tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81339871694330381542024-02-19T15:42:32.033+01:00A butterfly in my hair Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133987169433038154.post-53031377986220912842020-06-30T22:55:00.000+02:002020-06-30T22:55:18.780+02:00A conversation with Laima<div style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Maybe you can start with sharing a bit about yourself with us? </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>My name is Laima, it means happiness in Latvian so when I wanted to create brand name for my pottery I didn't even have to think about the name at all, it was already there. As cheesy as it may sound I do want to share my happiness and love for the world though my work. I grew up on an agricultural farm in rural Latvia. I come from more math/economics and farming lineage so to study craft /art was actually never an option I considered. Through some inexplainable life decisions that felt like walking blindfolded I ended up studying contemporary crafts in the UK and that was really life changing time for me that gave me confidence that I can do and achieve anything I set my mind to. I believe that should be the true goal of all studies.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="im"><b>How would you decribe yourself?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Tanacious. I can set my mind to anything I want and not give up no matter what. Introvert that has learnt to play extrovert on demand (during the many tours and workshops I give in the pottery). Very emphatic-mostly towards animals though, just learning to like humans. Being vegetarian for 20 years and now vegan for 3 is a big part of my mindset and value system.<br />I have little compassion for human shortcoming. I have high expectation from everyone, especially myself. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Daily rituals that are important to you, and also why?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Having local, seasonal, healthy, plant based, simple and home cooked meals is big part of my daily life. I don't live to eat but I believe it is the single most important way how individuals can shape the reality of this world.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Full sauna ritual once a week, including jumping in sometimes ice cold pond- is my weekly reset button.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Trying to do yoga and meditation every day, unless life sweeps me off my routine.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Spending at least 2hour outside with my herd of 5 horses. That is like a reality check on how my mind is doing as horses are extreme mirrors of us.</i></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Apart from pottery what are your biggest passion?</b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt;">Horses, horses, horses. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt;">Sometimes people feel pottery and horsemanship are two very different things, yet for me they have become almost synonyms- in both I strive for lightness and authenticity. Both are my way of sharing love with the outside world.</span></span></i></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">What are you especially grateful for?</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>I'm grateful for everyone and everything around me. So many people, especially my family and friends, but also all my customers for all the kind and encouraging feedback <span lang="EN-US">I receive daily.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>What were the biggest lessons for you in the past year and what are your focus, wishes and goals for this one? </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Too many lessons really. Life seems so intense in the last years...<br />My main focus has been self inquiry, trying to de-condition myself from many patterns. Like not responding to anger with anger. Recognising negative emotions as they begin to arrive and trying to deal with them in a constructive manner has been a big one.<br />Finding relaxation in movement. This has come both through my work with horses and yoga.<br />For my work - always looking for balance between quality and quantity. I'm proud of myself for finally asking for help and taking on an assistant to help with customer service, packing and mountains of emails.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>My goals for this one is to continue this journey inwards- learning to take each challenging situation or "problem" with peace and positive attitude. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Since i know you have experience with working with several types of materials, like clay, wood, metal and light, i am very interested to hear what it was that made you decide upon becoming a potter?</b></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I wish I had a poetic connection with ceramics I could describe...To be honest I wanted to master them all and thought of starting with the easiest, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">here I am 7 years later. I also think that pottery is something everyone uses and there was something about that intimacy between a cup and a person, it is like being able to have deeply personal conversions with thousands of people at the same time across the globe. </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>What do you think is the most important thing you contribute to others and the earth through the work you do?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Actually through my social media I have come to recognise that maybe my biggest legacy is not the actual items I make but more the life I lead. It was never an intention of mine, but people seem to be quite moved and inspired by my way of living. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>And of course making handmade pottery is a sort of unspoken revolution, it is resistance and rebellion against all the cheap, mass manufactured rubbish filling the earth to the brim. It is so sad to hear budding makers and artists discouraged from creating their work for the simple notion of "there is already so much stuff". So I hope to inspire others to create, to share, to walk their own path, find their own truths!</i></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I am deeply facinated by your light (self-) sculpture. Could you share about it? (visit Laima's instagram stories titled Sculpture and you can see more of it).</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>In the media, we regularly hear apocalyptic statements by scientists about the overall environmental and climate crisis - the last report showed that 1 million species are going extinct because of us! I strive to minimize my ecological footprint in my daily work and work, but I am part of Western culture based on the idea of endless growth. Looking critically after what we are really striving for - it's not money, property or love – <span lang="EN-US">Sadhguru has said that </span>we are <span lang="EN-US">all </span>looking for an opportunity to expand. Every person wants to expand indefinitely. Everything about the pace of economic growth everywhere means that everyone has to buy more and work more and use more. We are in this mode of operation not by choice but in a compulsive way. The only real solution is the development of consciousness.<span lang="EN-US"></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br />So for me this was a deeply personal need to make this figure as I have been battling with hatred towards human species since childhood, not being able to accept all the horrible things we have done and continue doing to the earth. Yet I remain optimistic about our species, there is light within us. So the figure was a very literal visualisation of that process of having to do that tedious, endless self inquiry necessary to remove all the false ideas about ourselves and become the light. I was so happy in my exhibition to hear people instantly understood and connected with this idea, which again gave me hope that we all want to realise this, but there is just so much work to be done internally for each and every one of us.</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>"<i>Remember that the first potters had no teachers - only the mud beneath their feet, the magic of their hands, and the mystery of flame. They did well, and so will you</i>." - M.Poupeney. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>A little while back i read this quote in one of your instagram posts and it has come up a lot in my mind these last days. Inspiring me and inviting for reflection. Among other things about my ability to trust, have faith and also the necessity of practicing patience.....slowing down. To let things take it's time....and about simplicity. Is it a specific quote that speaks to you these days? Or maybe one that you find yourself coming back to again and again?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Yes, this is one of my favourites in my book of quotes that I often come back to. In general for many years I keep having these glimpses of how the universe sorts things out for me, how everything just falls into such perfect harmony... It might be little things like accidently double booking 2 wedding parties for a workshop and then 1 turns up early, the other is running late and they manage to just swap so perfectly... I'm always left speechless and simply in gratitude after things "just work out" like that. My favourite word in English is Serendipity.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>"I think this is how we are supposed to be in the world- present and in awe." Anne Lemont.</i></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I have always been drawn to pottery and been dreaming (still do) of learning wheel throwing. Some years ago I attended a one-weekend ceramics course. My main wish for that course was actually not to learn how to make something pretty and/or even functional. My focus wasn't at all on the end result. Just a need to touch and intuitively shape the clay, not using the practical part of my brain at all. The reason why was that a year before, my dad had unexpectedly passed away and after a while i suddenly got this deep need to do something with my hands. For me it was very therapeutic, especially working with the roughest type of her clays. I can for example still clearly remember the feeling of how my breath immediately got deeper and calmer when I started working with the clay in my hands.</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span class="im">Do you have any experiences and/or thoughts about the healing benefits of creating with our hands?</span></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Yes, I think all crafts are very therapeutic as they pull us out of our busy minds and really forces us to focus on the activity- it is like an active meditation made easy. I think anyone who has ever “tried to meditate” will be able to relate to the frustrating experience of not being able to calm the endless rush of thoughts. I feel that being focused on an activity like gardening or crafting helps a lot in this.</i></span></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The learning never ends, now for example I am so skilled on the wheel I can think about million things and my hands will just do the work automatically. It is a handy skill when you have a commission of 1600 bowls, but now my challenge lies in returning to the simple thoughts of -center-push-pull up-open up-define-clean up-cut of- without disappearing into the daydream.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>A thing that i got introduced to, and got very interested and/facinated by, through the one-weekend course was glazing. I am sure it is a huge topic but could you please share a bit about your thoughts and experience with this in your work?</b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>I feel the quality of the surface and of course the color play a major part in the work, and I have ruined so many good shapes by what in my opinion is “an ugly glaze”. I have had pots sitting in a glaze room for years before I decide what glaze to cover them in. Now I have enough glaze vocabulary to mostly know what I will do with the particular piece as I am making it, as I have acknowledged the importance of the surface.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Another thing that i am deeply fascinated by is raku and wood firing? Seeing your photos of the wood firing was so interesting. Can you share about this technique?(visit Laima's instagram stories titled Woodfired clay to see videos).</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span lang="EN-US">This type of woodfiring is still known as “pit fire” even though it might look like a brick tower. The design of the kiln is such that the fire goes in the bottom, then there are some arches to create correct flow of the flames, then a brick floor with holes on top of the fire chamber. The pots are free stacked from the top into “the pit” and the whole kiln works as a giant chimney. The type of pottery that is very popular in Latvia is called “black pottery” or “reduction fired pottery”. The firing takes about 13h with a very slow, gradual increase of temperature, aiming to reach around 1100 C. If earthenware is overfired then it can distort, brake and eventually melt, which all happen occasionally to all potters as despite all technological advancements of civilization I know none potters in Latvia that would use a thermostat or this kiln :D Theoretically we could, but I suppose everyone needs some risks in life :) </span><span lang="EN-US">The main clay we source in the Baltic states is red earthenware and it is perfectly suited for this kind of firing. If oxygen is present in the whole firing cycle the pots would turn brick-red so the most interesting part of the process is at the end, when we allow the kin to cool down a little, then cover the top of the kiln-chimney with a metal sheet, fill up the fire chamber with large pieces of wood (that will slowly burn out all oxygen throughout the night), then fire chamber entrance with bricks to seal the kiln completely hermetically and stop most oxygen from entering. This is the “reduction process” that changes the chemical structure of the clay turning it black (not just the surface but from 1mm to the whole thickness of the pot depending on the strength of reduction). The kiln is left to cool and crack open the next day, the pots cleaned with cloths, then dipped into melted beeswax and oil mix that seals the surface and makes it waterproof. It is a beautiful, smelly process full of opportunity for serendipity to take place. The results vary from dark brown, pure black, silver black, bronze black and if lucky- a flame pattern adorns a side of a pot.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span class="im">From your essay about handmade:</span>"<i>Although today's public's understanding of crafts is still based on the concept that it is "production of useful objects", the focus of many craftsmen has changed from solving strictly utilitarian issues to providing for the emotional, psychological, intellectual and spiritual needs of people. Alison Brittone points out that contemporary ceramic artists continue the peaceful resistance to modernisation, standardisation, overproduction, mechanisation, mass marketing and other "advancements" that suppress the human spirit. What we can expect from good ceramics is similar to what we can expect from good friends - warmth, liveliness, sincerity and truthfulness</i>". </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /><span class="im">I so enjoy reading the parts from your essay that you share on Instagram. Can you share about this essay of yours?</span></b></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span lang="EN-US">The main reason I went to do a MA degree in Latvian Art Academy was for someone to force me with a deadline to contextualize my current practice and make me give words to feelings and notions about the importance of this work. When running a business it is oh so easy to be carried away with the “how much is this”, “how soon you can produce 100 pieces of that”, “can I have a discount” etc etc and to forget the ethos, the intention, the beauty, the philosophy, the dream, the hope- with which I began this pottery. </span><span lang="EN">Edmund de Waal has said: “Handmade tableware objects are like the Trojan Horse. Making tableware is a way of smuggling ‘dangerous’ objects into people’s lives without them noticing. They seem initially as unthreatening, familiar objects which one can get close to, hold and handle, yet they are dangerous because they can affect people and change them in ways they are unaware of and cannot control. ” This "danger" of ceramics arises on a cognitive, intellectual and emotional level - while thinking and contemplating such objects. It has been one of my favorite quotes for many years but only recently did it prove itself to me in another way- I have been wearing handmade clothes from natural fabrics for about 7 years, and only last year when I bought a pair of jeans did I finally notice the disharmony, the suffering, the environmental and social injustice imbedded in this simple fast-fashion item. Without noticing I had become so sensitive to the clothes I had been wearing, just absorbing all the positivity emanating from them, I had not even noticed the effects. I think while we surround ourselves with objects made in such mindless ways, we will want to disassociate with them sooner or later. Once you truly feel the difference between an item made celebrating nature and celebrating human skill – you will never be able to settle for anything less.</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Can you tell us about the concept of "ethical pot"?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span lang="EN-US">T</span>he term "ethical pot" was coined by Oliver Watson <span lang="EN-US">and promised that </span>"lovingly made in the correct way and with the correct attitude, would contain a spiritual and moral dimension." <span lang="EN-US">Yanagi </span>said that a craft object "must be made by an anonymous craftsman or woman and therefore unsigned; it must be functional, simple, and have no excess ornamentation; it must be one of many similar pieces and must be inexpensive; it must be unsophisticated; it must reflect the region it was made in; and it must be made by hand."<sup id="m_-758129750253778497gmail-cite_ref-4"><span lang="EN-US"></span></sup></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span lang="EN-US">For me, t</span>he ethical pot manifests the values and <span lang="EN-US">beliefs</span> of the potter, honed through time, discipline and diligence. I<span lang="EN-US"> think in this day and age the idea of “ethical pot” has changed, for example not having my name on the pot would not add humility to the piece, only would remove my responsibility from its future. I think it is important that people can trace the pot back to its making place. Although I don’t use excess decoration, I prefer working with high quality materials and making shapes that are timeless. Therefore I think for “ethical pots” can be quite different, what doesn’t change is that when you meet a potter and when you see their work- it is quite clear who they are and what they believe in.</span></i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Another part from your essay about handmade pottery: </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>"What does handmade tableware bring to our life that an affordable factory made bowl could not? This issue is at the heart of the capitalist society, where comfort and uniformity are a goal. Fast food culture also requires fast-tableware. Yet a homemade meal is still perceived as the best and most healing food for our body and spirit. Does a homemade pot have the same potential? Objects in our lives manifest our values - as full members of the consumer society - we buy a lot and cheaply, but there is no aftertaste and we remain hungry. I think we are easy to be indifferent to mass produced items because of their impersonal origin and accessibility. Mass-produced goods symbolise completely opposite values as craftsmen's work. Making crafts define a rather specific lifestyle that embodies such values as authenticity and integrity, and as such symbolically resist the existing consumer fast culture</i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">."</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-style: normal;"><b>Again, it is so meaningful and inspiring to read from your essay! There are so many things here, in what you write about, that I would have loved to talk more about with you. Picking out one of those things that these words of yours made me think about, as a closing of our interview. And that is the topic of pace and focus. How do you help yourself staying grounded, present in the moment and staying connected with yourself in a world that is fast paced and full of stimuli?</b></span><br />
