The Disciplined Artist

I'm in the home stretch of preparations for my first solo exhibition, "The Nature of Rag Rug Weaving", which opens on October 27, 2026, at the Carnegie Visual Arts Center in Decatur, AL. My final piece of weaving for the show is on the loom. I designed and crafted dozens of hanging clamps to make the installation easier. I have a plan for the finishing work that needs to be done before I turn in my collection. It's going to be an intense two months, but I know where to direct my energy to tie up all the loose ends.

I never expected that being a weaver would make me become a woodworker as well.

Getting ready for this show has forced me to study my weaving materials, tools, and techniques while defining my style and artistic vision. There was a lot to discover in a relatively short, two-year timeframe. The deadline and production requirements pushed me to quickly make the transition from knitting pattern designer and teacher to textile artist and weaver. I'm grateful because without that nudge I may have lingered in a stagnant creative purgatory.

After the exhibit is underway, my production will slow down, allowing me to shift into a planning period. Beyond the exhibit, there are still a lot of unknowns as to how/where I'm going to start selling my artwork. My preferred online platforms are ok for selling digital knitting patterns and video tutorials but may not be the best option for my outsider textile art. I was feeling uneasy about what's next until I stumbled across an interesting podcast episode which helped me put things into perspective. (If you're an artist, creative, or small business owner, or you just want to understand some of the challenges we face while trying to make a living, this is definitely worth listening to.)

Initially I thought the theme of my planning season would strictly be about how/where to market and sell my handwoven pieces. However, after considering this episode I realize selling is just a small piece of the bigger picture. After all, fulfillment doesn't come from working harder to produce more, in order to somehow sell more. The bigger questions are – how do I want to spend the majority of my time and what things do I need to do (or not do) in order to support that lifestyle.

Even though it doesn't fit neatly into society's idea of success, I certainly have a vision of what my own personal and artistic success looks like. Now it's just a matter of putting that vision into practice in a sustainable way (and yeah, unfortunately that still means I'll need to figure out how to sell some of my art 😉).