SLOW Magazine

Something wonderful has just happened in my life and I am going to share it with you!  I have been PUBLISHED in a magazine!!  I kind of backed into an opportunity to write an article for a magazine in Australia called, "SLOW Magazine" (www.slowmagazine.com.au).  Almost a year ago the editor of the magazine had gone onto a Green forum on the Internet with a request for thoughts and ideas for articles that would be of interest to feature in their magazine.  I just recently ran across this request and responded, not really thinking anything would come of my ideas not only because of the late date, but also because the Internet is such a gigantic arena, and one's voice is, more often than not, lost in it's labyrinth.  To my surprise and amazement, the editor, Jacqui Mott, wrote back suggesting that I send in a submission, and they would see where things went.  She had read my blog entries and thought that their topics and quality would be perfect for their magazine!  WOW!  I was floored! . . and excited!!  Almost immediately I sat down and wrote my first submission.  Now mind you, I have never submitted any of my writings to anyone!  well, okay . . . there is this blog.  But hardly anyone reads this do they?  The only person to have read anything that I have written was my mother when I was writing weekly 3-page thesis papers for my 11th grade English teacher, Mr. Mraz.  So, with no ego involved, I thought I would submit my article, the staff at Slow magazine would shred it and I wouldn't hear anything more.  Just yesterday, Jacqui sent me an email saying they were going to use my article in their next issue of SLOW magazine!!  WOW again!  My mother, bless her librarian heart, would be so proud!!

I take much delight in writing about what I am thinking.  It has been something that I have enjoyed doing since elementary school.  I have always liked being able to craft my words, with thoughtfulness, before revealing them to someone.  Speaking the words does not allow me to do that, and words tend to tumble out of my mouth, with me often wishing I could scramble after them, clutching them back into obscurity.  But the written word has clarity and it's own space, making it take on a depth that the spoken word does not have.  Both can be interpreted in any fashion, but only the written word can be truly studied, to reveal it's depth and intent.  Crafting with words is a challenging process, trying to tease an idea out of many, and bring definition to it, so that one's original thought is there in clear, abundant, literal, black and white!  All too often, a thought is just too wispy and ethereal to capture in text, but therein lies the challenge that all writers face.  And as of yesterday, I can count myself as one of the members in the league of writers!

I will update you when the issue is circulated!

But can forgiving and accepting imperfection be good??

We are in a world of Getting Things Done!  We are required to be Productive at work.  So we push ourselves to accomplish more in less time for our paycheck.  At home we feel the pull of Productivity in having to get things done so we don't get overwhelmed with the piles of laundry, or the dust bunnies that scoot across the floor. 

We want to enable our children to have the best experiences in their school or extracurricular activities so we add more to our Productivity list, and become coaches, or volunteer at the school library.   In order to get all of these things done we have opened the door to the beast called Multi-tasking.  We cross things off our list with a sigh of relief, only to replace it with yet another task that we can accomplish on our way to bringing the kids to soccer practice and grocery shopping. 

And it seems that along with Multi-tasking and Productivity goes Perfectionism. We are told from a very young age that if we can master all of these we will be akin to God himself!

So we set ourselves up for failure, by striving for the impossible, each of us thinking that it will be ME that conquers that 3-headed dragon! We risk health, marriage, friendship, family, and wealth and dedicate ourselves to honing these three skills.

But isn't it a wonderful gift to be able to forgive imperfections, and accept them still as beautiful?!   The burl wood that is known for it's beauty and richness is actually the part of the tree that results from some sort of stress or malignancy.

Yet we treasure the wood from this part of the tree and consider it most beautiful.

Isn't it at the crossroads of nature's perfection and imperfection  that we find fascination and awe?

I know that in my own life the balancing of Multi-tasking, Productivity, and Perfectionism is a skill that needs constant monitoring.  In the past, I had tended to throw myself into perfecting something to the point of ignoring productivity or multi-tasking.  But when I couldn't achieved perfection, I have thrown it down in frustration and have never gone back to it.  For a while, I was getting a lot of piles of imperfect and unfinished projects.  But as time went by, I realized that perfection may not be the point after all.  And that the Attempt is the valiant thing.  Growth does not happen from the perfecting of something, but rather in the Attempts!  With this realization, I was able to let go of the constant voice in my head that demanded that everything in my environment be just so, and all that I accomplished was perfectly executed.  I realized that I didn't need to be constantly busy in order to be productive, and that multi-tasking actually dillutes my participation in any one task thereby negating whatever pursuit of perfection there could have been.  Why spend time on a task that you aren't doing well?  By letting go of perfection and doing one task at a time, I became more daring, more focused, and more accepting of things that didn't turn out as I had visualized them.  I began to examine what I did do and see the beauty in it, and then go on from there.  Perfection by definition seems to require a certain sameness or symmetry.  To accomplish perfection requires vast technical skills. . . but creativity is lacking.  The way I see it, creativity happens first, with perfection happening after the creative thought has already been born. 