<i style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I tell you very honestly- it is a daily struggle of mine especially now as my business is flourishing faster than my mind can cope. I have gone in and out of routines, always trying to find the perfect fit. For the last months I have managed to start my day with lemon water, yoga practice, then life happens, then I spend the last few hours of the day with my herd of 5, then always finish the day with qigong and meditation. I find that having the qigong and yoga practices with no excuses sets my day up and finishes it with calm and balance. Habits I try hardest to avoid are – checking my phone in the morning and watching a movie before going to bed. Both make me restless and since I acknowledged this it became easier to resist. With the stimuli from the outside world I personally find that I could not do the work I do in a city. Countryside is ideal for setting up your environment with as little distraction as possible. I do wish I could muster the courage to turn off my phone for weeks and just work quietly away. Maybe one day I feel this is possible for me, right now I am very reachable, trying to post valuable content on IG every day. I see it as investment though and I have faith that in a few years I will have enough stability to take longer breaks from social media.</i></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Links:</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.laimaceramics.com/" target="_blank">Laima Ceramics website</a></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/laimaceramics/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></span></div>
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Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133987169433038154.post-21943423105583390712020-06-29T11:56:00.000+02:002020-06-29T11:56:34.275+02:00Coming: a conversation with Laima<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"<i>Actually through my social media I have come to recognise that maybe my biggest legacy is not the actual items I make but more the life I lead. It was never an intention of mine, but people seem to be quite moved and inspired by my way of living. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>And of course making handmade pottery is a sort of unspoken revolution, it is resistance and rebellion against all the cheap, mass manufactured rubbish filling the earth to the brim. It is so sad to hear budding makers and artists discouraged from creating their work for the simple notion of "there is already so much stuff". So I hope to inspire others to create, to share, to walk their own path, find their own truths!</i>"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-<a href="https://www.laimaceramics.com/" target="_blank">Laima </a></span></div>
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<br />Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133987169433038154.post-88183559848622191672020-04-22T18:21:00.000+02:002020-04-22T18:21:18.939+02:00A conversation with Raquel Francia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;">V: <b>Thank you so much for saying yes to do this interview Raquel! I am very excited and grateful to get this chance to learn more about you and to share you with my readers in here. Maybe we can start with you sharing a bit about yourself?</b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">R:<i> Thank you for thinking about me! :) My name is Raquel and I am from Zaragoza, Spain. I studied journalism but after a few years working for the big media I got disenchanted. I then moved to Antwerpen and Leuven (Belgium) where I lived, studied and worked for a few years. Afterwards I ran a business down in Seville (Spain). I decided to take a break and with my husband, we moved to Sicily and then to Barcelona. Finally, last year, we made our big move and started a new life in a little village in Matarraña, Spain, where we plan to stay for a long time. I am currently working as an online language teacher but I am working hard to switch full time to my creative side and live from it. </i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">V: <b>How would you describe yourself?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">R: </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>People tend to see me as a very social person, and it´s true, but I spend the majority of my time on my own. I am a person of few good friends, and they know that I might not call for months but I am there forever. I also choose to believe that I am funny ;)</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">R: </span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>It is more meaningful. Life here makes more sense to me. There are no empty distractions (no malls, no clothes chains and make up stores), just a small supermarket, the butcher and a small veggie store. It helps me focus on the important things. Being surrounded by green and silence encourages my creativity. The cost of living here drops dramatically so there are more opportunities for the creative. I still have to pay the rent of course but the pressure that I felt when I was living in Barcelona does not exist anymore because I simply don’t need as much.</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">V: <b>Through watching your lovely and inspiring pod i know that you and your husband are working hard this year to move off the grid in the countryside. Can you share a bit about this?</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">R:<i> </i></span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Yes! This is very exciting. We are currently renting a house in the old part of the village but we would love to move to the fields and build a sustainable house where we can live permanetly. For years, we´ve been reading anything and everything about solar resources and rainwater catchment systems, gardening, natural construction, etc. We have the knowledge but not the land to start with so it´s a bit frustrating at the moment but we are not pushing it. The land has to talk to us so we'll be patient until we find “her” ;) </i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">V: <b>A big question, what does making mean to you?</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">R: </span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Making is movement, action, proactivity, decisions, headaches. Making is shaking hands with life and saying, ¨Hey! I understand.¨ Making is sense. It´s the sense of life.</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>If you want to make a living out of your creative side, there must be planning and I often feel that planning compromises creativity. It is not true, of course, but, yeah, this is a bumpy road for me. </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">V:<b> I am also interested in hearing about your making "history". Has making always been essential to you and so on? </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">R: </span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>When I was in high school I painted a lot. I started mirroring pieces from the impressionism movement (my favorite). Then I slowly jumped into my own shapes and forms. But I didn’t really started making on a daily basis until I was 24, when I discovered knitting. The knitting fueled that fire that I had always inside of me but that was half dormant. The moment I learned the first stitch (garther) was the moment my life changed and making became essential. I did not noticed this back then, but the path was open. </i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">R:<i> </i></span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I am a self taught, with everything, and knitting was no exception. I remember it was summer and I was living in Sicily. I wanted to get a crop top and I had this design in mind. A simple flat top with a wave edging at the bottom and that tied on the neck, back open. I remember looking for it in every single shop and I could’t find it. It became an obsession, so I googled (literally) "how to make a crop top". And a few crocheting youtube tutorials popped out. That same day I went to the only yarn shop that was available in the town and bought my first acrylic yarn and a crochet hook. I finished the top in two days!</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">V: <b>I always love learning about other countries hand-craft traditions. Do you have something to share about the Spanish traditions and have you yourself grown up with some of them?</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">R: </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Spain is such a rich country in terms of hand craft traditions. They vary from area to area from north to south. I am from Aragón where ceramics, basketry, iron forge, and straw is traditional. I remember wearing esparto shoes when I was little (still today) and seeing ceramics from Muel in my grandparents´ and friend’s houses. Unfortunately I never lived close by people that could teach me any of these beautiful traditions. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">V: <b>I know you love exploring so i am curious to hear if there is a specific craft you already know you want to explore in the future?</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">R: </span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Right now, I would love to get my hands into pottery. </i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">V: <b>I know that you among other things paint, sew, knit, crochet and embroider. Are there any of these crafts that are closer to your heart than the others and if so why?</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">R: </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Knitting is my go-to craft. Is the first discipline that truly brought me something more than a just an ability. It naturally dragged me into the sewing, embroidery, natural dyeing, my love and appreciation for wool, etc. Knitting was like a 5 meter wave that led into the sand and slowly soaked me up. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">V: <b>What kind of makings are you doing these days?</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">R: </span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I am knitting a lot. I have one cardigan on the go and a new design in my mind. Hopefully I will be able to share it with you this summer ;)</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">V: <b>Your design, the unknown artist toy. Tell us a bit about the thoughts behind this design.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">R: </span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>This toy came to my mind right when I knew I was pregnant. I wanted to make a playful pattern that involved not only the knitter. A toy that led to a learning experience for the little ones. The idea is to knit the toy itself, which is basically the shape of a human being without features (no eyes, no mouth or ears, etc) nothing. Just the shape; a head, two arms and two legs. Once knitted, I encourage mothers and/or fathers to sit with their kids and put the features of the toy together. I think it is a great opportunity to be creative and teach them basic sewing techniques (how to sew a button for the eyes) or basic embroidery (for the mouth) or even basic knitting or crochet stitches (why not make a little scarf? Or a hat?). I think the possibilities are endless.</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">V: <b>Making and consumerism, i know you are very aware of this. Can you please share some thoughts about how you try to be conscious about this in your making?</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">R: </span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The problem comes when you focus on having things rather than doing things. When the tools become the object of focus rather than the work itself. Consumerism is everywhere, even in the sacred space of creating, and when it shows up it is clear because the work itself is never completed and, if so, it is inconsequential. </i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>It happens with having excessive yarn and patterns in the knitting community, spending your entire days researching for the best drawing tablet in the market rather than drawing, etc.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">V: <b>Some makers that has inspired you on your own path to find your own making expression, finding your own voice? </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">R:<i> Charlie Chaplin movies have always resonated a lot with me. Jane Goodall. Joan Miró. The book “Historias de Cronopios y Famas” from Julio Cortazar woke me up when I was 16. Woody Allen…, </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>In the knitting/ stitchin community I really enjoy @sophiedigardofficial,@<wbr></wbr>kzstevens and Mimi @liebwedd amongst others. I am missing some for sure. </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">R: </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>When I am making I like to have something in the background. Some jazz or blues. Mr. Bean. Sometimes some knitting podcasts. There are other times that I just want to be in silence.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">V: <b>Handscape, your audio pod, tell us about the thoughts behind it.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">R: </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The Handscape Podcast was a project I started back in 2018. I wanted to share with the world the stories behind other creative minds and makers. I focused specially in their creative processes. The podcast also included a few entries of “Conversations with my husband” in which my husband and I brainstormed about the creative, art, procrastination and the processes. This section was very dear to me. If you are interested, you can find my husband work at @sage.waters </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">V:<b> I loved listening to your interviews there and just have to ask: Is it possible to get my wish granted for a new episode featuring you an your husband? :) It gave me so much inspiraion and food for thought when listening to you two talking together.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">R: </span></span><i style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Oh! Thank you :) Maybe one day we’ll sit together for another one but not any time soon. Right now we are focused on other projects and actually that’s why The Handscape Podcast stopped. The website is still up because I know one day I’ll go back to it but the moment has just not arrived yet. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">R:<i> </i></span><i>Good comedy, kids, and dancing when nobody is watching.</i></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">R: </span><i>I like to start with a good cup of black coffee and a fresh idea ready to be explored and end with the satisfaction of having done the work. Ah! and a big hug from my husband :)</i></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">V: <b>Are daily routines something that are important for you </b></span><b>and are there any that are important for your wellbeing?</b></div>
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R: <i>Routines are important, especially when you work from home and creativity is involved. Without routine, chaos knocks on the door. It is important for me to wake up early, at the same time, and keep lunch and dinner times to more or less the same time. The days I don’t do it are lost days, honestly.</i></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">V: <b>Thank you so much Raquel for taking the time to answer all these questions and for being such an inspiration! Maybe we can end it with you sharing some of what you are most grateful for in your life right now?</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">R: <i>My freedom and good health to do those things that I want to do and to be in a position to be able to make creative choices. </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Were to find Raquel</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><a href="https://raquelfrancia.es/" target="_blank">Website</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><a href="https://handscape.org/" target="_blank">Handscape audio pod</a></span></div>
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<br />Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133987169433038154.post-67533663930509260602020-04-22T16:07:00.004+02:002020-04-22T18:21:36.179+02:00Coming: a conversation with Raquel Francia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"I’m very impulsive when making. I feel it, I do it. The same when sharing. I am a raw nerve and it is something that , unfortunately, I need to work at. If you want to make a living out of your creative side, there must be planning and I often feel that planning compromises creativity. It is not true, of course, but, yeah, this is a bumpy road for me".</span></span><br />
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Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133987169433038154.post-32127028038096822392020-03-08T09:26:00.000+01:002020-03-08T09:26:28.917+01:00A conversation with Anna Anderson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Vibeke</b>: There are quite some years ago now Anna, since our paths crossed for the first time. We were both blogging back then. After several years i am slowly returning to this online space of mine, mainly because i found myself missing so much doing these written conversations with people. I am very happy that our paths have crossed again, this time through Instagram. Years have passed by and changes has happened since we were last in touch and i am so excited that you said yes to being interviewed. Maybe we should simply start with you sharing a bit about yourself?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Anna</b>: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>It's such a huge pleasure to be a part of your interview series, Vibeke! I've learned about so many incredible women through this series, so it's a thrill to be a part of it. Thank you. I'm a writer and jewelry designer / silversmith working in the Iowa Mississippi River Valley, where I live on a small farm with my family. </i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Vibeke</b>: I remember feeling so deeply inspired by reading your blog posts. And now again when having found you on Instagram i have had the huge pleasure of reading through quite a lot of your writing. Every time i receive a new newsletter from you i save it for one of those calm slow moment, with a cup of tea and time to really pause and spend time with your words.....never rushing through them because they are to precious for that. Your writing always inspire me and invite for reflection and growth. Can you talk a bit about your writing and also what writing means to you. And i would of course also like to hear about the MFA in writing that you are currently doing?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Anna</b>: <i>These words mean so much to me. Thank you. Writing a newsletter can feel like writing intimate letters to X number of close friends, only a few of whom ever write back, if ever! It can feel a little like writing into the void, so I love hearing that you enjoy the newsletter. </i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Writing might be my "thing," but I've never quite known what to do with it. I studied journalism in college, but I had a really hard time trying to channel what is for me a very creative pursuit into a commercial one. I really admire people who can churn out articles and stories and find fulfillment in that work, but for me it was very, very draining. So I did other work and wrote only for myself for several years, until I reached a point where I felt I needed more training, and had enough hours behind the keyboard to know that I could benefit from and really engage with feedback and instruction. The MFA program I'm in started around the time I graduated from college, and I've had my eye on it for years. It's a program that acknowledges the existence of faith, engages with faith, and--most importantly for me--doesn't require an ironic approach to faith. It doesn't require an approach to faith at all, but I knew I wanted to be somewhere that embraced the notion of belief. Nothing I've written for the course is explicitly religious, but because for me faith is wrapped up in the fiber of my being, I wanted to be in an environment that was academically rigorous, while not requiring major parts of myself to be stifled or set aside or cut off. </i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Vibeke</b>: Since making is another thing that very fastly comes to my mind when i think of you i would love to hear about your upbringing in connetion to this. Were creating and making for example a big part of the homeschooling and daily life in your family? Do you come from a family of makers?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Anna</b>: </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Yes! A long, long line of makers. Both of my parents were raised on family farms built by their immigrant grandfathers, and I grew up with this idea that you could make--and be--almost anything. My mother remodeled a house while I was growing up, and my parents built one from the ground up. Everyone in my family is very creative. And now it's incredibly fun to watch my niece and nephews see something they'd like to have and almost immediately launch into figuring out how to make that thing for themselves. </i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Vibeke</b>: Before we talk about your jewelry brand "aningri", which i am eager to hear about, i would love if you could share more in depth about these words of yours that i read in one of your Instagram posts:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"I've known for all of my life that i need two kinds of work, works for my hands and my head, so i knew that these two ventures could work in tandem with each other. To be honest, though, it has been a huge challenge trying to figure out HOW these two work together."