Repetition as Habit

by Ariane Zurcher | Oct 7, 2021 | Art, creative process, Life | 7 comments

“We are what we repeatedly do, therefore, excellence is not an act but a habit.”

Aristotle

I always think about repetition when I’m stitching.  Stitching a few french knots?  How about a few hundred?  And what about some bullion circles?  A whole cluster of them is even better!

Clusters of Bullion Circles

In nature repetition is a constant and often what is most striking is in the sheer repetition.

The tail of a chameleon

Or look at one of my cacti…

While in Africa I was amazed at the patterns and repetition in the Zebra

Patterns on the giraffe

If I love a particular stitch, I’ll stitch a few hundred and over time I will have mastered it.  It’s like anything.  If I want to be a kind person, then I need to practice being kind.  Even when I don’t feel like it.  Even when I’m in a hurry.  Even when it means taking a breath, stepping back from the situation, and remembering that I’ve never regretted being kind.  Never.

Repetition.