Yet to be categorized.
This year saw me back to familiar places,
Welcomed old friends into new houses of their very own,
Watched me move 5 times…
Including moving back to my parents house,
Reminded me of the pure joy and energy of young children,
Gave me the strength and the curiosity to follow my dreams,
And reconnected me with old and true friends,
I wish you only the same as you look back on 2005 and usher in (ready or not) 2006.
Happy holidays to everyone from the Georgia coast, where instead of warming my hands on cups of coffee I am instead baking in the coastal sun hanging out with the world’s smallest ceramic Christmas tree! There is even pan flute music on the stereo, which is all part of the holiday experience in my family- the one part that makes me happiest Christmas is only once a year.
Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, the New Year (atleast in this part of the world) is upon us, which is exciting even though I find people tend to universally agree that New Year’s Eve is the most overrated holiday ever. As usual plans are still up in the air for me, but I am already slated to spend it with some of my favorite people, which never fails to entertain.
For the past three weeks, I have been posting ethical gift ideas for this holiday season and this 4th Friday is no different. Seeing that it’s the 24th and that Hanukkah starts tomorrow and Christmas day is tomorrow, if you haven’t already done your shopping, frankly you’re a bit screwed. If you’re still stumped for an idea for someone’s holiday gift, I suggest donating some money to a charitable cause close to that person’s heart. It could be $5, it could be $50, the amount doesn’t matter. Most organizations allow you to donate online and to give money in someone else’s name, so it’s a gift that continues to give after the holidays are over *and* is easy to do!
This year my charity of choice is Heifer International, which not only helps people all over the world thrive, but also makes sure the earth is taken well care of, too. By giving needy families animals which they can use (not to mention love!), your donation will go towards improving their economic status, allowing them to become reliant on themselves and assuring food on their table. Their gift catalog can be found here– when is the last time you gave a share of a water buffalo to your aunt instead of quirky cocktail napkins? Or your brother bees? Seriously, how awesome would it be to have a hive of bees given to a family in the Dominican Republic in your name? Bees!! Awesome!
Although there are some holiday seasons where giving gifts just isn’t an option or isn’t the way you choose to celebrate this time of year. The number of gifts I am giving this year are limited due to my economic status as well as my wanting to fully enjoy the concentrated time (even if it means enduring pan flute music) with my family and loved ones without incorporating materialistic wants.
While everyone speeds up this time of year, I want to soak up all the moments of love and care and support and goodwill (and familial weirdness) that is going on around me entirely and think that if donations are not where your wallet is this year, then you might gain some insight by reading more about Buy Nothing Christmas. The site offers a rather lengthy list of money-free ways to show your loved ones that you care, as well as a catalogue packed with even more ideas!
Wherever you are and whomever you’re with, I hope this holiday season finds you happy and healthy and full of joy. Thank you for your support and creativity and willingness to share with me, one gift that I hold especially close to my heart.
Happy Holidays!
xo
betsy
There’s something magical about this time of year, not about the lights, not about the Bedazzled sweatshirts, but about the way that like clockwork, the weeks preceding Christmas turn some people downright ugly. It’s as if they can’t take all the cheerfulness and the animatronic carol bands (there’s one in my hometown) and just decide to wreak a little havoc to satisfy their inner grinch.
Such as the recent case of stolen artwork by Susie Ghahremani of boygirlparty.com, from Giant Robot, a gallery in San Francisco.
As if stealing people’s art isn’t sad enough, I was made even sadder when I learned that one of Susie’s favorite paintings (the one of the little chick) is among the missing. So, as you’re clicking away online and happen to see one of those pieces for sale somewhere, please get in touch with the Giant Robot gallery. And don’t let this little bit of bad stingy news mess with your holiday happiness, okay?
And completely changing gears… now that I have you aware that there’s an art thief on the loose…
If this was a classroom, instead of a bloglet, today is the day I would ask, “How many of you are scared to do your best art? And if you raised your hand, why?” While people more intuitive than me have probably done a better job at banishing (or atleast quieting…bribing with candy, perhaps?) their inner critics, fear still finds its way into my creative production. I’m either of the “too camp” (too crazy, too ridiculous, too obvious, too stupid) or the “not enough camp” (not talented enough, not smart enough, not crafty enough) about 90% of the time, leaving the remaining 10% for times when I’m doing yoga or talking with friends or otherwise disengaged from actually producing anything.
Last night at work someone returned Art and Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland to the register next to me, and I sat there looking at it for a good part of an hour as I was off and on ringing up customers or helping them decipher the proper spelling of an author’s name or an exact title. Every now and then I kept peeking at the title and ruminating over the ways that “art” (or “craft”) and “fear” run parallel, at least in one’s mind.
I came home and read it with interest as I tend to do all books that come into my life at the right time and right place.
Often I hear other artists/crafters getting down on themselves for not producing enough or being creative enough, so I found this passage on pages 61-62 especially insightful, “A piece of art is the surface expression of a life lived within productive patterns… And in truly happy moments those artistic gestures move beyond simple procedure, and acquire an inherent aesthetic all their own… The become inseparable from the life of the maker. They are canons… They allow not knowing… Once you have found the work you are meant to do, the particulars of any single piece don’t matter all that much.”
Reading that reminded me of the pressure I put on myself to do something new that hasn’t been done before, so much pressure that fear often stops me cold. Hearing it speak of the wild notion that we are truly “inseparable” from our art, and therefore the most qualified ones to create it, has made me take a better look at the fear I have and begin to let it go and trust my own creative voice instead of solely believing the inner critic.