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Anna</b>: <i>Yes! Huge challenge! And very necessary! I could be wrong about this, but I think that everyone benefits from and probably needs both intellectual and physical work. Our minds and bodies are meant to be exercised, and one informs the other. Physical work especially informs the mind--just think of how a walk or a run can clear the head. I'm very tactile, and I like to know how things work. One of my dreams (it may forever remain a dream) is to take apart a motorcycle and put it back together, learning how every part works (and then ride off into the sunset). In Baja California I met a couple who were sailing around the world. The husband had built their boat by hand, and he told me that he'd spent several months on one little wooden piece, forming and fitting it just so. There's something very admirable about that. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>I started Aningri at the same time as my graduate program, thinking that I could work with my hands while working out a piece of writing in my head. This really is the way it works a lot of the time, but starting two very big ventures at the same time is very tough. There are only so many hours in the day, only two hands to do the work, and building a business requires a lot of mental energy! You can't always plan life perfectly. </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: medium;"><b>Anna</b>: </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Aningri started with the desire to create playful jewelry out of small, colorful bits of tile and pottery I've collected over the years from all over the world. I spent a few months in Mexico a couple of years ago and met a jewelry designer in Mexico City. There's something really wonderful about seeing other people doing the work you want to do, because it takes the idea from dream into reality. I came home to Iowa, built a workbench, and started teaching myself silversmithing, building my library and tool collection in the process. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The first collection, the Friction Collection, is simple, luxurious pieces of sterling silver jewelry, designed around the idea of forward motion, movement, and recognizing that friction is necessary for movement--without it your wheels spin and you get nowhere. The pieces are by turns delicate and solid. The first piece, the Work Ring, carries with it the idea that your work is good. We don't always see the immediate fruit of our labors, and sometimes we never do (and sometimes others do, even if we don't). It's a slim reminder that each small thing contributes to bigger things, and in all of our work there is goodness.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Vibeke</b>: </span>"Take custody of your mind’s eye and instruct it to show you something wonderful.” </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sister Monica Joan (in Call the Midwife) says this to the woman in the bed next to her while they lie confined after cataract surgery, blinded by eye patches and encroaching fear. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Custodia oculorum. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sister Monica Joan (one of my fave characters on the show) uses the term in a positive way instead of a negative one—not, “Don’t look there,” but look toward “something wonderful.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I got so many thoughts when i first read these words that you shared on Instagram. Just the day before or so i had been talking together with a friend about awareness in connection with the use of "don't" ("never" and "always" were also words we talked about) and what kind of feeling and focus that comes with it. It is an interesting topic. I think that being more aware of the actual words we chose to use can be very fruitful. Not only the words we chose to use when we talk with others but also what we tell ourselves. If it isn't too personal i want to ask you about what your most usual fears or doubts are and what you do to help yourself with "taking custody of your mind's eye and instruct it to show you something wonderful"?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Anna</b>:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <i>This is such an interesting question. Lately I've been kind of obsessed with the idea of rerouting brain neurons. It's fascinating to me that the way we speak to ourselves and what we think about plays such a big role in this. I have a tendency to ruminate on things that are bothering me, which is apparently like creating a rumination super highway in your brain. So when I learned a strategy to stop ruminating, it was a huge revelation because it hadn't occurred to me that you could strategize yourself out of that mess. The strategy is pretty simple: you think of seven things that are immediately visible. So, while driving, I'll notice the particular gray of the concrete, the line where the sky meets the earth, the ocean of green fields, etc. I try to stay on one thing as long as I can, thinking of, say, what other things are similarly green as a corn stalk in August, or trying to remember the name of that particular kind of clouds. The key is forcing yourself to do this, of course, which is the hardest part.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>I feel like this is the first part of Sister Monica Joan's exhortation. The taking custody of your mind's eye. The second part is another challenge. A few days ago I was waiting to take a big exam and didn't have my phone with me. So I recited a poem I'd memorized recently on a friend's recommendation, Lucille Clifton's Blessing the Boats. It was calming, inspiring, and it just felt incredibly wonderful to have a poem tucked away for a moment like that.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Vibeke</b>: Can you tell us about the idea -The artist date by Julia Cameron and also about your own process and experiences with this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Anna</b>: </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The artist date is such a wonderful idea, and for some reason so difficult to actually do. Julia Cameron calls it a "solo expedition to explore something that interests you." I've managed to do this only a handful of times! It's easy to put it off, I think because it feels like a formal thing, and I make an effort to check out a museum exhibit or go to the botanical gardens, and then end up feeling kind of bored. Which isn't a bad thing! The reality is I spend a lot of time every week exploring things that interest me, but I don't call it an artist date. I suppose there's something powerful about naming a thing, and I think the idea behind the artist date is just to unabashedly explore something that isn't immediately connected to your work. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Vibeke</b>: I read in one of your posts on Instagram: "<i>Sunday routines are what make my week</i>". How is a typical sunday for you?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Anna</b>: </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Sunday evenings are the weirdest time of the week. I started writing a newsletter that goes out on Sunday evenings because that's the one spot in the week that is just so awful for some reason. It was only a few years back that I realized this awfulness is nearly universal! The newsletter is a little love note, with a meditation on whatever it is I've been thinking about during the week. It's meant to be affirming, to remind you that you're doing well, however you're doing it, and we're all in this thing together, separate thought we may be. I hope it's as lovely to read as it is to write--it's kind of an anchor for my Sunday afternoon!</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Sunday mornings, by contrast, are the loveliest time of the week. There's just something so fresh and special about Sunday morning. It feels like sacred space, as though the week ahead could hold any number of wonders and good things. I listen to a series of podcasts I've saved for the day and try to breath as much fresh air as I possibly can, in utter solitude, preferably. :) </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Vibeke</b>: If you were to learn something new, a craft for example, what would that be and why?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Anna</b>: </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Stock market investing? :)</i></span><br />
<i style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">For so much of my life I've felt like I could, or perhaps had to do everything that I was mildly interested in. Thankfully I've settled into a place where I can simply admire other people who are skilled in their work, without wanting or needing to try the thing myself. Which is to say that I've narrowed down this list quite a bit from a few years ago! I'm doing an illustration course right now, and I'd like to learn metal casting to bring to life some jewelry designs that so far exist only in my head. Beyond that, I'm deeply invested in studying the craft of writing and its intersection with art. </i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Vibeke</b>: Ordinary, simple things, that brings you joy?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Anna</b>: </span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Hearing my parents laugh. My brothers' children tumbling through the front door, and then sending them home exhausted with sun-kissed or wind-burned rosy cheeks. The moment when the birds start singing at sunrise. Specific shades of pink. A good workout. Conversations that make me feel alive and on the right track. Finishing a piece of work.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Vibeke</b>: Speaking of routines. What value does routines have for you and what are your most important ones?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Anna</b>:<i> </i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>This whole year I've been trying to establish a morning routine, and then I read that Nina Totenberg doesn't have one and thought, maybe I don't need one either. I have a nightly routine that's pretty steadfast and involves a religious adherence to Cetaphil and flossing, and reading myself to sleep with a not-too-engaging novel. A cup of tea is nice too, if I remember, even if I'd always prefer coffee...</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Vibeke</b>: Is there one of nature's seasons that is especially close to your heart? If so, what is it that you especially love about it?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Anna</b>: </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>One of the things I'm writing is a long series of vignettes from my life on the farm, loosely based around seasons, because farming is such seasonal work. Iowa has pretty extreme seasons, and I have a lot of thoughts about all of them. I don't have a favorite, but I do love when it's been extremely hot or cold and then the temperature shifts and it's cool/warm for a few days. It just feels like a respite from the brutality of Very Cold or Very Hot, and you remember to breathe, and relish sleeping again with a comforter, or relish shedding some of the layers. It's a moment in time where you notice a change and appreciate the change. There's something wonderful about that. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Vibeke</b>: I would love to hear about your design process. Do you for example start with writing down what you want to express through the design or does the actual design itself often come first?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Anna</b>: </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The designs I have to offer right now are very simple, but they hold a lot of weight and meaning. Sometimes that weight and meaning springs from necessity- -the Work Ring came to life because a friend requested a ring she could wear while kneading bread. The Resistance Bangle was the embodiment of a meditation I'd been mulling over, about how resistance is action, and required for forward motion. It's all very intertwined, and one thing really does play off of the other.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Vibeke</b>: <span style="color: black;">Another thing i am very eager to hear about is your solo motorcycle trip that you did in</span> the fall of 2016! I know that you had just spent two years helping to take care of your family’s farm while your dad was recovering from cancer. And that this trip was the first time in a long time that you didn’t have to take care of anyone other than yourself. You had been dreaming of and both planning and saving for this trip for a long time hadn't you? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Anna</b>: <i><span style="color: #222222;">So long! Ever since watching the </span><span style="color: #222222;">Motorcycle Diaries.</span><span style="color: #222222;"> I had decided to plan and save for two years, but in November of the first year I decided to just go, because if I didn't just go I knew something else would come up and I'd put off the trip indefinitely. I bought a very old, very small motorcycle that kept breaking down. It was stressful! But that was the part that ultimately made the trip interesting, because otherwise I wouldn't have met anyone and it would have been a lonely and boring trip. It was awful to have to rely on strangers, and I regretted not knowing enough about the bike to fix things myself. But now I have these really amazing memories of all the ways the trip went delightfully wrong. There was one moment, I think it was my first night camping in Oklahoma, when I</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="color: #222222;">realized that for the first time in several years I didn't have to take care of anyone but myself. I have a picture of myself from that moment, and I love how delighted that woman in the photograph looks. As though she's just finished a very long challenge and was moving on to the next. Because of course I was</span></i></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Vibeke</b>: What were some of the things that you learned about yourself, and maybe also about strangers, through this trip?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Anna</b>: </span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Well, it was very stressful to be so unprepared, but it was also in those moments when I needed help that the most interesting things happened because it forced me to interact with other people. We are a people who need to be needed, I think. And now, strangely, it's a great joy to offer similar assistance. A friend once told me that when you see someone doing a thing, it's exciting to help keep the momentum of that thing going. It's just very exciting to help to keep momentum going.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Vibeke</b>: <span style="color: #222222;">I love how your writings so often both remind and inspire me to be more gentle and loving towards myself. And also the importance of being reminded about the beauty and meaning that there is in individuality. That it is an uniqueness and a gift! It is so easy to lose sight of this truth i think and i wonder if that is something that you can relate to? Do you have some thoughts around this topic and what do you do to help yourself to believe in and embrace your own individuality? </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><b>Anna</b>:<i> </i></span><i><span style="color: #222222;">Yes, it's so easy to lose sight of the beauty and meaning of our individuality. Whenever I start to feel separate from who I am at my core, I try to stop </span><span style="color: #222222;">consuming</span><span style="color: #222222;">. I put down my phone, set aside the books I'm reading, close the door to the room. I think you have to return yourself to yourself from time to time. Long drives are good for this. I often find that writing helps me to know my own mind, which is essential for recognizing and valuing your own individuality. One year I handwrote three pages in my journal every day and found it to be very grounding. It takes a lot of time, but knowing yourself requires a lot of time. And no matter how well you know yourself at any given moment, you're always going to learn more about how you work and how you work in relation to the world around you.</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Vibeke</b>:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="color: #222222;">I read about a ring you had made for yourself : "</span><i style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;">My mother likes to say, “Life is full of possibility,” and if you know her, you know this isn’t just a line, but her life. </span><span style="color: black;">It’s a truth I need to remember often—so easily caught up in an idea, a routine, or a place where it’s hard to dream big dreams. </span></i><i style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;">What if it’s something never imagined, beyond what we could have dreamed?</span> </i><span style="color: #222222;"><i><span style="color: black;">The little gap in this bulky ring is a reminder to myself to hold open the space for possibility. Who knows what could happen in a day, a year, a lifetime?"</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Your mom's words are something that is a very useful reminder for me too. Can you share about what you admire most about your mom and what you consider to be the most important thing that she has thaught you?</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Anna</b>: </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">My mother is an incredible woman. I've always thought that her work as a mother was the most interesting work in the world, because she just filled her days with so much creativity. She's traveled all over the world, knows the most amazing people, and will talk with anyone. Among the many, many things she's taught me is how to take an idea and make it your own, to run with it and do it, no matter how impossible it seems at the beginning. I think she believes that many of our ideas and desires are God-given, so when we pursue the desires of our heart, we not only live life to its fullest, we also honor the Creator. That way of thinking gives such weight and depth to life, doesn't it?</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Vibeke</b>: What or who inspires you? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Anna</b>: </span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>My parents and siblings. The idea that I have great-grandmothers and might one day have a great-granddaughter. Clear, beautiful writing. Fresh air (even a walk to the mailbox and back). A really good conversation with someone I love.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Vibeke</b>: I am curious to hear about how you prefer to have it around you while you write and/or work with your jewelry. Do you for example like to have it quiet around you, do you need to have it tidy and so on?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Anna</b>:<i> </i></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>I prefer to have it tidy, but I exist in a kind of organized chaos. A few years ago I gave away over half of my books and now I think, why did I do that? For me, the ability to work in any condition is the goal. Because if I feel like I can't work because some external condition isn't quite right, then there's something else going on--usually the deadline is too far away. :) Also, tidying up any chaos can be good preparation for sitting down to work. Either clearing the actual clutter from my desk, or doing the things (emails and phone calls, usually) that I've been putting off. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Vibeke</b>: </span>One of the most beautiful things i can think of is hands! Like you say "<i>the </i><span style="color: black;"><i>beauty in the lines and ridges and ripples and grooves" (from one of your instagram posts). </i>I can actually get moved to tears when i think of my grand-father's hands. My grand-father's hands told a visible story of working outside in all kinds of weather. Also of a life as a car mechanic (impossible to get really clean), raspberry farmer and bee-keeper. They had the roughness of skin from all the mechanic work but at the same time a gentleness to them that i think came from all those years handling fragile berries, fruits and vegetables. To me, his hands always smelled of raspberries and honey, even in winter. I was a child back then.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What do you find deeply moving and/or beautiful? </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Anna: </b></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>This description of your grandfather's hands takes my breath away. I can imagine these hands and love them, too.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>One of the most beautiful sounds is babies in places where the sound of a baby is disruptive. In church. During lectures. On airplanes. At funerals. I am not a mother, and the sound of children often takes my breath away. Also, hearing my littlest nephews say my name, or Leif Ove Andsnes playing Sibelius. </i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>I'm also moved by things of grandiose scale. Richard Serra. The Grand Canyon. A few years ago I was driving south on California's Highway 101 and came to the Golden Gate Bridge quite suddenly and unexpectedly. It's a massive bridge. I'd been driving all night so was a little sleep deprived, but I wept as I drove over it. The scale of it was so moving.</i></span><span class="im" style="color: #500050;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i> </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Vibeke</b>: What are your most grateful for in your life right now?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><b>Anna</b>: </span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>My family. </i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Vibeke</b>: Maybe we should end our conversation with you sharing a quote or saying that holds a special meaning to you and why?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Anna</b>: </span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Above my desk I have a quote from Ralph Lauren that I ripped from a magazine: "What I do is about living--enjoying the fullness of life around you." It's a very simple idea, but also very difficult to do. I try to do it with my life and work, because at times I can't think of any better way to bring glory to God</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.aningri.com/" target="_blank">Aningri website</a></span></span><br />
