HEARTFELT DOLLS:
FOOL'S ERRAND OR HEROINE'S JOURNEY?
Sometimes in our life
we are blessed with something that makes
our heart pound,
our fingers tingle,
our minds race,
our soul sing,
that animates our spirit.
It may be a person or a place;
an art form or a leisure pursuit;
a spiritual practice or 'house of belonging'.
When we embrace this grace with an open mind and an open heart,
we are transformed.
For me, this grace is revealed through my doll making.
Each doll shares a part of my own self,
has a story embedded in the materials used to create it,
reflects an aspect of the human condition,
is a balm to the disquieted soul.
we are blessed with something that makes
our heart pound,
our fingers tingle,
our minds race,
our soul sing,
that animates our spirit.
It may be a person or a place;
an art form or a leisure pursuit;
a spiritual practice or 'house of belonging'.
When we embrace this grace with an open mind and an open heart,
we are transformed.
For me, this grace is revealed through my doll making.
Each doll shares a part of my own self,
has a story embedded in the materials used to create it,
reflects an aspect of the human condition,
is a balm to the disquieted soul.
"Whenever you are creating beauty around you,
you are restoring your own soul."
Alice Walker
This is how I feel when I create with textiles,
and especially when I make dolls.
My whole being comes alive.
I am energised but reflective.
I am busy but still.
I am focused but open to inspiration and new direction.
I am engrossed but attentive to the voices of that which I am bringing into being.
I am alone but connected with all those on our earth who are experiencing these feelings.
I want to share in Anne Heck's vision to
"... inspire and guide women to connect with their emotional and spiritual selves."
and in Pamela Hasting's dream to
" ... delight in the creativity that we all possess,
and help others to discover their own gifts..."
I want to do this because I know and live the benefits of a creative practice.
I want to do this because I firmly believe that creativity heals and transforms.
I want to do this because I know that dolls speak to our innermost being.
So is this dream a Fool's Errand or a Heroine's Journey?
you are restoring your own soul."
Alice Walker
This is how I feel when I create with textiles,
and especially when I make dolls.
My whole being comes alive.
I am energised but reflective.
I am busy but still.
I am focused but open to inspiration and new direction.
I am engrossed but attentive to the voices of that which I am bringing into being.
I am alone but connected with all those on our earth who are experiencing these feelings.
I want to share in Anne Heck's vision to
"... inspire and guide women to connect with their emotional and spiritual selves."
and in Pamela Hasting's dream to
" ... delight in the creativity that we all possess,
and help others to discover their own gifts..."
I want to do this because I know and live the benefits of a creative practice.
I want to do this because I firmly believe that creativity heals and transforms.
I want to do this because I know that dolls speak to our innermost being.
So is this dream a Fool's Errand or a Heroine's Journey?
"DON'T CALL IT A DREAM.
CALL IT A PLAN."
This is a radical departure:
an invitation to think laterally;
a call for an attitudinal change.
Sigh!
Where do I find courage to step out of my comfort zone?
How do I stay true to my desire to leave only a small footprint on this earth?
How do I engage others in my dream?
How do I provide opportunities for creativity and transformation for others
while still nurturing my own self?
How do I visualise a shape for this dream?
And then how do I embody this shape?
It strikes me that doll making can be a metaphor for this process.
Welcoming an idea.
Dialoguing with it.
Creating a pattern to guide the process.
Auditioning and choosing the materials you need.
Noting how this process is a seed bed for new and tangential ideas.
Trusting the process. Trusting my advisors. Trusting my own self.
Listening. Listening. Listening.
A Fool's Errand or a Heroine's Journey?
an invitation to think laterally;
a call for an attitudinal change.
Sigh!
Where do I find courage to step out of my comfort zone?
How do I stay true to my desire to leave only a small footprint on this earth?
How do I engage others in my dream?
How do I provide opportunities for creativity and transformation for others
while still nurturing my own self?
How do I visualise a shape for this dream?
And then how do I embody this shape?
It strikes me that doll making can be a metaphor for this process.
Welcoming an idea.
Dialoguing with it.
Creating a pattern to guide the process.
Auditioning and choosing the materials you need.
Noting how this process is a seed bed for new and tangential ideas.
Trusting the process. Trusting my advisors. Trusting my own self.
Listening. Listening. Listening.
A Fool's Errand or a Heroine's Journey?
"TAKE WHAT YOU HAVE
AND USE IT TO CREATE WHAT YOU WANT."
I am rich in resources -
materials and fabrics,
yarns and threads,
sewing notions and embellishments,
strong original ideas and designs,
time and skills,
friends and family who support and encourage me, and
a love of the art and craft of doll making.
However, I am at a crossroads.
I am seeking meaningful work which will provide for me financially.
Thus far, doll making which I find meaningful and soul-nurturing,
does not pay the bills:-(
How do I change from
"That is a great idea, BUT ..."
to
"That is a great idea, AND THEN I could ..."?
How do I transform a life-giving practice into meaningful work?
A Fool's Errand or a Heroine's Journey?
materials and fabrics,
yarns and threads,
sewing notions and embellishments,
strong original ideas and designs,
time and skills,
friends and family who support and encourage me, and
a love of the art and craft of doll making.
However, I am at a crossroads.
I am seeking meaningful work which will provide for me financially.
Thus far, doll making which I find meaningful and soul-nurturing,
does not pay the bills:-(
How do I change from
"That is a great idea, BUT ..."
to
"That is a great idea, AND THEN I could ..."?
How do I transform a life-giving practice into meaningful work?
A Fool's Errand or a Heroine's Journey?