Now, I no longer strive to get my list done so much as I try to focus on each project, really entering into it and learning from it.  Making a cup of coffee becomes a sensual experience and dusting a shelf becomes a lesson in physics.  My projects no longer require perfection, but rather they require an 'intent' towards perfection.  Although I still strive to do things perfectly, I know that the journey and the subsequent growth is the point on which I need to focus rather than the destination.  Imperfection and I coexist, and I find myself learning more and pushing my limits even further.  Now, even though I accept imperfection, I have found myself becoming a deeper person and am happier for it.  I am finding that imperfection is part of the interesting fabric of life, and that each little slub is a story of growth, and each flaw is a look into the soul of humankind.

Slow Planet, Slow Life, Slow Food, Slow Craft, Slow Cloth

Lots of discussion going on in the blogosphere about slowing things down.  Starting with Slow Planet, Slow Movement, Slow Life, Slow Food, Slow Craft, and Slow Cloth to name only a few personal favorites.  I am a professional handweaver, weaving bath towels from Belgian linen. The most often asked question I hear is, "How long does it take to weave one of these?" When I educate people about how long it actually takes from design concept, to importing the yarn (because there is no one yet in the Americas that processes flax as beautifully as Europe. We are in our infancy in that venture), to winding the warp, threading the loom, and finally weaving the linens, hemming and finishing, and then traveling across the United States selling my wares, people are quite amazed at how long it takes to actually weave a towel! We are so used to instant everything that we even expect handmade crafts to be quick and easy too. There are ongoing discussions about 'Slow Cloth' and 'Slow Craft' that highlight the fact that 'High Craft' takes time, thought, skill and in every piece is the investment of a bit of the artist's soul. I have been honored recently to have been selected to show at the American Craft Council Show in San Francisco and the One of a Kind Shows in Chicago and in New York. The level of artistry and craftmanship, and pride in a job well done is evident at every booth in these shows. I remember going to one of these shows while in my 20's for the first time and finding the experience absolutely exhilerating, stimulating, inspiring, and even a bit untouchable.  But around every corner there was joy!!  Everywhere there was creative energy!  Color and texture, sparkle and richness, uniqueness and a wealth of stories!  Prices were beyond my means then, but the experience has stayed with me a lifetime!

Craft is not about popsicle sticks, glitter and glue that keeps young ones occupied for a rainy afternoon.  Rather, craft or 'High Craft' should be defined as:  designing and making something by hand without taking shortcuts; and accepting that there is value in taking the time to be involved in the whole process, to have learned and honed a craft to a fine skill, and to understand the craft intimately, and that there is an investment of self in each project.

I'm leavin' on a jet plane. . .

Well, I managed to get all my bags and crates packed!  I had to come up with a solution for packing my towels that wouldn't get them all wrinkled since I was not taking my Cold Mangle with me to the show.  So off to Home Depot I go.   

And what to my wondering eyes does appear? 

But a roller of shrink wrap, for wrapping, my dear! 

I love hardware stores!!  So this is how I managed my towels!  Just another piece of luggage! I used the carrying case for my photography lighting.  I saved about $300 by doing it this way!   Yes, I feel pretty smart ; )   

Next stop. . . San Francisco!  The plane was filled to maximum as is the case these days. 

The flight continued without any problems and landed in the San Francisco airport with a 3-point landing.  We caught a taxi to our  'penthouse suite' which is conveniently located across the street from Fort Mason.  I found the living quarters through http://www.vrbo.com/.

Nice!

The view was incredible!

And just across the street, beyond a park, was the Festival Pavillion, where I, along with half of the artists, had booth spaces.  The Pavillion was huge!  It must have been at least 120 feet wide, and at least a football field long!

And it went from raw space. . .

. . . to full and active space in a matter of hours!

 

And my space went from this. . .  

with

DH's help,

. . . to this in two hours!  Almost done!  Just need to adjust the lights and bring in the flowers.

The show was a great success!  Over 250 artists all having so much creative talent and craftmanship!  I am still in awe that I am included in this sort of company!  I was enthusiastically welcomed to San Francisco by all sorts of people, all so warm and gracious.  I almost went through my whole inventory of handwoven towels and tablerunners, as well as taking some very nice orders!  Thank you San Francisco and ACC!!

Packing for San Francisco

It's Monday and it is time to start packing for the American Craft Council Show in San Francisco! A little delight dancing, a little arm pumping, a little AWHOO-WHOO-WHOO-ing!!  Oh for Pete's sake. . . PINCH ME!! 