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Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133987169433038154.post-67602898667776223922020-03-07T22:15:00.000+01:002020-03-07T22:15:12.813+01:00Coming: a conversation with Anna Anderson<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"For so much of my life I've felt like I could, or perhaps<span> </span><i>had</i> to do everything that I was mildly interested in. Thankfully I've settled into a place where I can simply admire other people who are skilled in their work, without wanting or needing to try the thing myself. Which is to say that I've narrowed down this list quite a bit from a few years ago! I'm doing an illustration course right now, and I'd like to learn metal casting to bring to life some jewelry designs that so far exist only in my head. Beyond that, I'm deeply invested in studying the craft of writing and its intersection with art."</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Anna Anderson.</span>Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133987169433038154.post-30352884362672211522020-01-07T20:01:00.000+01:002020-01-07T20:01:02.007+01:00A conversation with Amanda Rataj<br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: As you already know i have been admiring your work for such a long time Amanda so it is making me very excited to have this interview with you. </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To learn more about both you and your beautiful work. You are among other things an artist and handweaver. Based in Hamilton, Ontario.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Maybe we can start with you sharing a bit about yourself with us? </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A: Hello Vibeke! Thank you for inviting me to a part of your interview series - it is very kind and thoughtful of you to think of me. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>I am, as you note, an artist and handweaver, but I’ve practiced many other things besides weaving. I became very interested in photography in high school and ended up majoring in it during my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. I was always very attracted to the magic of working in a darkroom and making physical photographs - while digital photography certainly has its conveniences, the physical nature of the photographic image was something I spent a lot of time exploring during my degree. I (unofficially) minored in papermaking and taught myself a number of 19th century photographic processes like cyanotype and albumen printing, combining my handmade paper and photographs to make very material, tactile artworks.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Outside of my work as a visual artist, I’m also an educator at a museum in Toronto. I facilitate educational programs for kids, youth, and adults, and I love it - you are always hearing different ideas, thoughts, and interpretations and are constantly learning to see something in a different way. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: What are you passionate about?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A: Learning! I love to learn new things - I am very curious so I end up wanting to know more about things that intrigue me. Recently I ran into an old colleague who had taken a gilding workshop over the summer, and that incredible process is still turning over in my mind - it has really made me look at frames in a new way!</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: Did you grow up in a crafty family?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A: Yes - my mum knows how to sew, knit, and weave, and she taught all these skills to my sister and I. My dad is very interested in architecture, and built the family cottage with his parents and siblings when he was a young man - he has great skills when it comes to making 3D things or fixing things around the house.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: Why did you end up choosing hand weaving as your craft?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A: After graduating university I learned how to weave from my mum - I had been interested in craft practices during my degree, but only took a few technical and theoretical courses. In the years afterwards I had more time to try new things, and weaving quickly became a better way for me to explore the artistic ideas and concepts I had floating around my head. I am much more interested in making craft that’s meant to be used than I ever was in making something that was to exist solely on the wall - which is especially true when it comes to textiles, which are such an active part of our everyday. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: What sort of techniques did you most want to learn when you started weaving?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A: I don’t know if there’s anything in particular that I wanted to learn - I was just interested in seeing where it lead me. I’ve spent time learning about specific techniques (more about that later!), but I think I’ve always been most interested in process and materials when it comes to weaving. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: Do you have some knowledge on the history of weaving? I would love to hear.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><i>A: That’s a hard to answer in one go! Because so many cultures and places ‘invented’ weaving around the same time, I would suggest reading the wonderful Women’s Work: The First 20,000 Years by Elizabeth Wayland Barber, which brings forward some of the enormous contributions that women - and the invention of string - have brought to the world. Textiles; The Whole Story by Beverly Gordon is also a favourite - it speaks more to the ways in which people around the world have used textiles, and also refereres a number of traditional stories and teachings about its invention from different cultures. </i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: Do you still remember/have the first cloth you ever made?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A: Yes! My first weaving project was scarf out of some Noro Kureyon yarn. I still have it and wear it too!</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: Can you take us through the "typical" process of the making of a weaving? </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A: It depends on what the end use of the cloth will be. Sometimes I reference samples or old patterns I’ve saved, other times I start with a texture or a drawing. I usually like to create samples to test out new materials or ideas, and sometimes these samples come back later as different textiles. For example, my most recent weaving pattern, the Dash Tea Towels, started from a cloth I made a few years ago, which included a repeated pattern of a single raised thread. I started with that idea and then incorporated some other things I like, like checks. Sometimes I know what I want to weave from the beginning, but weaving itself can also change what I have in mind. I also always leave space to play at the end - this usually leads into the next project in some way. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: "I am attracted to the material and tactile nature of cloth as well as its ability to be activated by the human body, whether it be through movement, use, or as a visual signifier or metaphor. I most often make or reinterpret simple, everyday textiles like tea towels, rugs, blankets and scarves; my work aims to be both art and craft, utility and practicality.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My cloth is meant to be used: stained, dirtied, washed again and again, it becomes an integral part of how we experience and interact with the everyday, and in how we think of ourselves".</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I really enjoyed reading these words of yours that i found at your website. Can you share some more about what you are expressing here?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A: Yes! When I think about what I like to weave - and why I like textiles - it is often everyday, ‘simple’ textiles - the sort of things that we use and don’t even think about. My boyfriend and I have been collecting the photographic equivalent for a number of years. Back in the early days of home photography, folks would take pictures and expose them on small pieces of photographic paper pre-printed with a place for a stamp and space for text - a photo postcard. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>We love the everydayness of these vernacular, unprofessional, and often wonky images and text. They are charming, beautiful, and reflect an intangible moment in someone’s life. Craft objects often play important parts in these images, whether they are treasured objects, clothing, homes, or, in the image of the sewing club, a social connection built around the work of hands. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The same impulse that made our elders take photographs and hold them in wallets and pockets and books and save them for decades is something that I feel is reflected in contemporary craft objects and plays an important part in my craft work. I’ve always been strongly interested in materiality and believe our physical connection to objects and the act of making things by hand is a key part of our humanity - what do things mean when they are anonymized through mass production? ‘Things’ - whether they be pots or scarves or tools - are a defining feature of human civilization and experience, and I feel strongly that craft objects play an important part in connecting us to one another and our daily experiences. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: Any fibers and materials you especially enjoy working with and if so why this/these?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A: Wool and linen are my two favourite materials to work with right now. While I can’t source 100% local fibre all the time, I’m very interested in the Fibreshed movement and am always trying to bring my practice more in tune with its values of supporting local and regenerative textile production. Wool and linen are both very interesting and varied materials - there is a lifetime of things to learn from both of them. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: Since you have been doing a custom order for me we have talked a bit about different weaving patterns. Could you share a about some of them with us and also if there are some specific ones that you have a weakness for?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A: There are many different weaving techniques, from plain weave to lace to floatwork to twill and more. For your custom order, you were very interested in some work that I had recently made using a floatwork pattern. Often called ‘overshot’ by weavers, these are relatively simple weave structures that make use of a pattern thread that ‘floats’ over a ground of plain weave. Plain weave is the most basic of weaving structure - under one, over one - and if you cut out the pattern thread in a floatwork textile, you would be left with this plain cloth. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>This type of floatwork has a long tradition of use in North American settler textiles - it’s thought that folks who came here from Scotland and England in the 18th and 19th centuries brought this technique with them. It was mainly used to make blankets for beds - because it doesn’t require fancy equipment, it enabled folks living outside cities to still have beautiful and colourful patterned bed covers - even if they couldn’t afford the expensive jacquard woven ones. To me, they’re about utility, beauty, use, and frugality, all wrapped up in the humblest and perhaps most important of textiles, the blanket. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>I’ve been reading about and weaving various floatwork patterns for a few years - I like how simple and clever they are, and the varied textiles you can get from them. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: I know you also teach weaving workshops. What do you especially enjoy about that?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A: It’s fun and also challenging to teach weaving - when you know something very well, it’s often difficult to articulate with words what your hands just seem to know. I value every opportunity to teach in part because I’ve been on the receiving end of a lot of great knowledge and assistance over the years. Teaching is one way that I can give that knowledge to others and put creative agency in the hands of someone new. The more we ALL connect with our hands to some sort of material practice, the better I think we all are.</i> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: Can you tell us a bit about the Artist Residency you did in Island in 2015?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A: In May of 2015, I spent four weeks at the Icelandic Textile Arts Centre in Blonduos, Iceland. I spent the month swimming, walking, staring at the clouds and ocean, and, of course, weaving and spinning. I went with the intention to spend my month in research-mode - I wanted to get a better handle on drafting, designing, and learning to use a more complex loom than what I had at home. I made two small blankets using a technique called summer and winter, which produces a textile with one light side and one dark side. I based the motifs off of lopapeysa - Icelandic sweaters - and their distinct motifs. I was particularly enthralled by the weather in Iceland, and the resulting blankets, a work I called Veđur, reflects that. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>V: Do you find weaving to be a meditative craft for you?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A: Yes and no. Weaving can be very relaxing, but it’s also my work, so sometimes I feel very frustrated or impatient or unhappy with how something is turning out. There are parts of the process I don’t always enjoy, and often there is a lot of uncertainty involved. There’s also the administrative side to it - applying for grants, writing artist statements, applying for exhibitions, doing small business taxes, etc, that is absolutely not meditative at all. That all being said, I gain a lot of personal satisfaction out of making physical things for my living!</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: Where do you have your weaving space? </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A: I weave at home - I use a big and somewhat oddly shaped bedroom, in which I have two looms, two desks, a bookshelf and an old library card catalogue. Two desks is a luxury I got used to at my old studio (which was much bigger) - one desk is actually a drafting table, which I find very useful when it comes to winding warps. At a beginning of 2019 I got a second loom, an old Bergå Savonia, made in Finland by Varpaapuu. I’ve wanted a big old countermarch loom for a long time and was very excited to find someone selling one locally</i>!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: And how do you like to have it around you when you create? </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A: I like to listen to podcasts and audiobooks when I weave (as long as it’s not something that needs my attention), but I also enjoy silence or the sounds of the birds outside of my window. As a photographer I’m addicted to good light - my studio has two windows and I dream of putting in a skylight to get it even brighter. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: Apart from weaving what you enjoy using your time on?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A: I do other textile crafts like knitting and spinning as hobbies, and I love to be outdoors on my bike or walking. I am also a big reader - I love books of all types, often reading a book (or two) a week, and I love my local library branch. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>V: Are daily routines something that are important for you </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and are there any that are important for your wellbeing?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A: I would like to be more of a routine person, but I have a very variable schedule, which makes it difficult to set a routine. I like to have a quiet hour to myself in the morning, I don’t like having to rush. I do the same at night - I spend at least an hour reading every night. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: We are in the winter season now. How is wintertime in your Ontario?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A: It can be +30 in the summers and -30 in the winter, so there is a huge range of weather here. They are predicting a long and cold winter this year, and we’ve already had one big snowfall and January-like temperatures! </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: What do you especially enjoy about winter?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A: The best part of winter is that I get to wear all my wooly sweaters!! I don’t really like being cold - I have poor circulation in my fingers and so am often very uncomfortable and stiff, even indoors. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: Does the different seasons have an impact on your creativity and maybe also energy/wellbeing?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>I don’t usually weave a lot in the summer months - I want to be outside and enjoying the sunshine and garden - so I do value the quieter winter months when I’m more inclined to work indoors all day.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>V: Routines that you incorporate in the winter season?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A: Warm wooly socks + hot drinks to stave off the (literal) chills that I get! </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: Any other crafts you enjoy doing?</span></b></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A: As I mentioned, I do knit and spin! I am a slow knitter and an even slower spinner, but I do enjoy sitting down in the evening to enjoy these crafts. </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>V: If you were to learn a new craft what would that be and why?</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A: My friend Deborah has been teaching a group of friends to basket weave - and I love it!!! Maybe not an entirely ‘new’ craft since it IS weaving (in a sense), but I’d love to learn more - and get better - at it. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: Where do you find inspiration?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A: Everywhere and everything, sometimes for a long time, sometimes for a very short time. I realize this is an unsatisfactory answer - but this is a question I find very difficult to answer!</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: Is there a specific quote or saying that holds a very special meaning to you? And/or maybe you have found a new one lately?</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A: I just finished reading Glenn Adamson’s book Fewer, Better Things, and I liked the way he speaks about ‘good’ objects: “An object can only be good for someone. Its ‘goodness’ is not essential to it, but rather arises through the relationships that it brings into being. Thus the real test of an object’s worth lies not in its efficiency, novelty, or even beauty […] but in whether it gives a sense of our shared humanity.”</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: As a closing i would love to ask you what you are most grateful for in your life these days?</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A: My friendships! I feel like I have made the most extraordinary and generous friendships in the past three years, and since I am inclined to stay inside and be by myself too much, I really value how they get me out of my own head and teach me so many new ways of looking at the world. </i></span></span></div>
