For the past couple months – since Christmas, really – I’ve been allowing myself time to freely play around in the studio with whatever my focus naturally gravitates toward. I have really cherished this time, and I feel like a part of me that had become stifled and restrained is coming back to colorful life. I had gotten to feeling like I didn’t know why I was making the things I was offering anymore, and needed to come back around and find my own creative initiative again. It’s been the longest period ever since I’ve had a true change of work in the shop, which also means a true change of work for me. I am a creative, sentient being. I am not a catalog, nor am I a machine.
Some of the things that I’ve been especially enjoying is exploring different kinds of leather work, digging into my stash of collected textiles, and getting immersed in a variety of wood carving projects. Sometimes I’ll go upstairs thinking I’ll just carve for a few minutes, and a few hours will easily pass. I love that kind of focus, where you are effortlessly, fully present in what you’re doing. That’s where it’s at! I’ve also been making an effort to let go of unneeded habits that have formed, and ideas about what I should be making. Free it up!
There will be a shop update pretty soon. Once I know the date, I will be sure to announce it here. I’ve been editing photos the last few nights and I have a few more bags I want to finish up. I’m excited!
Outside of the studio, we’ve been readying the garden and working out the details of a pretty big garden expansion. Not sure how much of the new garden we’ll get done this year with all the other things we are hoping to accomplish, but we’ll be making some first steps soon. In the existing garden I’ve sown the first round of peas, which are already popping through the soil, and I recently planted tomatoes, hot peppers, sunflowers and various greens in starter pots. We replaced the plastic sheeting on the hoop house recently and Steven’s been working on setting up irrigation in there, which is very exciting! I can easily spend an hour a day in there hand watering, so to have it automated with timers will be a huge help. There are a bajillion other ways I could think to spend those hours. Oh and my beautiful kale I was recently talking about? Well folks, the aphids have landed! They sure do love that stuff, dangit.
What are you all excited about these days? What gets your creative spark glowing?
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Looking down, on the set-up for the latest studio enhancement.
helping to create beautiful, burnished edges.
