By Baylee Schmitt
The creative process is so essential because it provides an opportunity for us to learn how to commit to something, to an idea, to anything. In our current visual and media culture, we’re constantly pulled at a break-neck speed to the next thing, and then the next thing, and the next thing. By slowing down and fostering a Thing — whether it’s cupcakes for your daughter’s birthday party, an independent horror film, or a crocheted recreation of your childhood bedroom — from a loose inkling of an idea to the full presentation of the time, love, and pure dedication to the work of it, one can access an entirely new dimension of meaning. I didn’t know what it meant to connect with others’ creative works until I found myself engrossed in the process of creating Something.
I began making installations of my childhood home after a process of trying and rejecting certain material and process. Ultimately, I taught myself how to crochet, and that quickly became my medium of choice. I connected not only to the methodical process of engineering a recognizable thing from singular stitches, but also to the conceptual structure of the medium to my subject matter. The cellular structure of individual stitches making up rows, which make up shapes, which make up image and object; nooks and crannies and objects make up a room, and rooms make up a house; long ago emotions, memories, and experiences build upon themselves to make up a person. The works of Do Ho Suh and Liza Lou were huge inspirations for my own exploration of home, space, time, memory, and installation.
