Communal Comment

Regular readers will be wondering why I just posted a picture which seems to relate to nothing much in particular. Well, in part, I was getting to grips with Hello; I didn't think that adding another blog would have to be explained to Hello, so, when I posted a picture, instead of going to the new blog, it came here. Oops.

Today, the two H's and I spent a day together, ostensibly working (and some stitching was done, really, it was). There was, of course, cake (Heather is the Cake Queen). And coffee. Did I say marshmallows? But above all, there was critique.

Now, those of you who belong to alternativequiltlist will know that we've been talking about critique on the list, and that I've been enthusiastically talking about the process of critique through question. For those of you wondering what I'm talking about, I usually critique by asking questions. That way, the artist keeps control of the conversation, and learns what s/he is ready to learn, at a speed that works for both of us. Well, I'm here to say that today, my critiqueing style went from the interrogative, through the strongly suggestive, and out the other side. At one point, I even went hands-on, and folded a quilt top to make a point. And it was fine.

I don't normally work that way, so I wondered why it was that I felt able to do so in this little group. The answer, I think, is that we all varied styles dramatically during the conversations we had about our work, but we all spoke with respect for person and work. And we trust each other. I think that is the key issue, in fact. Trust. Trust each other, trust the process. And then it's all as easy as falling off a log. Or writing a blog!