Free At Last

You know the other day when I was talking about all that creative rule breaking that I do, well what I didn't mention are the self made rules that I have a hard time getting past. I do a lot of different craft type activities and when I first started my etsy shop it was full of various crap I had created. Crochet, knitted bears, macrame necklaces, beaded bracelets...all kinds of stuff. Eventually I was confident enough and focused enough on my tatting to say no more and turned it into a tatting only emporium. Okay, maybe not emporium, but it's a cool word. So know I sit here attempting to create a mask based on a video game image my husband showed me. It was a trailer for the game Bayonetta and one of the characters sports a lacy looking butterfly mask. I was then charged with attempting to recreate this piece.

I printed out the screen cap and started drawing potential motifs upon it. When I though I had a good section to attempt I began a bit of free form tatting. It was an utter failure. Besides the long unruly chains, the rings are well...too round to recreate the feel of the mask. After much musing I realized what my problem was. I was thinking inside my own little box. Who said every element needs to be tatted? Well...I did when I tatted my first mask. I only used wire for the eyes to give the piece structure.

No more! I shall break free the chains of my own oppression. I have in my hands a spool of wire and with it, I shall create the mask. Upon the sturdy base of metal I shall place any tatting that shall occur. Sure it feels a little wrong, but just because I'm a tatter, doesn't mean that it my only means of creation. I know that I put myself in this box. I've no one else to blame and I shall set myself free. Not all at once though...maybe just a step or two at first, but I'm moving, I swear.