Music Series

Do I Have to Practice Now?

The Story Behind Do I Have to Practice Now?

Artwork Details

• Technique: Art Quilt

• Dimensions: 40" wide x 46" high

• Collection: Music Series

• Availability: ready to hang art quilt

If you took music lessons as a child, the title probably brings back a few memories.

It certainly does for me.

Before I played the violin, I took piano lessons. Like many young musicians, I was an expert at finding reasons not to practice. More than once, I found myself trying to squeeze an entire week's worth of practice into the hour before my lesson.

It never worked.

Do I Have to Practice Now? grew out of those memories. Rather than illustrating a single moment, it captures a feeling that many musicians know well, the tug-of-war between wanting to do anything else and knowing that practice is the only way to improve.

Looking back, I'm grateful for those lessons. The discipline I resisted as a child eventually became one of the most valuable skills I carried into my art. Creating fiber art requires the same patience, persistence, and willingness to improve a little at a time.

Fortunately, stitching has one advantage over practicing scales.

No one ever tells me I have to do it.