Results tagged "Crafts"

I took this picture the day before Josephine was born. I remember thinking that I was all wrong about this baby coming earlier than predicted… I even muttered that she was right on for the target date — May 23rd. A few short hours later I was in labor… a few even shorter minutes later, she was here. Now she’s gurgling in a baby “soother” next to me while I type.

Since then, things have become more and more clear despite the rather chaotic scene that surrounds me. But when I say “clear” I have to admit that I’m focused almost entirely on the smallest of small…. Like details that I missed or couldn’t grasp in a pregnancy haze. For example, we had been talking for weeks about finally adding the missing leaf to our kitchen table — so as to allow dining comfort for our growing family and the host of guests that have already been penciled in for the upcoming months. And I know — this is way beyond boring. I mean WHY am I blogging about this? Who cares — and more importantly — WHY ARE YOU READING THIS? But the point isn’t about how small the universe becomes when there is an infant in the room… it’s about how much bigger all of the small things seem to be. While we tried and tried to pull apart the table so as to accommodate the missing leaf, our frustrations grew and grew. Why hadn’t we ever attempted this before? We paid for a big table — were we EVER going to get to use it? The whole thing was beginning to feel like a ShamWOW! commercial when suddenly, whilst I was dozing off for a few minutes in the wee hours, I remembered the latches underneath the table. Unhook them and let the growth begin. In our haste and impatience we had cursed the table to no end when really — all we had to do was look underneath. Life, my friends, should never be so difficult.

I could be über pessimistic about this…

But that isn’t going to solve anything.

When I started designing on my own I was squeezed into a 2nd bedroom that shared several guests…. Jump forward 5 years I was in a lofty barn with wood floors and exposed piping… a designer’s dream… another 5 years later, I was alone in a 10×10′ room with more equipment and office supplies than anyone should be allowed to possess. Last year I found myself back in a similar 2nd bedroom with guests AND a toddler that loved to wreak havoc on anything computerized. It was time. I picked it all up again and descended to the basement… Several months later I am still in boxes and crates… more than half of my work is displaced throughout the house… disorder, anxiety, chaos.

The time has come and I started today… I am making this space into a design friendly room that will also work for my son and husband (who like to use the room from time to time too… )…

How I waited this long, I will never know.

A few weeks ago I was riding in an elevator with a lovely friend of Asian descent.

She was looking at a brooch that I had pinned to my bag.. having read about it before, she was familiar with it and commented on how easy it would be to recreate the design. I agreed, but then blurted out some serious nonsense about how borrowing the idea from someone was somewhat of a creative conflict… She then laughed and said “Well, I’m Chinese, so I want to mass produce everything…”, which was way funnier at the time… and I guess that you totally had to have been there to appreciate it… but WHATEVER – it wouldn’t hurt to LAUGH, would it? I then realized that I had forgotten something on the 22nd floor, from where we had just left, and she rode back up with me, and down again too. LOVE, people. That is what you CALL IT.

And so, after my many elevator rides with some of my favorite people, and a few days to let the idea of taking the originality of someone else and modifying it to make it my own, I didn’t hesitate. Because it is the middle of August… which, in my world is a haven for boredom… which is basically a rip tide when it comes to doing things just for the hell of it… sweeping you out to sea without a chance to paddle back… grasping for the need to do something… when swimming parallel to the shore is the only thing that can help — and its the last thing you think about. And, yes, we might just be talking about felt, pins and needles… but it could be living proof that the middle of August hates me.

With a mad dash to the nearest craft supply warehouse, suspiciously coined – “Michael’s”, I stood in front of the many color choices…My inner Me shouting – “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH RYAN?!!?”, as I blatantly ignored Myself and started heaving piles of fabric (inexpensively priced at .29 a sheet) into the cart… “I’m Doing this, DAMMIT.”… the words were trailing behind me as I put on blinders through the scrap-booking section where people have been known to disappear forever… Who knows what will happen next! I wouldn’t let myself look at the fake flowers, the bunt cake pans were piled high–singing to me from the decorative baking aisle, and I held strong at the check-out… I will remain true to myself in some sense of the word… but please, get me THE ‘F’ OUT OF HERE! As I left before the hives reached my visible skin…