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Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133987169433038154.post-79798156927833701072019-08-16T08:33:00.000+02:002019-08-16T08:35:11.895+02:00A conversation with Natalie Wilkin<div style="color: #1c1e29; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<b style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">V: Thank you so much Natalie </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">for</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> saying yes to this interview. I am so happy that</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> i </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">came across you through Pia Jane Bijkerk's </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">patreon</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> page and</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> i </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">can't wait to get to learn more about you and your work. </span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">It is so many things that</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> i </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">would love to talk about. Let us start with something that i have found myself getting more and more aware of lately and that is the importance of daily rituals. </span></span></b><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Do you have some daily rituals? And i</b><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">f you, like me, find that they can among other </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">things</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> be both supportive and </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">rejuvenative</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">?</span></b></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">N: For me, the two central rituals that frame my day are my breakfast elixir and yoga. Having done both every day for the last three or four years, I can speak about the power of having a daily practice. These rituals make my day feel balanced and connected and its such a wonderful commitment to prioritise self care at the start of every day. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Initially, when I first began, I had a lot of resistance to taking the time to nourish myself</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">, it</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> was particularly evident during yoga. It took me a year to break through the inner </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">resistance</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> and expand the practice. At first, I just started with two or three poses, ones that felt good and I could stay in for an extended time, slowly I added more and more and even now I will add and subtract as I need to. The key for me was to start small, to show up every day, and to allow it to change as I change. These rituals emerged for me over time, and I only focused on doing something that resonated, I wasn't following a guide. It does take time so that commitment is so crucial to feel the supportive effects in our being. Now theses rituals are like oxygen, and I don't think of them as something I have to do; they are an intrinsic part of my life. </span></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">My breakfast Elixir takes the form of a smoothie bowl, it's a process that starts the night before by soaking almonds and takes about half an hour all up, so it's a big commitment to putting my nourishment first. The mix itself is an alchemic blend of plants, nuts, and seed. It </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">really</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is an intuitive process that changes with the seasons and with how I'm feeling. I dress the top with a small amount of fruit, black tahini, a fermented yogurt that I make, and edible plants from my garden. That small window of walking outside and connecting with the plants is such a treasured part of my process. The final dressing of the bowl is an art form, and I get to express my creativity and love of food through this last act.</span><br />
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<b style="color: #1c1e29; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">V: In one of your blog </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">posts</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> i </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">read: "</span><em style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Food is such <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">huge</span> part of my life, love <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">and</span> creative expression. On every <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">adventure</span> I am always gathering lots of fresh veggies from farmers markets along the way, </em></b><b style="color: #1c1e29; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><em style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">and researching local foods and produce to sample</em><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">". </span></b><b style="color: #1c1e29; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Please do tell more about this.</b></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">N: I love the creativity of preparing food. I eat </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">a very specific</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> and somewhat limited amount of foods, so finding new and delicious ways to combine them is a real source of joy for me. I travel a lot to remote places, and I feel like I can explore an area through the food they grow. I've been to so many incredible farmers markets and met so many inspiring people - from my local markets to ones in far-flung places. I can remember all of the unusual and beautiful foods that I discovered, and they are an essential part of the experience for me. So, when I travel, I research farmers markets for the region and make sure that I am there at the right time to attend them, it just becomes a part of my itinerary.</span></div>
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<b style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The most memorable meal you have had?</span></span></b><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">N: </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">All my most memorable meals are those I have shared with people I love, eating fresh produce that is vibrant and singing with life.</span></div>
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<b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">V: "Elemental Explorer" the title of your Patreon page - do tell us about it?</b><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">N: The Elemental Explorer is a name for that nomadic energy that calls us out into the wild places. It's the part of us that is curious and wants to explore life on a deeper level. For me, it is an honouring of that part of myself; when I embody the energy of the Elemental Explorer I am moving with the elements around me, taking risks and travelling into held beliefs and remote places.</span></div>
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<b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">V: To interview you without talking about traveling would feel very </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">strange</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> don't you think!? To </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">me</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> it seems like travel is such a big part of you, your work and your life</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">. Like</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> a red thread running through everything. </span></b><b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Please share about what traveling means to you?</b></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">N: </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">It's tough for me to put into words. It's such a deep vital part of my life - and a catalyst for so much growth and expansion. All I can say is that travel is where my soul sings, I am open, I </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">am connected</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">, and I gain access to a level of clarity that always propels me into new areas of exploration and creative expression. </span></span></div>
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<b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">V: From one of your blog posts: "</span><em style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">It feels great to stop moving for a moment and let all of the experiences absorb <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">in</span>. What an adventure we had, so much transformation and so much <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">power</span> flowing into me"</em><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">. </span></b><b style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">How do you best </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">absord</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">, digest, after travels </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">and</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> is it an essential part of the traveling "process" for you to </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">actually</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> do this?</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">N: </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Yes, </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">absolutely,</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> travel has a momentum that can be relentless and depleting. The pause afterward to rest and reflect feels just as important as the movement, and usually, that's where I get the most insight from the </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">experience.</span></span></div>
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<b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">V: Any travels planned in the future?</b><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">N: </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I just got back a few weeks ago from a week in Yolngu County, also known as Arnhem Land which was truly incredible. Then our next trip </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">is</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> Japan in 2020 for my partners 40th birthday. We have both been on a journey of discovery with ceramics, spending the last twelve months </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">making</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> our dinnerware to use at home. Japanese pottery is just so incredible, so we plan on immersing ourselves in workshops and tours of studios to absorb as much as we can. It's been such a beautiful process to go through together, slowly exploring shapes, clays, and glazes to find something that is unique and speaks to us both. We will be sharing a collection of pieces for the Elemental Wares very soon, which I'm so excited about.</span></div>
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<b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">V: "I've</span><em style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> always made clothes<span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">, my</span> mum taught me to sew when I was young. As a <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">teenager</span> I would only wear vintage, so I would alter everything to fit my vision. You learn a lot about the structure by pulling things apart and reworking them. Over the <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">years</span> I've formed my <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">own</span> way of pattern drafting that's a little <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">frankensteiny</span> but creates an intuitive interaction with the fabric, my visions for the garment <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">and</span> the fabrics vision for itself! Now creating garments marks the beginning of all my explorations</em><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">". </span></b><b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">This is from one of your blog posts. I loved reading this and would love to hear much more about it! And also tell us about Elemental Wares.</b><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">N: I love the creative expression of textiles; they can transform our mood, our experience, and connect us with others and the world in profound ways. I think our clothing as such an </span>under-utilised<span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> medium for expression. When I begin to conceptualise a new exploration usually the first things that comes to me is the garment that will take me where I want to go. It is always a mixture of function, ritual and sacred intention. The process of making the adornment is a kind of meditation and when I begin to move, I am wearing my </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">intentions and allowing it to carry me forward. </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The Elemental Wares has evolved out of this creative process. Instead of making objects for my own journeys, the Elemental Wares is the creation of adornment for others. At this stage it will take the form of an online store. </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There will be Homewares and Clothing, and each piece will be hand made, unique and produced ethically and sustainably. </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The objects that will fill the online space are all designed to be a catalyst for transformation, liberated expression and deeper connection </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">with the world </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">around us. The online portal is still being formed, but my goal is to have it up and running this Spring.</span></span></div>
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<b style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">V: From one of your blog posts: "</span><em style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">This is my greatest wish for us all, that we might create worlds that <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">are filled</span> with <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">self acceptance</span>, that work with our light and shadow and share our raw truth. Putting a stop to the process of trying <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">to always get somewhere</span> and change ourselves into something else or someone else. My friend Sasha called it 'radical <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">acceptance'</span> and that <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">really</span> feels like what it is, <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">its</span> so fucking radical to <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">just</span> accept ourselves and then move based on a love for all of our quirks. An acceptance that all of our life experience has formed how we express, and it is part of the treasure we hold. <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Thats</span> how we let our magic out, <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">thats</span> how our expression becomes transformative for ourselves and others.</span> That is where freedom lives. So <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">for now</span> is this beautiful mess of moving, changing, expressing <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">and</span> shedding I am free"</em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">. </span></span></b><b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Such truth</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">, so powerful! </span></b><b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I would love to hear if there any authors, poets </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">or</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> speakers that </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">has</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> inspired you?</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">N: </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">There have been so many incredibly powerful voices that have added their wisdom at the exact moment I needed it. One book I revisit often is Eckhart Tolle's <i>A New Earth</i>. For me, it holds so much truth about this human experience and the underlying causes </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">for</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> our inner and outer conflict. I also refer to Maya Angelou's words often; she inspires me to be present and to </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">prioritise</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> knowing and accepting myself as I am above all else. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: normal;">“A Woman in harmony with her spirit is like a river flowing.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">She goes where she will without pretence and arrives at her destination prepared to be herself and only herself ”</span></h1>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">― </span><span class="m_-2431907365827120996gmail-authorOrTitle" style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: bold;">Maya Angelou</span></span></h1>
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<b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">V: I would love to hear how you best like to have it around you when you create.</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">N: I'm a Virgo so for me tidy/</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">organised</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> is a must. I usually always work without music, unless I'm sewing in which case I have audiobooks on the go. Alone is more productive for me, I'm pretty much a hermit when I'm in the creative zone. I live out in the forest, so I have the sounds of nature buzzing all around me, which helps me to ground into my process.</span></span><br />
