Colorado Creatives Series
In support of #AIGAatHome, we have launched the Colorado Creatives Series, an opportunity to celebrate and showcase local creatives in our area. Our Colorado Creatives will share a little about their creative process, some of their most worthwhile investments, current reading lists and more. Enjoy!
Name
Peggy Des Jardines
Pronouns
She, Her, Hers
Where can we find you?
How have you adapted your creative process during this time?
My creative practice has taken over my life (more so than usual) during the pandemic. Without any deadlines or any other commitments, it’s been very interesting to see the natural flow of my creative energy, how it waxes and wanes throughout the course or a day or week. It can feel chaotic, so I’ve learned to impose some new boundaries, such as “no art days” where I don’t allow myself to make anything so I don’t exhaust myself. I’ve also started having “finishing weeks,” where I just finish projects all week and don’t allow myself to start anything new. I am particularly fond of that–it’s so interesting to see how the finishing mindset seeps into the rest of my life.
In the last five years, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved your life?
Finding spiritual practices and concepts that I align with and that can naturally merge with my daily routines has hugely improved my life. Meditation, ritual, mindfulness, and intuitive practices have become self-care basics for me, and are also a huge focus of my creative work.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do?
I have a set of what I call “transition activities” that I do when I start to feel stuck or too wound up to focus, like exercise, go for a walk, make myself a meal, take a shower, meditate, do something fun like make a silly drawing or dance. Exercise usually works best, but sometimes I just have to know when to stop for the day. I fully believe in the importance of taking breaks and resting.
What are you currently working on?
So many things! Prints, dyeing fabric, quilts large and small, garments, papermaking, drawings, paintings, tattoo flash, recipes. I have plans to do several murals over the summer. I have been doing a lot of exploring and experimenting; I’m grateful to have had the space to move in many directions at once.