It's thrilling to think I'm going a couple of thousand miles to show my weavings!  Do you see those long, cream-colored buildings at the bottom of the picture?  Those buildings are where the ACC Show is going to be taking place!  Right ON the Bay!!  It's a bit overwhelming to think of myself going to show my towels in a city like SAN FRANCISCO!  That's a REAL city!  Not a farming community that is growing up.  I admit that Minneapolis/St. Paul are great cities with a world-class fine arts culture going on.  But I am familiar with, and not intimidated by, these cities since I grew up here and saw the downtown skyline take shape from the petite Foshay Tower as the tallest building in the Minneapolis skyline when my family moved here when I was 7, to the now stately skyline that I consider to be a real emerging downtown skyline.

Photo:  Jeremiah Peterson

But I must say, there is real beauty in my city of Minneapolis.  And let's talk about air quality! . . . No let's not.  I have to get this blog written so I can finish packing!

Over these past couple weeks I have been adding to a pile on the floor.  This pile is all the stuff that I will need to fill out my 10' x 10' booth space.  The show provides framework and drapery for a fee, which was a little intimidating all by itself.  I provide everything else except the electricty, which also is amazingly expensive!  But that is the life of a high end art show artist, which is a description that I am still trying to fit on my shoulders. 

All of this . . .

is supposed to fit in this . . .

Nice crate custom built for me by Jon's Woodworks.

(They do quick, quality work for a decent price!  Just ask me for his number!

PLUS. . . I have to fit in my towels. . .oh yeah, the towels!

I have a few towels on the cloth beam, yet to come off the loom and be sewn and wet finished.

I have towels on the drying racks

And I have towels piling up on my work tables!

towels. . . towels. . . everywhere, TOWELS! 

yay! 

I do believe I almost have the hang of this!

(But it's time to turn up the burners!!)

Finding my way

It seems that I have spent several posts off the topic of weaving; being an activist and feeling concern over what the Gulf oil spill is doing to the local and world ecosystems, (which they have managed to successfully cap and let's hope against hope that it holds!) and other mismanaged and misunderstood eco-problems;

AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

photograph by Associated Press

and being a philosopher and waxing eloquent on the definition of beauty.

Oddly, all of those things are entwined, resulting in the person of me, and even though I may not be writing directly about weaving, the topics I feel strongly enough about to share in this blog do have a connection to weaving, through my voice.  Hopefully, my passions are shared by the readership at least in part, and optimistically in whole, and are consciously carried into your days to be shared and discussed with others.

I feel this blog is my opportunity to learn, develop, and share new ideas and discoveries that enter my life, or bubble up from unexpressed moments of my past.  So, even though the topics shift in somewhat fitfull jumps, this blog is my journey of expression and discovery.  Bear with me as I move along this path, making efforts to keep to smooth and even surfaces, but sometimes managing to stumble into puddles of confusion

photograph by Remixlab

and often wandering down tangents of paths.  I am progressing toward finding my voice in text and I hope my journey will find your interest.

What defines beauty?

Today, looking out my window into my backyard, I see a scene of beauty. The sun haloing the trees in the south, a myriad of greens, yellows, grays, browns, with a blue in the sky that is unable to be defined. So many textures, colors, shapes, sizes, sounds. At first glance there is no rhythym, no symmetry.  It appears as total chaos.  And yet it is beautiful. . . awe inspiring. . . having grace and dignity. . .eliciting emotion from me as nothing else can.

What is it about this scene that makes me decide that it is beautiful?!


It feels a bit like the neo-classic landscape painting by French artist Jean Joseph Xavier Bidauld, (below) sans characters, mountains and mist. 

Just steps out my door I find this. . .

And this. . .

and this...

 
I have an extravagance of flowers out my back door, but the beauty is not only in the flowers, but in the fact that there are insects that are thriving on this wild rose. And that there is enough sunshine, water, and nutrition for the rose to flourish without any assist from me. So, is beauty defined by the presence of abundance? Health? Strength? Mystery? (as in, "How does something get that way without planning and intervention by humankind?") The earth , our world, is a wonder!  If humankind were to truly respect it, just imagine the absolute beauty our humble earth could achieve all by itself!  Mankind strives to compete with nature in engineering beauty.  And yet, nature is so often the very subject of man's contrived beauty. Architects and engineers mimic nature in their structures, taking cues from landscapes and bees.  Artists copy, interpret, and challenge nature in developing their ideas.  Designers, be they industrial, interior, fashion, graphic or urban, all depend on the elements of design, taken from nature, in developing their designs.

So I can't help but look closer at the landscape out in my yard, and in that inspection, I can see all the Elements that we have deemed to make good design: Line, Shape, Texture, Space, Color, Value, and Form. Then we add the Principles of Design: Emphasis, Movement, Rhythm, Pattern, Contrast, Balance, and Unity; and we have the makings of GREAT design. 

Beauty, then, is defined by our earth.  We have merely put into words what nature brings to us everyday.

So here I sit, staring out my window, and I humbly realize that we are mere students of our Grand Mother Earth.  And I pray that we can take care of her as well as she has taken care of us!