How sow bugs taught me to be persistent in art. Sow bugs, pill bugs,rolypollys, or maybe you use another name are a common garden inhabitant. Surprisingly these bugs are crustaceans not insects.Sow bugs are more closely related to shrimp and crayfish than to insects. Nonetheless, by observation, sow bugs taught me to be persistent in art.
Several decades ago my husband and I bought an old farmhouse. We gutted the interior before adding new drywall and a new interior. Part of the process involved knocking down an old brick chimney. In reality the chimney didn’t seem to be of much use. We did save and reuse the bricks. My unskilled labor was put to use separating the bricks from the crumbling cement and stacking them for later use.This of course took numerous days of labor.
Sow bugs taught me how to be persistent in art.
As I separated the dirt and the bricks, the sowbugs appeared. At first, as I dug out the bricks, I didn’t pay much attention to them. I kept working, separating the bricks, removing the dirt and stacking bricks. I started to notice their behavior.If dirt from a shovel landed on the sow bugs,they dug themselves out and continued on their merry way like nothing had happened.They were not deterred. The bugs were persistent. I was amazed. If I had a load of dirt dumped on me, I would have to stop for at least a minute. The visual of the sow bugs continuing on stayed with me all of these years. They taught me to be persistent.
So Called Human Qualities
I have come to realise that many so called human qualities are rooted in our animal past. Compassion and love are not as unique to humans as previously thought. Science has shown animals to be generous and empathetic among other qualities. Persistence seems to be one of them.
An artist needs to be persistent. That just means that you keep going. Keep trying. Don’t get confused into thinking one needs to be annoying as in pestering. Putting oneself out in the world is not easy. One must not give up. Give yourself permission to take a break at times as needed. However,forge on no matter what dirt the world dumps on you. If the lowly sowbug can continue on, surely an artist can too.
https://annbaldwinmayartquilts.com/2021/06/small-creatures-in-art-quilts/
https://annbaldwinmayartquilts.com/2022/07/art-solutions-came-to-me-in-a-dream/