Juvenilia

 A few years ago, when I was reading a collection of Sylvia Plath’s poetry, I ran into a section titled “juvenilia.” This was my first time encountering the word, and it was apparent that the section included Plath’s very early work, completed in her youth and never sent out for publication. The term leads me to think of my early work in textiles, which was not in my youth (I’m way past those years!), but definitely in the early or youthful part of my artistic journey.

What does one do with their juvenilia? It’s easy to shove it in a box or drawer, or to shun it or be embarrassed by it. But I argue that this should not be the attitude of the artist. Keeping juvenilia or early works out in the open is worthwhile. First, it documents progress. Looking at some of my early quilts, I can see that my stitching has improved. I can see that I’ve learned more about composition, balance, and texture. Looking at my early work is a reminder that my skills are growing.

Another reason to look back at early work is to engage in shoshin, or “beginner’s mind.” This Zen Buddhist term encourages the artist to be open and eager even when they are very experienced in their art. When I initially began to experiment with textiles, I had no rules to follow – no requirements or guidelines because I was making it up as I went. However, the more we learn about craft, the more we tend to follow the accepted norms or rules. But the beginner, who starts with a clean slate and no preconceptions, has a freedom that the more practiced artist can easily lose sight of. For this reason, we want to always embrace beginner’s mind.

Not only is keeping those early works in full view a good idea, they can also be repurposed! Recently I took my scissors to a mini quilt that I made two years ago. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be and cutting it up has allowed me to repurpose it into more than one project. The quilt was titled, “Tommy’s Spring Quilt," and it simply wasn’t being used. I have a penchant for purses, so I made a prototype of a bag, using heavy felt and parts of the quilt. The outcome is far from “polished,” but more importantly, it helped me learn how to create a bucket bag – one of my preferred styles. If one day I want to create one from leather, I’ll have a much better grasp of the process. Currently, I use it to hold fabric scraps, and I can easily carry it from room to room. It signifies shoshin, and reminds me that I can create things that I never thought I could.