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<b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">V: "</span><em style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I am so grateful for the beautiful person who believes in the magic and loves me </em><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">with a depth I have always struggled to feel like I deserve</em></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">". </span></b><b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">recognised</span> myself </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">so</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">much</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">in</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">these</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> words </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">of</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">yours</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">that</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> i </span>read </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">in</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> one </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">of</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">your</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> blog posts </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">from</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">a</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">while</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> back </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">in</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> time.</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">This</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> is something</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> i </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">have had to work with and that</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> i </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">find myself working through </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">deeper</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> layers </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">of</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">. </span></b><b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I think that this is one of those things that a lot of us struggle with but sadly not talk </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">about</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">. This feeling of not being good enough, not deserving</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">... </span></b><b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Can<span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> i </span>ask you </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">to</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> share </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">some</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">about</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">what</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> it </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">is</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">that</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">has</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> helped you </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">in</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">the</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> process </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">of</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> working </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">with</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">that</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> struggle?</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> And </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">were</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> do you find yourself today? </span></b><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">N<b>: </b></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">For me, this process of self-acceptance has been </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">key</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">. I had to get to know myself on a deeper level so I could feel that beingness beneath the stories. Meditation helped and grounding myself in </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">the <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">earths</span> energy</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> when I start to feel myself pull away. Once we have felt that part of ourselves, the infinite part, it's something we can connect back into if we create the space. But honestly, I struggle a lot with self-value and feeling like I am good enough. Throughout my life, I have always pulled away at the final hurdle when I had to put myself out there and be visible. It's such a vulnerable place for me, and I am still building the strength to feel the fear and do it anyway. I think that's what drew me to Patreon; I felt like I could create a safe space to be me and to share my expression with others.</span></div>
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<b style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">From your blog: </span></span></b><b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">"</span><em style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">We just arrived back a few days ago to the land of internet and cell service. <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Its</span> such a shock to the system <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">having</span> so many things to stimulate my mind. It was the most peaceful and revealing time at the little shack. I had so much space to <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">really</span> absorb myself in the energy of the book. I've made huge progress <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">and</span> it's <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">really</span> taken form, emerging into its <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">own</span> expression. I think it's always been there waiting <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">but</span> I just needed to allow it to flow out" </em><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">and</span><em style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> "I feel a deep need to simplify my online life <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">in order to</span> <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">maximise</span> on my time with my feet on the earth<span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">".</span></em></b><b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">How do you best manage to keep a balance in being online and offline and how does it </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">effect</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> you if you stay too much online?</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">N: I took my online life into account when I was creating space for healing. A few years ago, I deleted Facebook and went off Instagram for a year. Being off social media made me think a lot about how I wanted to connect and what felt taxing to my energy. It also made the addiction to social media so apparent. I </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">was hooked</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> on the constant stimulus. I started my Patreon back then because I was interested in seeing if I could create a collective of like-minded people and share my work in exchange for their support. I was curious, and still am, in finding a new way to connect that is supportive and inclusive. </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Eventually, I went back on Instagram but left Facebook behind. But now the hook is gone, which is liberating in itself. When I have something to share, I will post, but it is not my focus for connection. </span></span></div>
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<b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">V:<i> </i>From your blog: "</span><em style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">To face fear and to help convert awareness into compassion. <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">This</span> is an essential step in any journey, to be able to take what we have learned and use it as a tool for love and compassion. The goal is not to remove something, but to see it as a teacher and find a way to hear its wisdom. <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">For</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> me, </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">this</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">is</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">always</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">through</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> finding </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">my</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> compassionate heart, </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">the</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> part </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">of</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> me </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">that</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> knows </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">how</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">to</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> find love, </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">even</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">in</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">the</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> depths </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">of</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">the</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> pain."</span> </em></b><b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Please tell us more about this.</b><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">N<b>: </b></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I guess what I'm saying here is that if we can find love and compassion for all parts of ourselves, then there is freedom there. Shifting the focus away from getting rid of anything we deem as </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">negative and</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> finding a way to accept ourselves in totality, knowing that all experience is valuable and teaches us something about who we are.</span></div>
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<b style="color: #1c1e29; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">V: From a blog post of yours a while back: "</span><em style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Six years ago my body gave me a huge wakeup call. It was tired of being pushed and ignored, and I ended up in a state of <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">total</span> chaos. <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">In order to</span> regain my health over these last few <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">years</span> I have been on a journey back to balance. Spiritually, emotionally <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">and</span> physically. Every day I am mindful of how much energy I have and where I can direct it. Obsessive thoughts are a huge drain on energy <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">so</span> if I am caught up in my <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">head</span> then I will not have the energy to be present. <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">This</span></span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">has</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> been </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">such</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">a</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> powerful lesson </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">in</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">my</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> life, </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">and</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> one </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">that</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> I </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">am</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> still managing </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">on</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">a</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> moment </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">to</span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> moment <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">basis .</span></span> The book that I am (slowly) writing is all about this journey. I haven't looked at the first draft in almost a year, but <span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">lately</span> it has been whispering in my ear to begin again, so who knows what the next few months will bring.</em><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">" </span></b><b style="color: #1c1e29; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I would love to hear more about that book you are working </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">on</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">.</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">N: The idea of the book presented itself three of four years ago when I </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">was deeply immersed</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> in my self-healing process, and it has been slowly forming ever since. I think for me fundamentally</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">, it's</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> has been a process of self-investigation and allowing myself to be visible. I discovered that writer's block is the inner critic in full swing. It's such </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">a good</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> way to face my fears of visibility and also share my creative expression in an accessible way. The book is still forming, but it will be sharing the journey and all I have experienced over the last five years. There are a lot of threads to weave together, and that's where I'm up to now. Is </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">a really interesting</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> process to take and inner experience and translate it into something that other people can access. I'm not sure what it will be in the end, but I'm </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">really</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> enjoying our journey together.</span></div>
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<b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">V: What is the most important thing for your spiritual, emotional </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">and</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> physical well-being? </span></b><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">N: Meditation, bare feet on the Earth and a restful sleep. </span></div>
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<b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">V: As a </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">closing</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> i </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">would love to ask you what you are most grateful for in your life right now? And i also want to thank you for taking the time to answer my questions and for all that you have shared.</span></b><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">N: Firstly I just want to thank you so much Vibeke for all of your thoughtful questions. I've gained new insight through the process of answering them. I would have to say at the moment I am so grateful to live in a country with has an ancestry steeped in spirituality, wisdom, and connection to the earth. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are the sacred heart of Australia, and I am so grateful for all they share with us.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Natalie's Patreon page: </span><a href="https://www.patreon.com/Elementalexplorer/overview" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;" target="_blank">Elemental Explorer</a><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">All photos by Natalie.</span></span></div>
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Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133987169433038154.post-84835570363438188912019-08-11T19:53:00.002+02:002019-08-11T19:53:50.777+02:00Coming: A conversation with Natalie Wilkin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">"It's tough for me to put into words what traveling means to me. It's such a deep vital part of my life - and a catalyst for so much growth and expansion. All I can say is that travel is where my soul sings, I am open, I </span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">am connected</span><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and I gain access to a level of clarity that always propels me into new areas of exploration and creative expression."</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Natalie Wilkin</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Elemental Explorer on Patreon)</span></span><br />
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<br />Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133987169433038154.post-20765935676929711332019-07-25T20:23:00.001+02:002019-07-25T20:23:55.758+02:00From my notebook <h1 class="quoteText" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.”</span></span></h1>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">― </span><span class="authorOrTitle" style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Rainer Maria Rilke</span></span><br />
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<br />Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133987169433038154.post-4699564015262940612019-07-25T20:16:00.000+02:002019-07-25T20:16:27.930+02:00july<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">july</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">weekend holiday away</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">strawberries </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">iced tea</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">sea treasures</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">from</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">far up north</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">grateful</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">slow</span><br />
<br />Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133987169433038154.post-72580977927596604192019-06-29T13:29:00.002+02:002019-06-29T13:29:47.334+02:00Returning is easier with encouragment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The main reason to why i returned back to this online space of mine was because i missed doing the interviews that i used to do. If it wasn't for <a href="https://woolandnature.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Claire</a> i think that i would still have only been thinking about returning....continuing to miss it and not actually doing something about it. At least it would have taken me a much longer time to return. Thank you so much dear<a href="https://woolandnature.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> Claire</a> for encouraging me in this process (and for inspiring me so much through your own blog and work). </div>
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It is such a blessing to work on an interview, that i like to call conversations really. I feel so full of joy and excitement everytime someone says yes when i contact them to ask if they would consider being interviewed for this little online space of mine. The conversations are always made without any time pressure or deadlines, something that i find essential for both me and the person i interview. When i sit down to work on the questions they sometimes take shape so fast that it almost feels like the process was over before i even got started on it. Sometimes it can take shape over a longer period of time and i love that: how each conversation takes on it's own shape and form...even it's own pace.</div>
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Photo: Claire's own photo of one of her beautiful embroidered sachets. </div>
<br />Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133987169433038154.post-67582153513843143782019-06-29T12:31:00.004+02:002019-06-29T13:30:35.687+02:00Trees<h1 class="quoteText" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">
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“For me, trees have always been the most penetrating preachers. I revere them when they live in tribes and families, in forests and groves. And even more I revere them when they stand alone. They are like lonely persons. Not like hermits who have stolen away out of some weakness, but like great, solitary men, like Beethoven and Nietzsche. In their highest boughs the world rustles, their roots rest in infinity; but they do not lose themselves there, they struggle with all the force of their lives for one thing only: to fulfil themselves according to their own laws, to build up their own form, to represent themselves. Nothing is holier, nothing is more exemplary than a beautiful, strong tree. When a tree is cut down and reveals its naked death-wound to the sun, one can read its whole history in the luminous, inscribed disk of its trunk: in the rings of its years, its scars, all the struggle, all the suffering, all the sickness, all the happiness and prosperity stand truly written, the narrow years and the luxurious years, the attacks withstood, the storms endured. And every young farmboy knows that the hardest and noblest wood has the narrowest rings, that high on the mountains and in continuing danger the most indestructible, the strongest, the ideal trees grow.<br /><br />Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach, undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.<br /><br />A tree says: A kernel is hidden in me, a spark, a thought, I am life from eternal life. The attempt and the risk that the eternal mother took with me is unique, unique the form and veins of my skin, unique the smallest play of leaves in my branches and the smallest scar on my bark. I was made to form and reveal the eternal in my smallest special detail.<br /><br />A tree says: My strength is trust. I know nothing about my fathers, I know nothing about the thousand children that every year spring out of me. I live out the secret of my seed to the very end, and I care for nothing else. I trust that God is in me. I trust that my labor is holy. Out of this trust I live.<br /><br />When we are stricken and cannot bear our lives any longer, then a tree has something to say to us: Be still! Be still! Look at me! Life is not easy, life is not difficult. Those are childish thoughts. Let God speak within you, and your thoughts will grow silent. You are anxious because your path leads away from mother and home. But every step and every day lead you back again to the mother. Home is neither here nor there. Home is within you, or home is nowhere at all.<br /><br />A longing to wander tears my heart when I hear trees rustling in the wind at evening. If one listens to them silently for a long time, this longing reveals its kernel, its meaning. It is not so much a matter of escaping from one's suffering, though it may seem to be so. It is a longing for home, for a memory of the mother, for new metaphors for life. It leads home. Every path leads homeward, every step is birth, every step is death, every grave is mother.<br /><br />So the tree rustles in the evening, when we stand uneasy before our own childish thoughts: Trees have long thoughts, long-breathing and restful, just as they have longer lives than ours. They are wiser than we are, as long as we do not listen to them. But when we have learned how to listen to trees, then the brevity and the quickness and the childlike hastiness of our thoughts achieve an incomparable joy. Whoever has learned how to listen to trees no longer wants to be a tree. He wants to be nothing except what he is. That is home. That is happiness.”</h1>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">― </span><span class="authorOrTitle" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lato" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;">Herman Hesse, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><span id="quote_book_link_1552368" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><a class="authorOrTitle" href="https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/2225608" style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Bäume. Betrachtungen und Gedichte</a></span><br />
