Am I A Sculptor?

Working on the floral sculpture this week, pleased with how the petals kept their form without wire, it occurred to me that I really like how it’s turning out. That I might want to make more fiber sculptures, particularly focused around birth and women. I had deemed this current experiment a quilted sculpture weeks ago, but only now realized that this is a form of sculpting.

Not classically trained by any stretch, I definitely fall into self-taught in many respects when it comes to my artistic pursuits. Even with the fairy wings for Renn Fairs, bending wire, and applying cellophane and bouquets of fake flowers, I hadn’t thought of it as sculpting. 

Perhaps I fell into the trap of assuming if I didn’t use clay or some other substantial medium that I wasn’t creating art that was also a sculpture. If I have learned anything in my time with You Are Here and their Women in Arts group, it’s that I have often underestimated and undervalued what I have created. 

I still might not be a sculptor. I’m trying new things in how I create and what I create. I may drift back to being a “quilter” or “painter” or maybe stay a dabbler. There are a lot of different things I want to try artistically and don’t feel at a point where I can definitively say I’ve found my niche. 

Often reprimanded for changing my mind or quitting something, when I think I just really really wanted to try a lot of different things to see what I like, what interests me, and what I’m good at. 

I’m sure there are others who have felt similarly discouraged for being self-taught or a dabbler. I say heck ‘em, and I hope you feel you can too. I don’t know where this artist journey will take me, but I’ve learned that I need to create regardless of what else I do. 

I hope this helped someone. There are too many awesome ideas out there not to try! 

If you want a low-pressure, low-stakes way to “dabble” or finally try that thing you’ve been thinking about: Oh, Scrap! has plenty of art supplies for pennies on the dollar. Give a little, Take a little so you can make art dang it! 

Thanks for joining me on this ride so far! 

Happy creating!

JB