Rhinestones

The other day I was working on something and the details just weren't meshing for reasons I couldn't understand until I suddenly remembered one of the things Wayson Choy taught in the 2008 Summer Workshop I was fortunate enough to attend: 'one rhinestone too many.'

That means too much embellishment, basically - even when those embellishments are lovely, too many of them distract from what is true about what you are creating, and form a barrier between you and your audience.

I had way too much embellishment. I realized I would have to step back and cut away at some of it, once I decided what is true about my creation - the story I want to tell, and the feelings I want to share - and what enhances that.

Today I think I know. I'm going to sit down with the project again, starting mostly from scratch, and see if I'm right.

And I'll be doing that while watching a movie because you know what? It's knitting, not writing. The process of creation is the same, something I still find staggering though it's becoming easier to accept and even celebrate - because it means I don't have to feel like I'm procrastinating when I knit!