So, you know those people in your life? The really really wise ones. The ones who are so wise they make pretty big mistakes but actually learn from them and then are so full of wisdom that it's almost shocking? I have not one but a couple of them in my life. I'm continually bowled over by what I learn from them but this Wednesday, the one friend had the best idea. It was so great I could't help but steal it and make it my own.
She was talking about how she'd made some decisions that took her down some pretty bumpity roads and even though they were roads she could have happily done without, she got so much out of them at the end she couldn't really do without them. You know those sorts of roads? Most of us have been down them. Before I go any further, I should warn you this isn't a friend who is given to hyperbole or big emotional/dramatic anythings. In fact, some of her bumpy roads may have started with ignoring emotional stuff. She's one of those rock-solid, down-to-earth people that won't let you get your head too far into the clouds. Anyway, she was just reflecting on that and how even in her darkest, hardest times, she is still so far ahead of so much of the world and how she has so much to be grateful for. She was thinking that every day she would capture any image that reminded her of that feeling and do something - a collage, a display - so that she could be reminded of it when things weren't feeling so awesome and she'd forgotten all she had to be grateful for. I loved that idea. Though, I know myself and I knew that capturing an image per day was improbable and I would totally flunk at it. I also live in a teeny, tiny house with limited wall space (I have lots of windows and lots of books) so what would I do with all this gratitude? Sure it's important to collect it and be reminded but if it's closed off in something like an art journal, then it can slip out of your consciousness. I wanted something that would cue me without me having to remember it first. That led me to thinking about how I was grateful for Flannelberry and just having the space, energy, security, and will to dream about communicating with all of you. Of course the answer presented itself right then and there. My blog would be the perfect place for a weekly expression of gratitude. I will pick a regular day and write up something or post a picture that captures it for me. So, I doubt it will be Friday but for this week, why not? It was my birthday yesterday and I am grateful for my family and friends making it such a wonderful day. It was peaceful and full of generosity. I absolutely loved it and may have even relaxed. I feel so very lucky. Have a great weekend everyone.
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I am a maker. I love to make things -whether yarn, garden beds, bread, books, or messes. It's taken me a long time to figure that out. I love to have my farm and I love to write and I love lots of things but at the end of the day, I love to learn the process of making things; and I don't care about finishing them
It's also more than being a craft person or artist - I feel like it's a bigger thing. I first started thinking about this when I looked into a Craft Council membership. They had a questionnaire about how you identify - craft person, artisan, artist, maker, crafter, etc. I often use craft as a descriptor but I think there is something deeper than that and different. And, I'm told, when you say "craft" people think "arts and crafts" and glue sticks and glitter. While there is nothing wrong with glitter and glue sticks are important in book making, I can see what they're getting at. Craft person seems pretty specific and I used to identify with it - but what about all of the things I am making that don't have a purpose beyond art? That's not (technically) craft. And writing? Some people say that writing is a craft, some say art. And then there are textiles. For a while I was happy to call myself a textile artist but then I had a well intentioned friend tell me paper crafts aren't really part of textiles. And sure enough, she's right. So, back to the drawing board. Artisan has a kind of "old world" connotation that appeals to me but that's not quite right either. And while some of what I do is really old world, a lot of it has a really new world kind of spin on it. Beyond that, there is a whole bunch of social weight to all of these terms and you have to be prepared for that, no matter what you call yourself. If you're a crafter, you get the 'little kid, glue sticks, and glitter' vibe, an artist shouldn't be making things that are functional, an artisan must be using old world techniques. And what if you're a potter who makes textile items to add texture to your pottery or glazes? And maybe you sell some of the textiles as art? How do people make sense of that? And, congruent with my personality, I have no interested in being penned up in a box where I should or shouldn't be doing anything. There are some great debates on art vs craft here and here oh, and here too. Maker is just coming into the discussion. I don't love the word actually but it seems closer than anything else I've head in English. Right now, I'm settled on maker. |
AuthorI'm a 40-something writer and smallholder living in the wilds of BC with my family, our small herd of Nigerian Dwarf Goats, chickens, ducks, dogs, and cats. Archives
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