SO MUCH PROMISE ...
Pablo Picasso said,
"I start with an idea,
and then it becomes something else."
I have hundreds of ideas -
folders of designs scribbled onto whatever is available,
large sheets of brown paper covered with brainstorming,
cases of dolls and figurative sculptures and knitted breasts,
languishing in rooms around the house; and
textiles which invite transformation.
So much promise.
So little fulfillment.
How do I realise their potential ...
and mine?
How do I take this idea -
of transformative and healing doll making -
and make it into something else?
Something robust and yet tender?
Something that matches my strengths with my desires?
Something that carries me and those in transition across this liminal space?
Something that contributes to the common good?
Something that reveals the essence of what it is to be a unique human being with one precious life?
A Fool's Errand or a Heroine's Journey?
"I start with an idea,
and then it becomes something else."
I have hundreds of ideas -
folders of designs scribbled onto whatever is available,
large sheets of brown paper covered with brainstorming,
cases of dolls and figurative sculptures and knitted breasts,
languishing in rooms around the house; and
textiles which invite transformation.
So much promise.
So little fulfillment.
How do I realise their potential ...
and mine?
How do I take this idea -
of transformative and healing doll making -
and make it into something else?
Something robust and yet tender?
Something that matches my strengths with my desires?
Something that carries me and those in transition across this liminal space?
Something that contributes to the common good?
Something that reveals the essence of what it is to be a unique human being with one precious life?
A Fool's Errand or a Heroine's Journey?
A YEARNING TO CREATE
|
Dieter Uchtdorf said,
"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul." How do I tap into this yearning to create - in myself and in those I encounter? How do I enable, empower and encourage myself and others? Where do I find a business model that reflects my spiritual, philosophical and ethical values? How do I demonstrate good stewardship of all that I have - relationships, intellect, creativity, resources? How do I pass on a desire in others NOT to just copy, but to explore and find that which makes their heart sing? How do I give voice to their dream? Is this all castles in the air, a pipe dream? A Fool's Errand or a Heroine's Journey? |
CREATING A HEART SPACE
For me 'Heart Space' is another name for a meaningful, life-giving, life-sustaining environment.
This heart space would be healing and transformative.
This heart space would invite a change of ideas and collective consciousness.
This heart space would be inclusive and collaborative.
This heart space would challenge and provoke.
This heart space would encourage and enable and empower.
There are so many aspects to consider.
A physical space to work, to share, to exhibit or display,
to store, to workshop,
to incubate ideas, to recharge.
An emotional space which embraces
growth and change,
grief and rebirth,
encounter and rejection.
A spiritual space that creates pause,
is meditative and attentive,
is invitational and welcoming.
A social space that values each individual as a unique creation -
worthy and precious -
and adapts to their needs.
Am I asking too much of a dream?
A Fool's Errand or a Heroine's Journey?
This heart space would be healing and transformative.
This heart space would invite a change of ideas and collective consciousness.
This heart space would be inclusive and collaborative.
This heart space would challenge and provoke.
This heart space would encourage and enable and empower.
There are so many aspects to consider.
A physical space to work, to share, to exhibit or display,
to store, to workshop,
to incubate ideas, to recharge.
An emotional space which embraces
growth and change,
grief and rebirth,
encounter and rejection.
A spiritual space that creates pause,
is meditative and attentive,
is invitational and welcoming.
A social space that values each individual as a unique creation -
worthy and precious -
and adapts to their needs.
Am I asking too much of a dream?
A Fool's Errand or a Heroine's Journey?
ENABLING SOCIAL CHANGE
Barb Kobe encapsulates the philosophy underpinning my creative practice when she writes,
"Subtle Activism is an activity of consciousness or spirit,
such as prayer, meditation, or ecstatic dance, or art
intended to support collective healing and social change.
Subtle Activism grows from the idea that there are many effective ways –
some newly emerging, many as old as humanity –
to positively influence social change other than overt political action.
My dolls are my way of taking subtle action and be a creative activist."
I suggest that my dolls, too, are a way of taking subtle action.
I want to be a creative activist and help bring about positive change in my community.
I know dolls can bring about collective healing through
my "In the Pink" exhibitions, increasing awareness about Breast Cancer;
through my dolls exploring the social evils of Domestic Violence, and workplace bullying;
through dolls challenging gender stereotypes;
through my labyrinthine installations encouraging each to journey to the centre;
through the evocative and provocative use of textiles.
How do I bring this passion to a larger audience?
A Fool's Errand or a Heroine's Journey?
THE DREAM
There are several strands to my dream.
I dream of a studio practice where I can work,
where others can interact as I create,
where the process is evident for all to see.
I dream of display space where dolls and textile art can give voice to an issue,
where they can provoke and console,
where they can invite participation and interaction.
I dream of a resource space open to all,
to inform and delight,
to challenge and encourage,
to offer alternatives.
I dream of a quiet space to invite pause,
a labyrinth, a meditation room,
a place set apart.
I dream of a place of encounter,
of healing,
of transformation.
A Fool's Errand or a Heroine's Journey?
I dream of a studio practice where I can work,
where others can interact as I create,
where the process is evident for all to see.
I dream of display space where dolls and textile art can give voice to an issue,
where they can provoke and console,
where they can invite participation and interaction.
I dream of a resource space open to all,
to inform and delight,
to challenge and encourage,
to offer alternatives.
I dream of a quiet space to invite pause,
a labyrinth, a meditation room,
a place set apart.
I dream of a place of encounter,
of healing,
of transformation.
A Fool's Errand or a Heroine's Journey?