The brooches were being produced at rapid speeds… making me realize that at about $1.00 of production costs per brooch — I AM GOLDEN. My fingers sewing like never before… cutting tiny petals out of a fabric that once made me cringe. “This is it”, I thought. “This is where I am… Look at it. I am making one for EVERYONE I KNOW. Why didn’t I THINK OF THIS BEFORE?!?! I AM A GODDESS OF CRAFT.” It was around this time that I started to get a creeping sense that a giant ‘L’ was beginning to bubble out from my forehead. Quietly, I put the needle down and started to rethink the situation.

A few days later — okay, YESTERDAY, to be exact (sheesh!). I had a call from another great friend who happens to also be an amazing and very accomplished artist. He called to chat about August, and how nothing is happening because no one is doing anything. Sounding frustrated and tired… it was clear that he too was exhausted from the boredom, and what should he do…  to which I advised — Nothing. Don’t do anything. Because it was during this conversation that I was reminded of my last trip to his studio where we talked about my own artistic direction and when I was going to start doing something… While lately I find myself starting so many things without meaning or thought. Like tiny felt brooches that are now festering all over my house.. happy that they picked me to cozy up with because they just KNOW that I can’t waste anything… Damn those little buggers–that also happen to be super cute and look great on everything.

And with this exasperated attempt to DO SOMETHING out of the way, I now feel like I can move on to bigger and better things… you know, like having a life… Exploring my options on what to do next — Looking for the ever elusive hope of direction while desperately wanting August to end. And while I ask… Please! If you love me… or at the very least like me a little… let me send you a brooch. FREE (!)… and minus all kinds of neurosis.. You’ll be doing me more than a small favor, I promise!

Just what the hell is going on?

No one likes to sit too long on one topic, but something was brought to my attention over the weekend regarding a post from last week that has me a little perplexed. Because I really don’t care about how other people live their lives.. I really don’t. I’m so totally into my own life that what others are doing is, well, whatever works for them… So long as no one is getting hurt or being wronged in some fashion… go ahead and DO IT. You want to wear that silly hat… ride your adult tricycle in the middle of traffic… act like a monkey… get plastic surgery until you’re no longer human… eat bugs… grunt really loudly… worship warlords… worship nothing… sing when inspired… argue with the garbage… overindulge… date circus clowns… act like a mascot… face paint… streak… BE GAY…. WHAT HAVE YOU. Go ahead… And while your at it.. BE HAPPY… Find someone to spend the rest of your life with… LAUGH, ENJOY — I do everyday, and I’m QUITE PLEASED WITH MYSELF (shocker!). I can’t promise that others may not approve, but honestly — as long as my family, friends and (Ahhemm) I, are happy as can be and unaffected… JUST DO IT.

But don’t expect anything from me either. Don’t expect a reaction or attention… because apparently expectations will just be wasted thus causing you to “kinda really dislike” me. Because, I never acknowledged how you have chosen to live your life… which is in no way part of my life. Not because I didn’t notice, and perhaps because, I just simply don’t care. But was I supposed to?

I mean… $5.00 Balloon. Really. How much did you care that you cost FIVE DOLLARS? And were you offended that the more popular star shaped balloons were TEN DOLLARS? Would you have bought yourself and made the life decision to be a square balloon, if only for your own happiness… Only to get super angry and hateful when one of the other balloons didn’t pay you your idea of props? And in moving forward, is one supposed to take notice every time a square balloon is present.. As in, Dudes…that balloon IS SQUARE? Pay special attention… bow and courtesy? While, after further investigation, my blindsightedness on this matter may have actually resulted a whole bunch of other, completely unrelated square balloons not liking me? Really?

And, although I am totally aware that there are millions of other balloons out there… all shapes and sizes, all floating around… doing what ever it is that balloons do… I might just be me and not care about spending five bucks — regardless of how typically round you might be and completely aware of how much time I am wasting.

Much Love,
Ry

PS. Avoid corners and sharp objects — I expect you to last for, at the very least, one month.