quantity

on doing another and another and another and

You can’t really learn anything from doing something once.

In fact, the more you paint the same scene over and over again, you start to notice new things. Maybe in your technique, sure, but your eyes notice something new. They see new.

I am obsessed with the process. I use ‘obsessed’ often, so people think that I use that word lightly, but I don’t. I am consumed by my obsessions, only satiated by repetitive tasks that center the obsessions on something productive.

Hence, processes.

I love How It’s Made, and seeds, and spinning.

And I love multiples artists.

I learned about this concept from a Joseph Bueys exhibit at the Broad a few years ago. The idea of making over and over again. His exhibit featured found objects, repeated motifs and posters, an initiative to plant thousands of trees, and three wool suits.

Wandering through that exhibit, I decided I, too, am a multiples artist.

I make yarns, lots and lots of yarns. I’ve spun so much yarn, I hesistate to buy anymore. That is, until I remember I need a super specific yarn for a specific purpose.

I make swatches, lots and lots of swatches.

I make stitches. Lots. and lots. of stitches. There’s an ego death in realizing you have an infinite number of stitches left to knit. Over and over again.

Millions of stitches and twists over such a short lifetime. God is in the infinites.

I’m working on a head scarf that I expect to be my first official pattern, but I know that means I need to make at least 3 of them. I will most likely end up doing 5.

I once spent 24 hours drawing 100 chairs. Then, years later, I spent 24 hours drawing 1000 things. The artist I did that with, Danielle Myers, did it again the next year, with a new artist. I’m in awe of literally everything Danielle does, but seeing her do the whole marathon over again (and sell her first set) made me realize I could just do it again, too.

I am a multiples artist. I work best with peers who are the same. My friend, Ashleigh, and her infinite beads and knots and versions on the same stones but different rhythms, variations. I find some of her beaded knitwork so beautiful and it inspires me to want to do some myself. I’m trying to convince her to make some stitch markers; more multiples.

My tía is a multiples artist. She’s easily made over a thousand x-ray butterflies, not to mention hundreds of egg carton flowers. Tens of plastic bottle flowers and casitas. She says you can’t make just one pillowcase for someone, you have to make them at least two.

Fashion designers and textile artists as a whole tend to be very familiar with the idea of multiples. Muslins and toiles are crucial to the art. I think that’s why Joseph Bueys’ exhibit was so compelling to me.

Three copies of ostensibly the same suit. Obviously very similar, mostly indistinguishable. But by the third suit, Bueys or who ever crafted them, got really fucking familiar with making suits.

Quilters are multiples artists. No one has ever made just one quilt. Even a whole piece quilt features thousands of stitches over hundreds of hours.

If you love something, it’s worth doing over and over again. I’ve collected the same hobbies since childhood, sinking endless multiples of time into stitching, fluting, skating, drawing, screaming, reading, writing (both thousands of words), stretching, dirt. The more I do them, the more of me I find.

I thought Substack Notes could be another multiples medium for me. A shortform content, which thrives on multiples (derogatory), that I could vibe with.

But multiples as an art form is fractal. It will literally multiple where your attention goes and whatever feelings come with that. As such, I find Substack Notes to be just another mass opiate stealing my attention.

I’m trying to reduce my usage and my posting, which has taught me a lot about how Substack’s algorithm works.

But was my goal to write multiple shortform farts on main? Or was it to write countless times, over and over again about textile art? The art that I am doing over and over again? Was it not to detail the obsessions and the process required to quell them?

If you like to work out, you know the reps and consistency are what make your body strongest. Maybe upping the intensity as you improve, but doing it is the most important part.

That’s multiples in art. The reps until you get 10-1000 finished products. Maybe only three of them are any good. But so many of them exist that it almost doesn’t matter in the end.

Be less precious about your art. Then do it again.

ON THE HEDDLES

I’m working on a the last paneled fabric with Noro yarn and wool coned yarn. I’ve learned a lot about doing over and over again, if you couldn’t tell. I’ll have more to say about this specific project soon!

ON THE NEEDLES

I ran out of yarn for my mitered square shawls, but I’m still trying to make mitered squares everyday for 100 days with Maja Lampa and other artists doing other textile projects.

FLIPPING PAGES

I’m listening to Everything for Everyone by M.E. O’brien and Eman Abdelhadi. It’s been such a fun way to listen to ideals for the future and very prophetic, even within the last five years. Highly recommend for anyone who might be struggling to imagine what comes next.

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