My mother likes to tell the story of how I would sneak into my little brother’s room to read his library books after I had finished mine. I have always been a rabid reader. I am one of those people who looks at what books you have on your shelves, always flips through reading material anyone has left around, and gets fidgety if I don’t leave the house without either a zine, magazine or book in my handbag.
If there’s someone crafty in your life, and you’re unsure what to get them, you could do worse than choose one of the following books. (Although you might want to sneak a peek on their bedside table or knitting bag to see if they haven’t eagerly grabbed it already, crafty folks tend to be reading folks…)
And given the relative holiday time crunch, these books can be picked up at your local bookstores instead of having to wait for anything to be shipped!
*52 Projects by Jeffrey Yamaguchi. I’ve been a long time admirer of Jeffrey’s 52Projects.com, so I was pleased to see him write a book along the same lines. Need a little inspiration? This book will have your mind racing with ideas…
*Vegan With A Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Not only is there a veganized recipe for Hostess cupcakes, but there are also pictures that will make you drool and a suggested soundtrack. This book makes me want to whip out my apron and my old Propaghandi albums!
*Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. This book is for anyone who is like me, and has the tendency to wait til the last minute. The gift ideas come with a approximate time for how long they will take!
*Super Crafty by the lovely ladies of PDXSupercrafty. Even though I wrote a list of craftivism-esque suggestions for this amazing book, it doesn’t mean I am not totally in love with it.
*Bazaar Bizarre by Greg Der Ananian. Greg is a fellow cross-stitcher, which deserves much love! Besides wicked cross-stitch, there are also many more patterns to get you crafting… fast!
*Knitorama by Rachael Matthews. So many fun patterns in this book by my friend Rachael! I have some of Annie’s crocheted egg earwarmers and they make any cold day bright and sunny!
*Lessons in Taxidermy by Bee Lavender: This is one of those books that keeps you awake reading all night. Even though I read it months ago, it is still on my desk as a reminder of courage and how strong our spirit really honestly is.
*2006 Bazaar Bizarre Boston calendar– while not available at your local bookstore, this calendar is easily mail-ordered and will keep you crafting all year long! Some of our very crafters have each created a page for this calendar that is worlds apart from pics up on pics of Nuns Having Fun or Outhouses of the South…
Now get gifting….and reading!
Sometimes the most exciting part of my day comes when I open a blank text/word document and then start to fill in the void. Some days I have a vague idea of what will materialize when I’m done tap-tap-tapping, but most days I just start off with a thought or idea or theme that’s been bumping around in my head and go from there. Today there’s really no theme (yet), just a curious wondering if tomorrow will really bring on the ice storm that the weather people are predicting. Down south, the notion of snow (and its evil sibling, ice) sends through through our hearts as have no concept of either substance, only a vague suspicion.
Being a rare bird, I adore the cold weather because of the bundling up in layers that it brings, the brightness of scarves, the awkwardness of hat-head, the rosiness that springs to cheeks, the endless cups of coffee and tea that keep your hands warm on the mug and your soul cozy. This morning I went out for a walk decked out in numerous layers and had the pleasure of listening to several crafty podcasts that I downloaded on my new favorite sidekick, my iPod Shuffle. I had to recently retire my 1991 yellow Sony Walkman because it kept eating tapes and was only partially functional after being dropped on concrete more than once. While that piece of machinery loyally kept me company through myriad long walks and in more than one city that I moved to anew, it was time to embrace newer technology.
Much to my surprise, this upgrade has not only allowed me the freedom to travel without tapes that come unravelled in my handbag, it has also allowed me to enter the world of podcasts! In November 2004, I was interviewed for a podcast over at AudioActivism. Even though I enjoyed the whole process and Brian was super awesome, I had no idea what the hell a podcast was, I just knew that I was talking into the world’s smallest microphone right near Carrboro, North Carolina’s biggest intersection and that I was sure a sounded like a dork with my (at the time) English/American hybrid nerd accent if I was totally drowned about by the sound of bad mufflers and rumbling engines. Brian was onto something for sure, as podcasts have taken over the world… or atleast a semi-large chunk of it.
.Cast-On: a podcast about the cultural side of knitting. Do I really need to elaborate on the awesomeness?
.CraftyChica Podcast: Cathy Cano-Murillo is one of those women who I have the utmost respect for- her never-ending creativity continues to inspire me as she continues to take the world by storm!
.CraftyPod: a lovely podcast from the equally lovely Sister Diane. Shows 8 (interview with Garth Johnson), 11 (interview with Nikola Davidson of Urban Craft Uprising) and 13 (interview with Jeffrey Yamaguchi) kept me going strong for this morning’s 4 miles.
.KnitCast : a podcast from England by Marie Irshad. Not surprisingly, it’s all about knitting shows 17 and 18 feature two of my favorite knitters, Yvonne Davies (who I had the pleasure of meeting in London many times, she is a true star!) and Freddie Robins (one of the most inspiring conceptual artists I have ever seen), respectively.
And these are just a few. To date, Google has over 79 million links to the word podcast, which I am sure will be even greater by tomorrow. I’m already excited about my future walks this week where I will be geeking out on culture increasing my etymology knowledge, learning more about folklore, delving into the mystery world of quilts, and vegan food! Awesome!
The nice thing about podcasts are not only that you can listen to them while not tied to a computer (as you are reading this right now…) but that you are able to actually hear what these people sound like, weird vocal inflections and all. Since I’ve been nerding out to all things crafty for awhile now and have been involved in many email conversations, it is nice to be able to put a voice to the photos, words or modes of thought. As technology continues to get more and more advanced, who know where this will ultimately lead us- but for now, I’m enjoying the ways that it is slowly adding piece by piece (text then audio then video) allowing us the chance to experiment with new ideas and new ways of doing things.