Just have fun

That is what a good friend of mine told me recently, just have fun. We were talking about art, how I go about starting a new piece. Often I will use a combo of photos that I have taken. I then go thru my ever growing fabric stash to audition colors and patterns together to find the feel I am aiming for in the piece. Once I have collaged these down I have a canvas so to speak to add to.

At this point I start applying my colored pencils to adjust any color on the fabric to fit the mood of the piece. Hand work with thread, silk ribbon, sequins and bead work is usually the last step.

As I explained to my friend she asked if I had ever just started a new piece of art with no planning. Perhaps a color in a fabric inspired me and I just ran with that without any plans or photos. In other words did I just have fun creating without any preconceived idea or plan? I said no I had not, perhaps because of my need to control things or that it is in my soul to produce art that represents something real.

So of course my friend challenged me to just have fun with my next piece of art. I will admit it was scary at first. I had no road map so would this new method be useful? Would it be a waste of time and materials? Or could it be the start of something new and different?