Help I've lost my Mojo.
I never thought it would happen but I think it has.
Do you know what it means to have lost your Mojo? If so perhaps you can help.
I looked up the work Mojo on answers.com and it told me that:
"Mojo means "finding the magic in what we do". To have "lost your mojo", refers to a loss of inspiration or creative genius; a loss of that special spark. The word has been around for almost 100 years, one source cites its use to as early as 1926"
So it would seem that people have had this problem for a while, it's not a modern day thing.
I am going to admit to you that I had not picked up a needle for almost 3 months.I have not folded and refolded fabric just for the thrill of it nor have I given the sewing machine a whirl. This even shocks me more as I write this down. Up until now I think I have been in denial.But now I need to sort this thing out.
The problem started when my family and I decided to spend this Christmas in Italy. The trip was wonderful, magical and simply amazing. We spent almost 2 months there.
Now that we are back home I feel like a little boat adrift. Glad to be home yet feeling a tad listless. Is this normal?
Anyway I thought that you may be able to help by making some suggestions for my fast recovery.
Warmly Lenna
This will get your mojo flowin'! You have until the 12th to come up with a door prize and join in: http://awhimsicalbohemian.typepad.com/a_whimsical_bohemian/one-world-one-heart-1.html
ReplyDeleteEven if you don't participate you can visit the currently 826 on the list to win their door prizes and get absolutely inspired! (I'm #526)
Hurry and go visit a quiltshop or, even better, a quilt showa! I always get to much mojo when I am there!
ReplyDeleteHi Lenna, don't worry too much about it. It has given you so much fulfilment in the past, that hasn't disappeared. I would start with a little project just to get the feel back. Don't overwhelm yourself with big things, just take up a little stitchery and it will come back to you, I'm sure of that. Big hug for you from Holland, Anita Westerveld.
ReplyDeleteHow about Taking colors like golds, reds and the like which you saw on your trip to Italy and do some inspiring blocks to make a full quilt.
ReplyDeleteYou can express how you felt during the trip in each block.
Made something just for yourself, don't worry about dealines and such, sometimes when we work to hard getting things made for others we forget the joy of what we do and get burnet out. Or take up a different hobby for awhile and it will come back.
ReplyDeleteHuggs,
Cleary K.
You are such a creative person, I can´t believe you haven´t sewen in 4 month. This must be temporarily, you MUST find your Mojo! Don´t give up looking for it!
ReplyDeleteKATRIN W.
When this happens to me I start out spending at least 15 minutes everyday working on a project. Before long you will be spending more and more time working on what you love. Your mojo will have come back stronger than before! Everyone goes through this sooner of later. Just relax and have some fun.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I'm feeling really stumped, I put on some upbeat music and clean and organize my quilt/sewing room and supplies. Usually I come across something inspring I have forgotten about - a pattern, project, or fabrics I really love. If that doesn't work, I spend a sunny morning with a cup of coffee and some inspiring blogs or favorite craft books. - Kristin in Colorado, USA
ReplyDeleteI think everybody needs a little rest sometimes :o) and it's always hard to get back to work...
ReplyDeleteBut I'm sure you'll find your Mojo soon :o)!!!
Don't worry, it will come back, yust look around till something catch your eye and then it will start to itch and yoy vannot wait to get busy and there is your Mojo again! May be this will inspire you!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.quilt-it.nl/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/Pakket_C_line_4b792581ac5f8.jpg
Hope you find your Mojo soon! Warm greetings,
Lida
There seems to be some really good advice here. I was going to suggest trying a new technique, something you haven't tried before (hardanger? shadow applique?) from one of the millions of tutorials out here in blogland. Maybe it will inspire you...
ReplyDeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteI don´t really know how to help you, mayby if you return to simple thing that you love, lately I´m stitching in sweet felt pearls, it´s really great, so much colourful and you can practice a lot of sticht such the french knot you teach me...
You can simply relax and look to mother nature, I´m sure your Mojo returns!
Kisses from Portugal
My mother used to say: "You're just going through a stage." However, here is what works for me: Until I am revitalized, I don't read the newspapers or look at TV news. :-)
ReplyDeleteyou should quilt your adventure! one of those old fashioned quilts that has a different picture in each block. then you'll combine your love of sewing as well as your love of italy!
ReplyDeleteI would say your experience is normal. We live such busy hectic lives and appreciate any moment we can get to delve into what we love, whatever that may be. I have my hands into every sort of needlework and I sort of rotate in what I feel like doing - right now I have the quilting bug. When I find I have lost my mojo - I allow it to happen because when it all comes back it comes back fast and furious and I run with it. I guess it is our mind and body's way of saying it needs a break to rejuvenate the crafting creative mind.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it because you have a nice fresh, neat studio and don't want to mess it up...go ahead, it's ok :)
ReplyDeletePas d'inquiétude, ce sont des moments que l'on traverse toutes.
