Q. Tabitha, I really appreciate your abilities to teach others with your writing, share your love for fiber, knitting, and other materials. When did you first discover your love for writing?
A. I can remember as a young child, writing poems and drawing pictures to go with them. The first actual poem I remember was one I wrote when I was about ten years old. I wrote a poem to the angels. The poem is long lost, but the feeling never left me, that feeling of being able to touch the world and leave an impression. After that, I can always remember writing, in one form or another, all my life. It didn't matter if I was at school or at work. It's just something that I have always had to do. Writing is like breathing. I may suck at it at times, but I can't stop doing it or I'll die.
Q. How do you keep your creativity flowing through the wonderful thread of life?
A. Some days I don't feel all that creative, although the people around me are always supportive and encouraging. One way I keep going is looking at my children. Trying to figure out the worlds these two live in, trying to figure out what's going on in their imaginations, that is what really sparks so many thoughts and ideas. I am often driven to learn new skills, like knitting, so that I am able to teach them when they ask to do such things. I also try new things as much as I can just to show them that you can try things and not be good at them, and not be perfect at them the very first time you try to do them, but you still try. And that enjoying the process is the best part, not struggling to make it 'just so'.
Q. Looking back over your body of creative work, how would you say you have grown?
A. This may seem silly, but I am more adventurous. I am not as careful. I do not worry about will I be able to do this perfectly, will I be able to do this right, what if everyone hates it...what if no one buys it...what if no one ever reads my work...I don't care. I stopped worrying about am I doing it right, will others approve of me or what I do...I just do it. Even if I have to laugh at myself and throw whatever I was attempting to do in the trash when I am done, at least I know I did it. I embrace my mistakes. I embrace my ineptitude. I revel in it. Sometimes, I am sure, I revel at the worst possible times. I am always happy at the end of the day...one way or another.
Q. Do you have any advice for a new writer or artist who is just beginning their spiritual and creative journey.
A. The best advice I can give you is the same advice my mother seems to have given me about everything in my life (making bread, sewing, knitting, crocheting, you name it): just play with it. Play with it until you find the way it works best for you. Don't be afraid to do things differently. Don't be afraid to break all the rules. If it's working for you, do it, no matter what anyone else tells you. My only other advice is DO IT. Don't sit there and say one day I will be a writer or one day I will be an artist. Wake up in the morning and write. Wake up in the morning and work on your artistic vision. If you think there is no way you can find the time, you won't ever find the time. You have to make time. You can always make the time for what you believe in and for what you are passionate about. Sylvia Plath woke up hours before her children to work on her writing, sometimes at two and three o'clock in the morning, if I remember correctly. She sacrificed her sleep for her passion. If that's what it takes to be what you truly want to be, then that is what you need to do. Otherwise, you will only want to be, but you won't ever quite make it. Yeah, I didn't mean to go all Yoda here, but ,do or do not. There is no try.
Q. Thank you, Tabitha, for taking time to do this interview, today. Your vast interests and creative endeavors inspire all of us to move forward in our creative lives. What is next for you? Do you have any dreams you would like to share with us?
A. What's next? I have several knitting projects I am currently working on that need to be finished. But the big thing for me right now is planning for NaNoWriMo (http://www.nanowrimo.org/) next month. I actually won last year, even though I didn't do much with the manuscript afterwards. Technically, the story itself still isn't finished. This year I plan to not only win, but to actually complete the manuscript. Otherwise, my plans entail getting up in the morning, writing about something, baking some bread, and working on some knitting.
I have attached a couple pictures. The tattooed lady is a drawing I did recently--she has a story with her that can be seen at:
http://onthewrongsideofthemirror.wordpress.com/2010/09/08/joining-the-circus-part-deux/
The second picture is one of my children, Evangeline and Nikolas.
The zombie doll was a requested knitting project--and not my best work, but it was the fastest work I have ever done. I had less than 24 hours to make the doll. She didn't have arms for awhile...hence the zombie name.
The tree is a painting that I did last year.
Next is a picture of my son in his new hat, not a good picture of either. It is a color worked ear flap hat and he wore it all day, in 70 degree heat, when I gave it to him. He picked out the yarn himself. He loves to request I make him things, and loves even more when he gets to go to the store with me to pick out the yarn.
The last two pictures are current WIPs. The light colored one is a vest for myself and the red one is a sweater for my son...I took both pictures to chronicle the inherent flaws in both. ;)
Thank you so much for this opportunity. I very much appreciate it.
"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle"
You're welcome Tabitha. We're pleased that you took time to share with us your creative outlook on life, family and creativity.
You can see more of Tabitha's writing and creative adventures on the following links:
Personal Upkeep: http://theknittingjourneymanrefitted.wordpress.com/
My Sales: http://thefeyofthecrossroads.wordpress.com/
Creative Endeavor: http://ravensinthewritingdesk.wordpress.com/
Writing Notebook http://onthewrongsideofthemirror.wordpress.com/
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