process and craft

I am a process oriented person. I like seeing how things unfold in my life, in work, watching little kids grow up and start developing their own ideas and personalities; even the simplest things, meeting trees and getting to know the nooks and knotholes, the texture of bark fascinates me. I revel in the smells and sounds of outdoor markets, the sounds of foreign languages being spoken, the feeling of a hug in greeting a friend. The connections that form between the people and objects I come in contact with thrill me. I am an incredibly tactile person. I really love to enjoy using each sense. I just get so much life from connection with the world around me. It makes me feel alive.

Getting to know the materials I am working with really is what brings passion to my work and makes me want to indulge myself in each project. Each aspect of the process, the grog in the clay, the smell of the wool, knowing a piece is centered before the first even pull, the muscle memory of a bowl or rag rug… each part is beautiful to me.

Weaving especially takes so much concentration, so much understanding of each step that I feel as if I can spend my entire life honing this skill and learn something new everyday. That simply thrills me. I love the steadiness of my hand when I’m pulling fibers to spin, the rhythmic thump of the loom shafts opening and closing, the feel and soft scent of the remaining lanolin in wool even after its been washed, I even have come to appreciate the amount of time it takes to plan out a woven piece from the measuring to the warping all the way to the seemingly endless hours stringing each strand through the loom. It’s a beautiful process and I fall deeper in love every day.

Sometimes I struggle with the patience aspect of it all as well as having the dedication to follow through at the times I need to in order to keep a project running smoothly, but over all each step of the way intrigues me. I love that each detail is critical in the final outcome of a piece. This is why I love ceramics from the wedging, to the throwing, to the drying, firing, cooling, glazing; this is where I need to work on timing as well as persistence in following through. But I feel that it is more than worth my time and effort to hone my skills, my knowledge of my beloved craft, life is just more beautiful, more deliberate, more soulful and connected with them there. I couldn't imagine living without these almost forgotten crafts that I'm so passionate about.