ReplyDeleteL'inspiration reviendra et le bonheur qui l'accompagnera sera plus intense.
Alors, il faut laisser passer la vague, ouvrir l'oeil, se recharger de beaux paysages, de belles images.....et petit à petit le coeur à l'ouvrage sera de nouveau là.
Bises
I understand...
ReplyDeleteI just recently picked up my needle again after a year of not stitching. Don't worry, sometimes you just need a break.
hugs
it happens to us all. Just go with the flow, read some books, do some gardening, just sit and think. Dont worry it will come back..... bin there dun that lol.
ReplyDeleteOhhhh...I hate when that happens.
ReplyDeleteFor me, it usually means that there is some creative stuff brewing..I don't sleep, I'm restless during the day. The trip might have done this....when I traveled to Italy, I missed the food when I came home, so I cooked for awhile, Italy style...even drank wine during the day!! (I don't have kids at home anymore though!). Eventually, went over to the fabric or yarn in the house and found things I hadn't noticed before and POOF!!! Mojo rising!
Also, a trip to a "forbidden" fabric store or yarn shop could do it, too.
I bet something great will come of this rumination time!!!!!
It sounds like you were way too busy for awhile. Your senses were overwhelmed by many things to see and do. Now your body needs rest and so does your mind. It needs to absorb all that you saw and did and integrate it with all previous knowledge. This takes time. One day, something will hit you in just a certain way, and your brain will click over to create mode. It may take several months, but worrying about it won't hurry it along.
ReplyDeleteHi Lenna, I can sympathize with you. I commented on the craft forum recently that I had lost my mojo and if anyone found it could they express post it back to me. :)
ReplyDeleteMaybe doing something different than your usual projects. I was asked to knit some slippers for a lady who is unable to knit anymore, then I made some softies to donate to the flood appeal, being collected by Leanne at stitchselection.blogspot, so that more or less got me on the road to at least doing something. I have joined in a couple of swaps as well, even though I was a bit halfhearted, but it will force me to get going as I would not let my swap partner down. Anyway, I hope you feel inspired again soon, maybe your mind and body just needed a longer break, your holiday sounds beautiful, I am sure you will have lovely memories for years to come. hugs from Sandy
sandangels1945@hotmail.com
This happens to me when I get bogged down with work, family, issues, and lack of time.
ReplyDeleteWhen I cannot make it to a quilt shop, I go into my sewing room & sort through my fabrics. Look through my books to see if I can donate anything to my guild library, and the next thing I know my Mojo came back and I am starting a new project.
May you relax & reconnect with your quilting pleasure you have always had.
Every once and a while we need to let our creative impulse go fallow. Like a field we can not farm it intensively all the time. The soil needs to rest and rejuvenate, as does our creative side. Time to take walks, with a camera maybe, to think, read a book that has gathered dust, to sleep a little bit longer in the mornings, to try out some other endeavor for a while. Soon the need to sew will become a bit of an itch, which will grow stronger until you finally cannot stay away. Give yourself the gift of some fallow time. Keep an idea journal for future use and your batteries will recharge.
ReplyDeleteMaybe just relax and enjoy this break. Try some St Johns Wort tea. This helps with moods and sadness. Praying!
ReplyDeleteIagree with Sahara some times you do need a break I lost my mojo for 2 months and have just got it back now you can not stop me. the time you spent overseas was not enough for you .Dolly Hugs to you .
ReplyDeleteRita.
This is very normal and part of the blues we all get after such a high point. My recommendation is to use your pictures and souveniers to remenisc and also to go read a book. Doing a different hobby really helps. And reliving some of the vacation makes it less sad and more sentimental. That will spark the creativity. Keep us posted.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dix, after visiting a place that makes you feel good and life is great, coming back home can be a let down, not that home is not good, it is. You have been riding high and now you are coming down. Look at your pictures and other things you may have from you trip. Remember the good times with a cup of tea, in your favorite spot at home. Don't think in the terms of needle or thread, that will come back without even thinking about it.
ReplyDeleteLet us know how things turn out.
When you feel over whelmed, close your eyes and breathe. OX
RoseMary
Cloth is all around us, either in cotoon or silk or synthetic or fake, some fabric make us feel rich and nurtured others rough and forgotten . others ugly. I llove the touch of satin and silk , however cotton is much easier to work with . So hard is hard and easy ieasy and inspiration comes again.