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Photos borrowed with permisson from:<br />
<span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #f4cccc; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="notranslate" href="https://www.instagram.com/lernerveronika/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">@lernerveronika</a></span><br />
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/shefeeling/" target="_blank">@shefeeling</a><br />
<br />Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133987169433038154.post-58210483609216974522019-06-28T16:29:00.002+02:002019-06-29T12:34:44.683+02:00june<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">june</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">been enjoying </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">eating ice cream </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">with my handcarved wooden spoon</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the sight and smell </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">of blooming peonies in the garden</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">happy everytime i see or hear a bee</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">wearing linen and cotton clothes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">feeling the air though the fabric</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">walking barefoot</span><br />
<br />Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133987169433038154.post-17495873487048329642019-06-04T17:21:00.001+02:002019-06-04T17:21:29.617+02:00Walking slowly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"<i>When we walk slowly, the world can fully appear. Not only are the creatures not frightened away by our haste or aggression, but the fine detail of fern and flower, or devastation and disruption, becomes visible. Many of us hurry along because we do not want to see what is really going on in and around us. We are afraid to let our senses touch the body of suffering or the body of beauty</i>".</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Joan Halifax</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Photo: (with kind permission) by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nastya_kaganovich/" target="_blank">Nastya Kaganovich</a></span><br />
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<br />Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133987169433038154.post-23475399335291541732019-06-01T21:35:00.000+02:002019-06-01T21:35:30.907+02:00An inspiring visit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133987169433038154.post-77894288373484928832019-05-27T22:51:00.002+02:002019-05-27T22:58:09.240+02:00<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #43404d; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px;">"......</span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #43404d; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px;">With focus comes productivity,</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #43404d; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px;"> the work that brings about the </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #43404d; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px;">thing you do</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #43404d; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px;">. </span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #43404d; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px;">But do not forget that every other step before this is also productive work</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #43404d; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px;">. The preparation work is important work—the gathering of the tools; the sharpening of the same; the clearing of the workspace; the closing of the door. All of this is preparation for the visible, audible, tangible productive work that comes from your head, your heart, your hands.....</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #43404d; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px;">"</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #43404d; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px;">-Excerpt from the latest newsletter by Anna Anderson/<a href="https://www.aningri.com/" target="_blank">Aningri</a></span>Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133987169433038154.post-59060617796817386942019-05-26T11:46:00.003+02:002019-05-26T11:46:46.574+02:00The Dance Of The Numinous And Mundane<br />
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I loved listening to <a href="https://www.saspetherick.com/" target="_blank">Sas Petherick's</a> interview with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/whitepeak_ruth/" target="_blank">Ruth Allen</a> on her <a href="https://www.saspetherick.com/podcast_episodes/" target="_blank">Courage + Spice</a> audio podcast.<br />
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<a href="https://www.saspetherick.com/podcast_episodes/39/" target="_blank">Click to listen.</a><br />
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<br />Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133987169433038154.post-8381166399015325912019-05-25T10:33:00.001+02:002019-05-25T10:36:41.602+02:00All This, Yes- by Pia Jane Bijkerk<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4HmiY-p-i9s" width="480"></iframe><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #676565; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 2px; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span><span style="color: #444444;"><i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: adobe-garamond-pro; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 2px; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;">Recorded in my own home on an old wooden semi grand borrowed from a friend, there is ambient sound from my home & neighbourhood. With each piece I was striving to let go: let go of perfection; let go of expectation; let go of ego. There are mistakes, they are not intended to be professional recordings: They are raw, imperfect, real, fleeting. With the addition of a few more pieces and a sprinkling of soundscapes, I offer this debut album to you, to listen as you journey in your own creative life. This is my heart's voice</span></i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #676565; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 2px; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;">."</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #676565; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 2px; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Pia Jane Bijkerk</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.piajanebijkerk.com/" target="_blank">Website</a><br />
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<br />Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133987169433038154.post-8844755338067251602019-05-24T23:09:00.004+02:002019-05-24T23:10:39.617+02:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"i love the light – of days and evenings, sometimes the moon shines so brightly and intensely, her light reaches our walls. i do not usually turn on the lights in the evenings. everything is in the mist. colors make friends with each other. until they become a single entity."</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">-<a href="http://olgainoue.com/" target="_blank">Olga Inoue</a>.</span></div>
Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133987169433038154.post-30079471694717621272019-05-21T20:53:00.003+02:002019-05-27T22:52:07.314+02:00reflect and absorb<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPhfIHAwSTuYoLVRBxpT7TFckriR8vayPW98m6byvlXsg4mWoY0oa9_-e335gAslg_2C0VQ-4dFPyb8YJwdVg-RDevhjGODevUX6oiLWZrTeskIckZJSfen5-rPuH_s-Vka4GTEdzZ3Q/s1600/35527875_2055730018079897_8633303659926519808_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPhfIHAwSTuYoLVRBxpT7TFckriR8vayPW98m6byvlXsg4mWoY0oa9_-e335gAslg_2C0VQ-4dFPyb8YJwdVg-RDevhjGODevUX6oiLWZrTeskIckZJSfen5-rPuH_s-Vka4GTEdzZ3Q/s640/35527875_2055730018079897_8633303659926519808_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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"...........<br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 16px;">Which made me reflect on progress and process. It seems in our culture, we are taught that progress is a straight path and if we stop on that path for a time, we are being idle, lazy or not moving forward. (Thank-you to industrialization and capitalism for teaching that to us!) </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 16px;">This story can run deep for a lot of us, including myself. If we are always moving forward, when do we integrate where we've been or what we've done? When do we get to reflect and absorb?</span></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 16px;">......."</span><br />
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<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="background-color: white;">This is an excerpt from this weeks newletter </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "helvetica";">by<a href="https://www.heartandbonesyoga.com/" target="_blank"> Brea Johnson/</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "helvetica";"><a href="https://www.heartandbonesyoga.com/" target="_blank">Heart and Bones yoga</a>. I always find them so inspiring and useful and these words spoke so deeply to me.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133987169433038154.post-85129526523612834462019-03-25T16:12:00.000+01:002019-03-25T16:12:38.155+01:00<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Grace is neither gentleness nor fragility. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Grace is treating yourself, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">others, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">and </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">even inanimate objects with respect.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: x-small;">-Kamand Kojouri</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: x-small;">Photos by Caroline Henkelius</span></span><br />
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/maranghuset/" target="_blank">@maranghuset</a><br />
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<br />Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133987169433038154.post-18022176412871883982019-03-22T17:00:00.000+01:002019-03-22T17:00:22.117+01:00We Own the Forests <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7B-6lknByytuzq_n9Xiwyfma7NT1b9c7NQc-J-WALla4etGN49GRdYn7PNBGLfclE73dd4oJ_W0ay0pNjWIMA5s_N7YHQlwIE-JsoNnFIBkCXrqDPuw62hxzchDFfMe69hk9UK7ud50/s1600/DSCF2733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7B-6lknByytuzq_n9Xiwyfma7NT1b9c7NQc-J-WALla4etGN49GRdYn7PNBGLfclE73dd4oJ_W0ay0pNjWIMA5s_N7YHQlwIE-JsoNnFIBkCXrqDPuw62hxzchDFfMe69hk9UK7ud50/s640/DSCF2733.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We Own the Forests</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have never owned a tree.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">None of my people </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">has ever owned a tree-</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">though my family's life-path winds</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">over centuries' blue heights</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">of forest.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Forest in storm,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">forest in calm-</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">forest, forest, forest,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">through all the years.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My people</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">were always a poor people.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Always.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Children of life's</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">hard, iron-frosted nights.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Strangers own the trees,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and the soil,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> the stone-</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">heaped soil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">my father cleared</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by the light of the moon's lamp.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Strangers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">with smooth faces</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and pretty hands</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and their car always waiting</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">outside the door.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">None of my people</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">has ever owned a tree.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And yet we own the forests</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by our blood's red right.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rich man,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">you with the car and the bankbook</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and stock in Borregaard timber company:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">you can buy a thousand acres of forest,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and a thousand acres more,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">but you can't buy the sunset</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">or the whisper of the wind</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">or the joy of walking homeward</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">when the heather blooms along the path-</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">No, <i>we</i> own the forests,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the way a child owns its mother.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Hans Børli </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">From We Own the Forest and other Poems.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Translated by Louis Muinzer</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All photos by <a href="http://ssouvenirs.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Niina</a></span>Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133987169433038154.post-7170749975689414992019-03-12T22:05:00.001+01:002019-03-12T22:05:45.206+01:00From my notebook<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Your hand opens and closes and opens and closes. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">If it were always a fist or always stretched open, </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">you would be paralyzed. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expand </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">as birdwings. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">-Rumi</span></span>Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133987169433038154.post-51919980529177430222019-03-06T14:56:00.000+01:002019-03-06T14:56:27.526+01:00A conversation with Rohan<div style="background-color: white;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfqFVpcckYQP-lGURrVaF0e_bslIb7-FWwJm4HdidA_MBgMHj6kf8fz3vsmys_ZicTYMw4OaEnv-YuAnMuQNB7rwNj5GgRgXa8HaGMNswmVzNlrOpUwR-1BwtQFWizhIYwI9GhPA6CKXA/s1600/IMG_4202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfqFVpcckYQP-lGURrVaF0e_bslIb7-FWwJm4HdidA_MBgMHj6kf8fz3vsmys_ZicTYMw4OaEnv-YuAnMuQNB7rwNj5GgRgXa8HaGMNswmVzNlrOpUwR-1BwtQFWizhIYwI9GhPA6CKXA/s640/IMG_4202.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A photograph of me in the jumper Jess knitted me for our wedding.</span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: Through your Instagram profile one can read that you are: a Polar historian, aspiring spoon carver and kolrosing enthusiast. Maybe you can start with sharing a bit about yourself with us?</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>R: </b>Certainly. My name is Rohan, I’m 25, and my wife Jess and I live in Bulli, which is a suburb of a city called Wollongong in Australia. I work as an historian and for the last four years I’ve been learning to carve spoons from green wood. </span></div>
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<span class="im"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>V: How did you end up being a Polar historian? </b></span></span><br />
<span class="im"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>R: </b>I work as an historian at a university in Australia. It’s a fantastic job that allows me to split my time between teaching university students and working on my research. I’ve been obsessed with Antarctica and the Arctic since I was around seven, so when I started a PhD in History in 2015 I decided to focus on my long-term interest in the Antarctic. I ended up writing about the history of Australia’s relationship with Antarctica. I finished my PhD last year, so now I’m working on turning it into a book. </span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: Being the very happy owner of three of your precious hand carved spoons (and using them daily) i am of course very interested in learning more about your journey into this craft. Were you for example one of those who "always" turned sticks into pointy ones with your pocket knife when you were a kid? Or is it a craft that has come more to your interest as a grown up?</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>R: </b>Spoon carving is something I only really discovered as an adult. I did make some bows and arrows out of sticks as a kid, but I wasn’t really interested in woodwork. The only woodwork I was exposed to involved machines like bandsaws and sanders, and I absolutely hated the noise and dust they make. It was only when my wife, Jess, read an article about spoon carving in a magazine called <i>Taproot</i> and showed it to me that I became interested. I fell in love with the idea of using hand tools and green wood straight from the tree to make things. Jess bought me the two knives you need to get started, and I started learning to carve by trial and error. After lots of mistakes and false starts I went on a course at the start of 2017 run by Jeff Donne, a professional spoon carver and teacher who goes by @thespoonsmith on Instagram. I’ve been carving pretty much constantly since then. </span></div>
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<span class="im"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>V: Do you have a special interest in wood and trees? If so what is it with it that interests you so much?</b></span></span><br />
<span class="im"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>R: </b>I was always interested in the bush, woodlands, and forests as a kid, and I’ve also always been interested in the stories and mythologies that surround trees. That gradually developed into an interest in wood itself, and particularly in the properties of different woods. I love that 2,000 years ago people had realised that they could use birch for spoons, alder for bowls, ash and elm for wheels, yew for bows, linden for shields, sweet chestnut for chair legs, and oak for the chair top, because the properties of the wood suited those uses perfectly. Understanding and making use of the properties of wood like this is something I aspire to. </span></span><br />
