine, purchased after my grandmother graduated college with a Home Economics degree and started working for the Singer company. She could knit and sew like a pro, but couldn’t teach. I learned to knit from a friend in college, so having the classic “learning from my mother” experience is really precious.
Because why do anything the easy way, we’re making our own pattern based on a skirt I love. Except we have to size it up. And the skirt and the underskirt have ten panels each. I’m getting really good at seams!
I’m catching up because I was away without connection (really! Still exists!) But I have to add my voice. Write the next novel, Ann. Do it do it do it.