Slow Stitch

The Slow Movement and the art of slow stitch is occupying my making at the moment. Influenced by work by Claire Wesley Smith I have been experimenting stitching into hand made paper. This process of simple stitching is a way of getting to grips with the sense of making again, recycling used or made materials and experiencing materiality and the rhythm of making.We live in such a fast paced world jumping from one thing to another. We are constantly interrupted by digital devices that encroach our day to day lives constantly. If we don't check our social networking sites on a regular basis we are led to believe we will miss out on something.....but do we really it will still be there at he end of the day!! These devices are a  constant interruption and distract us from the tasks we are involved in and the world around us. I can take a bus journey to Leeds and only 'glance' at the beautiful countryside which is ridiculous! They take us away from what we are doing and it takes a long time to get refocused and back to the original task. Our brains are not wired to multi task we can only focus on one activity at a time (we sort of toggle between activities!)  We are constantly obsessed with the destination and not the journey. Making helps focus the mind; by being creative you become more engaged. Slow stitch offers a rhythm and flow of  making which I am intrigued with and I will explore this more.........

Wesley Smith, Claire, Slow Stitch, 2015,Batsford, London
Honore, Carl, In Praise of the Slow, 2005, UK, Harper Collins