Less is Challenging

Less is more? Maybe. I will say that the more simplicity you want to put in your work, both art and writing, the more time it will take. It requires you to reduce everything to only what is needed to make it complete. I think this recent interest in simplicity is directly related to my recent trip to Antarctica. The landscape there is so simple. Don’t get me wrong, it’s huge. Glaciers the size of towns, mountains that rise high above the frigid waters of the Antarctic Sea and whales that rise and fall around your small boat.

Along with the simple landscape, the color palette is reduced to glacial blue, white, black and a few patches of algae in pinks and greens. The water is a deep blue and the sky is shades of bright blue and cloud grey. The areas of color are huge but limited. And the sounds are simple, and often wrapped in a silence that is awe inspiring.

Before we left, I was making some little art quilts in my studio. Here are a few of them.

Now that I have returned from the quiet landscape with minimal colors, I have noticed a shift in my work. Here is what I have been making since our return.

Do you see the difference? I am focused on making each piece feel complete without being too much. The colors are similar to the pre-trip pieces but the vibe is calmer. It’s not done yet, but I have a piece in black and white on my design table at the moment. I’m eager to see how it turns out.

If you are trying to elevate your work, I challenge you to make it complete without over working, over crowding or adding things that don’t need to be there. It’s easy to include everything. It is more meaningful to include only what makes it complete and then stop. Discernment over density.

It works in art as well as it works in life. Less of certain things makes room for more of something else. What do you want? Reduce everything else and you can have it.