ReplyDeleteWell, 2 months in Italy, no wonder you've "misplaced" your mojo! How about trying something you've never done before -maybe a new quilt technique or another craft. Try taking a class to get those creative juices flowing again. You haven't lost your mojo - it's probably just still on vacation :) Don't stress too much about it and it will be back in no time (hopefully bringing some Italian wine with it too).
ReplyDeleteBeguin again, slowly, but beguin. That´s the trick. You can even just doodle.....doodle away. It will come. Just don´t stop.
ReplyDeleteI paint. Everyday. But when I go on a holliday, I know I´ll have some difficulty when I come back, to get my creativity flowing again.
cheers!
Dear Lenna sit in the sunshine, have a good pot of tea, take time to enjoy your friends, family and the good parts of home. Breathe in the freshness of cool morning air, clear your thoughts and before long your mojo will be back all fresh and ready to go. We can do this together.
ReplyDeleteI am going through that a little myself. I am caught up in using my creative energy to create a new home for myself too. It may not be that you've lost your mojo at all. Perhaps you have been channeling it in a way that you don't recognise. You have created a new space for yourself and you deserve to move into it and make it your creative home.
ReplyDeleteI find being creative in a new space home difficult, especially if it doesn't have any personal touches there. Maybe you could put up some postcards or photos of the places you visited in your craft room. Fill the space with the energy you felt on your trip. Try getting rid of the paint smell with an oil burner or scented candles. That will make it feel more cosy too. I hope this helps.
- Diane
Hi Lenna, do not worry, we all happens after the holidays, the inspiration will return soon, because it is part of you.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Colombia
CARELI
Not to worry.. everytime spring and summer is knocking on my door I use my Mojo in the garden and outdoors... when autumn and Winter returns my Mojo for crafting returns... So enjoy the rest of your summer and look forward to a beautifull autumn; as I am looking forward to the spring and summer here in Denmark....
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are normal. Since I always take some type of needlework where ever I go, I can't imagine. I didn't do much sewing when I worked full time and the kids were in activities. Now pull out some fat quarters and cut into Italy. Make a pillow celebrating what you did/saw in Italy.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your time off.
As for your recovering your mojo. I do not do quilting, but sometimes a visit to a museum helps me with my embroidery mojo. I am planning for my next project to reproduce a historic quilt that I saw at a museum. It was a quilt done at a rural school in a neighboring county. It was made by the schoolgirls at the school in 1931. It is embroidered squares, each relating to the history of my state (I am in the US) from the first Europeans, to 1931. The history is a bit off because we have learned more about things in the past 80 years. But still, it is lovely. in the areas between
ReplyDeletethe blocks our state flower is the 'quilting'. The fabric is all solid colors, so that is not a problem, I am looking forward to it (Squeal!) I have just one project to finish before I can begin.
May I suggest that you visit a museum or listen to an elderly neighbor/friend and see what might inspire you. Sometimes they can tell you something interesting that you never knew, and it could get you a little inspiration.
Another idea. This might sound cheesy, but sometimes history books inspire me. Sometimes they have pictures of historical items that are lovely. For example, a
friend sent me a photo of the Assyrian lion hunt frieze that is in a museum in Britain somewhere, I was thinking it would make a lovely decorative pillow, someday...sigh
someday... hehe
Good Luck!
Lenna, your mojo's hiding out with the chocolate!!! :)
ReplyDeleteThe more you look for it the harder it seems to find it! Breathe, listen to great music, read a good book, clean out the linen cupboard, potter in the garden . . . your mojo will be back, and you'll be ready for it.
Regards. Sue
Wow, what special people have commented on your lost mojo!I've been through similiar experience, lots of changes in my life meant no room for making stuff, and it was frustating! I love to make... like you and all the suggestions given to you are perfectly helpful and loving advice. For me it came back in time, when there was space and the right buttons were pushed, my wonderful mum gave me stunningly beautiful tulips, some lovely pencils and cold press paper and the boxes were left unpacked while I got down to it! This makes me think that a lull is quite normal and your creating gift will come back when you are ready and like your trip to Italy be richer and bring friends. My love and prayers for you in the mean-time.
ReplyDeleteDesign and stitch a little boat adrift from its mooring then stitch the name on the side (Mojo) that aught to get you back on tract
ReplyDeleteDon't worry! We all need a little break now & then. I do it about once a year! Enjoy your break and don't feel guilty about it. When the time is right, your mojo will return :o) Big Hugs from Canada, Laurraine
ReplyDelete