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<span class="im"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>V: All my three spoons from you are made out of different wood. Could you share about the different wood you use for carving and also their qualities?</b></span></span><br />
<span class="im"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>R: </b>Some spoon carvers like to use the same species for almost all of their carving, because you can develop a deep understanding of that wood and how it will react to slight changes in your tools or technique. I quite like experimenting with different species as much as possible though. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Different species often require a slightly different design, but the only real requirements for spoon wood are that it isn’t toxic, it doesn’t have a horrible taste or smell, and it dries reasonably hard. My absolute favourite wood is pear, but virtually any fruit tree is great for carving. Fruit woods like apple, plum, cherry, and nectarine are easy to carve but dry very hard, so you can make spoons that are both thin and strong. A friend of mine mostly carves spoons out of invasive species, so that he’s removing weeds from native ecosystems and turning them into something useful. I really like this approach, so I like using weeds like privet, box elder, and jacaranda. I also love using native Australian woods when I can get them, particularly casuarina, blackwood, silvertop ash, native cherry, and banksia. They’re all quite hard, even when freshly cut, but make for extremely strong, thin spoons with pretty grain patterns. I’ve used softer woods like polar and willow as well, but I found them a little too soft and fibrous to be enjoyable. </span></div>
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<b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">V: Apart from spoons, what other things do you carve? And maybe something you are eager to try to carve that you still haven't done?</b><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>R: </b>There are lots of things I love to carve, but they’re all quite similar to spoons! For example, I often use smaller, thinner pieces of wood to make butter spreaders, while I’ll try to keep larger pieces to make bowls or cups. Cups are one of my favourite things to make, but I don’t get hold of suitable wood very often. I’ve also recently started carving wooden toys, which are really fun. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One thing I haven’t tried yet is a krympberk or ‘shrink pot’. This is a fresh branch or log that you drill all the way through to make a hollow tube. You then carve a base for it out of dry wood and fit it to the tube. As the green wood dries it shrinks and grips the base (which doesn’t shrink), creating an airtight seal. No glue is used at all, just the natural properties of wood. Shrink pots were used as airtight and watertight containers in Europe before coopered barrels were invented around 2,000 years ago, but they’re still useful for lots of different things today. I’ve seen them used to make pencil cases, which is something I really want to do. The other project I’ve had in mind for a long time is a chess set. I’d love to carve all the pieces and kolrose the board, but it will take me a long time.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: If you were asked to pick only one type of wood as a favourite to carve with, what would that be and why? And is there a specific wood that you dream on working with one day?</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>R: </b>If I could only carve one type of wood it would have to be pear. Softer woods are physically easier to carve, while harder and denser woods allow you to carve thinner, smoother, more detailed, and more durable spoons. Pear is the perfect combination of these qualities. It’s also a very beautiful wood, ranging from a pale, creamy white to a deep, mellow golden colour, and it’s perfect for kolrosing. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In terms of a dream wood, I would love to come to Norway or Sweden and carve birch one day. The tradition of carving spoons from fresh, green wood was kept alive in Norway and Sweden, so even though I’m on the other side of the world I still carve spoons that are influenced by the Scandinvavian tradition. Birch was the most traditional wood used in Scandinavian spoon carving, and was the wood traditionally used for kolrosing, so I dream of visiting and carving some spoons from it one day. Am I allowed to say a second one? I also dream of carving rowan. It’s always been my favourite tree, originally because when I was very young I thought it had the same name as me, and later because it’s a beautiful tree that grows in my favourite place (mountains) and is steeped in mythology. So birch and rowan are my dream timbers. </span></div>
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<b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">V: It is maybe a very stupid question but can one sometimes find surprises inside a piece of wood while you carve? Or is it so that you have quite a good control on what you can expect inside from the knowledge of the type of wood you have chosen and also through what you see on the outside?</b><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>R: </b>Not stupid at all! There are some people who have an incredible understanding of wood and can predict how it will behave, but I’m not one of them. I can usually tell if a tree is likely to have interlocking or twisted grain that makes it difficult to carve (for example, if it was grown by itself in a windy, exposed location), but I’m still frequently surprised by twisted grain or knots I didn’t expect to be there. I also get nice surprises quite often, such as splitting open a log and finding more vibrant colours than I expected. </span><br />
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<b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">V: Can you take us through the "typical" process when you turn wood into a spoon?</b><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>R: </b>I get logs from lots of different sources. I have friends who are carvers and who are very generous in sharing wood with me, while I’ll also try to get some when tree surgeons are working in my local area, when trees come down in storms, or when family and friends prune trees in their backyards. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You can carve a spoon from either the branch of a tree or from the trunk. Either way, the first step is to saw the log down to a couple of centimetres longer than the intended spoon. The next step is to split the log with an axe. The centre of a log contains pith, which is the soft, spongy stem that transports nutrients around a tree. If you leave the pith in your spoon, it will dry much faster than the surrounding wood and will cause cracks. In some species, like elder, the pith is so soft that you can poke it out with a skewer, but normally you need to split it away. So I split the log by placing an axe right across the pith then striking the axe with a wooden mallet. If I’m using a branch I’ll split it in half to make two spoons, but for larger logs I might split it four, eight, or even sixteen times, so you can make a lot of spoons out of a relatively small piece of wood. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Once I’ve split the log I’ll use a small carving axe to remove the bark and the pith and turn the wood into a spoon-sized rectangle of wood called a billet. The next step is to carve the ‘crank’ into the billet. Most factory-made wooden cooking spoons are completely flat from the end of the handle to the tip of the bowl, whereas most metal eating spoons have a handle that rises up from the bowl at an angle. Spoon carvers call this angle crank, and it’s what makes a spoon comfortable to eat with or functional for serving food with. I carve the crank by axing from the top of the handle down towards the back of the bowl, then coming back and axing from the front of the bowl towards the back of the bowl. This creates a gently curved billet. I then draw an outline of the spoon I want to carve on the top surface of the billet with a pencil, then use the axe to carve as close to the lines as possible. Once this is done I use a knife to carve it all the way to the lines, then use a hook-shaped knife to scoop out most of the bowl. I then use the straight knife to carve the top and bottom surfaces of the spoon, then come back and finish the hollowing the bowl with a different, smoother hook knife. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It’s easier to get a smoother, nicer finish on spoons once they’re dried a little, so I’ll usually set a spoon aside to dry for a few days, then come back and go over it again with the knives. From start to finish it takes around two hours.</span></div>
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<span class="im"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>V: Could you tell us a bit about kolrosing?</b></span></span><br />
<b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">R: </b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kolrosing is a form of decoration that involves holding a knife like a pen and using the sharp tip make a very thin cut in the top surface of the spoon. You then fill the cut with a mixture of oil and a pigment like coffee or cinnamon. This creates a dark line that can be used to make all sorts of patterns. If you can draw it with a pencil you can kolrose it! I’ve heard kolrosing compared to tattooing wood, but it’s most closely related to scrimshaw, which is the same technique of filling carved lines with pigment but on bone instead of wood. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kolrosing dates back to at least the Vikings, when crushed bark or coal dust was used as the pigment. It’s been practiced continually since then, particularly by the Sámi People of northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Kolrosing is my favourite part of spoon carving. The only problem is that it only works with certain woods. If a wood has open pores, like ash, the pigment soaks into the pores and stains the whole spoon rather than just filling the lines. It also needs to be a pale wood, because there are no natural pigments that stay white, so it can’t really be done on dark woods. It also helps if the wood is dense and close-grained. So pear is the best wood I’ve tried, but privet, cherry, box elder, apple, and poplar also work well. Birch was traditionally used, so I’d love to try kolrosing birch one day. </span></div>
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<b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">V: Do you find wood carving to be a meditative craft for you and what does this craft hold of meaning to you?</b><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>R: </b>Absolutely! I normally describe it as creating a flow state, but the concept is very similar. It is an immersive activity that forces you to slow down and focus on small details and movements. It’s very easy to become completely absorbed in carving and lose track of time, and even more so with kolrosing. So I think it’s enormously beneficial psychologically. </span></div>
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<b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">V: How would you decribe the experience of eating with a hand carved wooden spoon to a person who haven't tried it yet?</b><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>R: </b>I think the best thing about eating with a carved wooden spoon is its gentle warmth. A wooden spoon doesn’t get hot when you eat hot food or cold when you eat cold food. I didn’t realise how unpleasant a hot or cold metal spoon can be until I started eating with wooden spoons. It’s also a much quieter experience, because you don’t have the sound of metal scraping on ceramic. There’s a growing field of research into the mental health benefits of incorporating wood into your life, whether it’s wood panelling or wooden spoons. Humans seem to have a natural affinity with wood, so eating breakfast with a wooden spoon is just a really positive, pleasant way to start the day. </span></div>
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<span class="im"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>V: What is your very favourite thing to eat with a wooden spoon? I think mine is porridge...or ice-cream. </b></span></span><br />
<span class="im"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>R: </b>Great minds think alike! Porridge and ice-cream are my favourites too, though I also use wooden spoons for things like rice, stir fries, and salads. Soup is wonderful with a wooden spoon, but you do need a spoon with a deeper bowl for it to work really well. They’re quite tricky to make, so I’m only just getting the hang of making nice soup spoons. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZEPEz0_6AcRCIBx1E94p7fMBlkSOHmTfyypMta583uGtZX1nargV_Sp6E1Ipmfugb2aT-Mz6yKeS0PlP76PczivQr6wsxiWMOvrMU8KrjfvljeHfZL4qdViSeacHLDIOmzfGfbuPExJs/s1600/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_1a5e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZEPEz0_6AcRCIBx1E94p7fMBlkSOHmTfyypMta583uGtZX1nargV_Sp6E1Ipmfugb2aT-Mz6yKeS0PlP76PczivQr6wsxiWMOvrMU8KrjfvljeHfZL4qdViSeacHLDIOmzfGfbuPExJs/s640/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_1a5e.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The cup I bought from Alex Yerks. It’s my favourite cup, so I take it everywhere from hiking to work instead of a takeaway coffee cup. </span></td></tr>
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<b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">V: If you were to learn a new craft what would that be and why?</b><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>R: </b>Knitting! I’ve always loved knitting, all the way back to when my grandmother knitted me a teddy bear called Hamish, then knitted Hamish and I matching red jumpers. My wife, Jess, taught herself to knit a couple of years before I started carving spoons, so we’ve been learning our separate crafts alongside each other for a few years. I asked Jess to teach me to knit, so I’ve just finished my first practice square. I’m hoping to make a scarf over the next few months. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V: What inspires you?</span></b><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>R: </b>I find inspiration in a lot of places. Since my job involves spending a lot of time thinking about the past, I do take a lot of inspiration from history. For example, in my work I discovered that the first people to spend a night sleeping on Antarctica were two Sámi men called Per Savio and Ole Must. They had their carved wooden cups called guksi with them, so that story inspired my interest in carving cups. I find inspiration in a lot of books and poetry too. One of my recent kolrosing patterns was inspired by the opening line of ‘Crossing the Bar’ by Alfred, Lord Tennyson; “Sunset and evening star, and one clear call for me”. Another one was the constellation Lyra, because Jess and I had just finished listening to the audiobook of </span><i style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">His Dark Materials </i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">by Philip Pullman, and one of the main characters in the series is called Lyra. It’s our favourite book, so I felt I had to do a Lyra spoon! More generally, I also find inspiration in nature, particularly the mountains and the sea, and in mythology. </span></div>
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<b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">V: Apart from carving what do you like using your time on?</b><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>R: </b>Work and carving take up most of my time, but I’m fortunate to have both a job and a hobby I love. I also like hiking, I’m learning to knit, and I’m constantly trying to improve my cooking skills. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinaAMx7KPy2GZQbfiovoobrrPAxOP8kKkHbReaZCYC9FnUQg6fxQrdNyqQ2gY_e7T5vUVgKtYAQK8LxlrjjGnnVlCEJJdKYjpFJ9U5f0MkMP1d3g0DhF442VCFewJwM6WZCZhgnZ7bnUQ/s1600/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_1aa1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinaAMx7KPy2GZQbfiovoobrrPAxOP8kKkHbReaZCYC9FnUQg6fxQrdNyqQ2gY_e7T5vUVgKtYAQK8LxlrjjGnnVlCEJJdKYjpFJ9U5f0MkMP1d3g0DhF442VCFewJwM6WZCZhgnZ7bnUQ/s640/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_1aa1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A photograph of me around halfway up Mount Kosciuszko.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOm_guV00yWQFSNbO2vjLVbtLH1qHqzbCw1-Ch7djbSWm5fAFb5r0Keh5YUWNGlg63QZ9s148Qxz1HGOmUGV1tXKY_pguJoawXdd6GqJiaCdYf0bZ74cmnZoynUmZ24U_P36E2j0H6LMs/s1600/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_1ac9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOm_guV00yWQFSNbO2vjLVbtLH1qHqzbCw1-Ch7djbSWm5fAFb5r0Keh5YUWNGlg63QZ9s148Qxz1HGOmUGV1tXKY_pguJoawXdd6GqJiaCdYf0bZ74cmnZoynUmZ24U_P36E2j0H6LMs/s640/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_1ac9.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Using our cups at the top of Mount Kosciuszko. I bought the cup on the right from an American spoon carver called Alex Yerks back when I was first starting out. I then made the cup on the left when Alex came to Australia and taught a workshop on how to carve them.</span></td></tr>
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<span class="im"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>V: Last december you and your wife hiked to the top of Mount Kosciuszko (the highest point in Australia). Which had been a long-held dream of yours. Do you have a dream you hope to fullfill this year?</b></span></span><br />
<b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">R: </b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My dreams are quite modest for this year compared to last year! The trip to Kosciusko was something we’d planned for a few years as a way to celebrate finishing my PhD. This year I’d like to knit a scarf and complete some new hikes near our home. I do have a lot of other long-held dreams though. I’ve always loved Norway, so I dream of visiting Norway and Sweden, and possibly spending some time carving and learning Norwegian. I also dream of visiting the island of St Kilda in Scotland, which I’ve loved since I first read about it around six years ago. </span></div>
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<span class="im"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>V: A quote or saying that has a special meaning to you and why?</b></span></span><br />
<b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">R: </b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There are lots, but I can narrow it down to two from </span><i style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">His Dark Materials</i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> by Philip Pullman. The first is “</span><i style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">For a human being, nothing comes naturally. We have to learn everything we do.” </i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The second is “</span><i style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Tell them stories. They need the truth. You must tell them true stories, and everything will be well, just tell them stories.” </i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I see this is a reminder that storytelling is one of the most important things we do as human beings to communicate with each other and make meaning in our lives. </span></div>
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<span class="im"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>V: Thank you so much for having taken the time to answer all my questions. And for letting me share about you here on my blog! It has been such a lovely and inspiring experience getting to know you a little bit better. I thought it could be a nice way to end our conversation with asking you w</b></span></span><b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">hat you are most grateful for in your life right now?</b><br />
<b style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">R:</b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> I’m grateful for many things, but the day before I received your questions I happened to be thinking about how grateful I am that I started spoon carving. Not only is it a deeply enjoyable hobby, but it’s given me a much healthier work-life balance. I used to struggle to switch off from work, but spoon carving has really helped to make my life healthier and more balanced. I’ve also made friendships through spoon carving that have enriched my life. I’ve always been quite shy, but carving is just a great way to create connections with people. So right now I’m most grateful to Jess for showing me the article that sparked my whole obsession with spoons. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/polarsloyd/" target="_blank">@polarsloyd</a></span></div>
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Vibeke http://www.blogger.com/profile/12723808974423731561noreply@blogger.com0