I think it is the tangible proof of having done a thing that gets me. Whether it is knitting or gardening or cooking or stacking firewood- I learned a lot of these skills growing up - you can see and touch what you have done. Unlike my paid work which is usually ephemeral.
Your readers should know your focaccia won an art competition in a pandemic era exhibit. I’m sure they’d be in MoMA’s permanent collection if they were constructed of archival materials.
My favorite line in this wonderful post is: "I stood there for a while, smiling for the first time in days as my neighbor used his music to decorate time."
...used his music to decorate time...
I can't say I'm a craftivist, not because I'm averse to crafts, but simply because I've really never developed any abilities in crafts. But I do believe I understand Kirketerp's observation about how crafts can induce calmness, because I derive the same calmness through a kind of distant relative of craftivism, which is the work of maintaining a home, the carpentry and painting, the plumbing repairs and the electrical repairs, the seasonal tasks of shoveling snow, splitting wood, pruning trees, and cutting meadowgrass, the perpetual effort to sustain a house as a home.
The calmness arises in the aftermath, the best part of such work. Showered and dressed, a glass of wine in hand, I'll go outside to where I'd spent hours working that day on one task or another. I'll pause to gaze at a stacked woodpile or a trimmed tree, a repaired fence or a cleared meadow. I'll sense the physicality of the effort I just made, often considerable. I'll revel in the completion of that effort, a safer home. And suddenly, calmness arises from within and radiates throughout, as if cellular in its ubiquity. As I wrote, it's the best part of such work, the most glorious part.
Beautiful and inspiring post. What you all get from crafting I get from gardening. That flow state is real and apart from giving the brain a rest it creates space for unexpected insight. Win-win-win - the third win being the vegetables, flowers, focaccia, sweaters, jewelry, or whatever is created in the process. Keep at it, ladies!
I think it is the tangible proof of having done a thing that gets me. Whether it is knitting or gardening or cooking or stacking firewood- I learned a lot of these skills growing up - you can see and touch what you have done. Unlike my paid work which is usually ephemeral.
Exactly. Making jam also works for me. You end up with a cute colorful tasty little jar of goodness.
Also, hello! I think I have known both of you in real life, at least a little bit. It is fun to discover a new connection between you.
Your readers should know your focaccia won an art competition in a pandemic era exhibit. I’m sure they’d be in MoMA’s permanent collection if they were constructed of archival materials.
😁
Dear Ellen and Jennifer,
My favorite line in this wonderful post is: "I stood there for a while, smiling for the first time in days as my neighbor used his music to decorate time."
...used his music to decorate time...
I can't say I'm a craftivist, not because I'm averse to crafts, but simply because I've really never developed any abilities in crafts. But I do believe I understand Kirketerp's observation about how crafts can induce calmness, because I derive the same calmness through a kind of distant relative of craftivism, which is the work of maintaining a home, the carpentry and painting, the plumbing repairs and the electrical repairs, the seasonal tasks of shoveling snow, splitting wood, pruning trees, and cutting meadowgrass, the perpetual effort to sustain a house as a home.
The calmness arises in the aftermath, the best part of such work. Showered and dressed, a glass of wine in hand, I'll go outside to where I'd spent hours working that day on one task or another. I'll pause to gaze at a stacked woodpile or a trimmed tree, a repaired fence or a cleared meadow. I'll sense the physicality of the effort I just made, often considerable. I'll revel in the completion of that effort, a safer home. And suddenly, calmness arises from within and radiates throughout, as if cellular in its ubiquity. As I wrote, it's the best part of such work, the most glorious part.
--Bob
And this is very poignant: “And suddenly, calmness arises from within and radiates throughout, as if cellular in its ubiquity. “
Bob, thanks as always! I think working on your house counts. My friend Melinda commented that gardening has the same effect on her.
Beautiful and inspiring post. What you all get from crafting I get from gardening. That flow state is real and apart from giving the brain a rest it creates space for unexpected insight. Win-win-win - the third win being the vegetables, flowers, focaccia, sweaters, jewelry, or whatever is created in the process. Keep at it, ladies!
You are a very talented gardener. I enjoy my visits to the lodge to help you pick berries and veggies.
I loved every word of this! All so true. Thanks for the shoutout too. That focaccia is a masterpiece!
Thanks, Ann! ❤️