My Pilbara collection January 2014.
I have been working, collecting, sewing, painting and thinking. I often find thinking a difficult thing to do. Not the day to day thinking of who does what today, where do I have to be and when, and most importantly, what is for dinner. No I am talking about deep, contemplative thinking, the kind you do on your own in a quiet space. Not the kind you do on your feet in a house of noise and chaos.
Unfortunately my studio days are non consecutive and I find that the things I thought on one day may have disappeared entirely by the next studio visit, only to be rediscovered several days (maybe weeks) later. The other thing about thinking is that it has to be quality thoughts. Driving, for example, often provides a quiet time for contemplation, however I find myself 'vaguing out' and thinking about how dry the grass is, or the formation of the clouds, or the colour of the sky. All very romantic, not very helpful when deciphering Jean Baudrillard's 'The Cultures of Collecting' and how any of it relates to my work...or doesn't.
So rather than over thinking, which is easily done, I opt for the more serene thought pattern of the grass, the clouds and the sky. Sometimes it is easier to just drift rather than set a course. Sometimes that is where the best ideas are found.
