Tell me a story

Knowing when something is finished seems one of those universal challenges; it doesn't matter if you're quilting or scrapbooking or collaging or anything else -- working on something until you've taken it to just the right point can be a mysterious and sometimes frustrating process.

I was working on this birthday card for a friend and had gotten it to a certain point but knew that it didn't feel done. I walked away from it for a while and when I came back, I thought to myself "it doesn't tell a story yet" and I kept going until I felt it -- felt that the story was told. I feel empowered by this little discovery, by this measuring tool. Looking at a piece and thinking about whether it has told its story yet or not seems very valid and somehow (of course in a totally personal, subjective way -- isn't all art like that?) measurable. I feel very influenced in this journey by Kim, whom I think is such an incredible artist in the way that all of her work tells stories. I think, too, of Walt Disney who very much measured everything in terms of "story." I'm off to work today but hope to spend some more play time tomorrow with this idea to see where it gets me. What kinds of ideas are you playing with?