“Let light be your companion.”

Often we wander this earth, heavy with thoughts, ideas and dreams. And too often, they go untouched, unshared and unnoticed… they fail to reach the light. Though the Internet and social media have allowed us the opportunity to consistently share content with one another across the globe, many stories still go unnoticed and untold.

We all carry within us both light and dark. Whether we acknowledge it or not, we all have the potential within us to create and make anew. To bring a song, a painting, a picture, a poem or even simply an act of selflessness into the world to influence another’s life.

Often times, the truest of lights and the rawest emotions are found in the darkest of situations.

A fire’s embers slowly kindling among two passing travelers in the dark.

A vast black sea dotted with lighthouses signaling out to one another.

A glimpse of the true night sky, speckled with millions of stars.

– – –

In the region where I live, the light becomes more scarce with each passing day. As darkness and cold set in, we may consider the ones close to us as we pass the threshold from this year into the next.

Who do you surround yourself with?

Who or what lights up your life?

What textures and patterns fill the spaces?

Light is both a creator and destroyer of Life. As with most things, too much of anything can be a bad thing and the same is said for not enough of something. This is where we seek to find balance. As the world grows colder outside, we look for and create the lights within our own four walls.

With textiles, light is a crucial ingredient. It helps grow the plants and feed the animals whose fibers are spun or felted. Light can also be used to imprint designs on textiles as well as take them away. It helps dry clothes as they sway in the warm summer breezes, a comforting thought in the darkness of winter.

This blog is a catch-all for my musings both textile and non-textile related. And, I’ll be honest with you, I’m still trying to figure out a lot of things … this space is very much a work-in-progress.

It’s curated but not overly edited…. raw but with a touch of refinement.

I tend to look at my life, and life in general, as being continually interwoven, a whole complex series of causes and effects. These posts, with time, will start to reveal these connections and, I hope, in the process create even more.

The image above is a detail from the “Chakras of the Subtle Body” from Folio 4 of “Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati” by Bulaki of Jodhpur, India (1824). The full painting depicts a man performing a standing meditation while lotus blossoms shoot out from his chest and head, finding a sustainable peace and balance. I chose to open with this image for two reasons. The first being that it reminds me of a centered beam of light and the sunny region from which it comes. The second being that yoga and yogic ideologies are very central to my work and practice. In yoga, there is an understanding of the bodies physical system intertwined with its mental and spiritual systems. How textiles are used in yoga and yoga traditions is just one of many subjects I wish to explore in this space. I’m currently working on a schedule for the months to come, lining up some fun books to pour through and projects to work on along side that. I look forward to sharing and thinking aloud with you all soon!

So, pour yourself a cup of tea, sit back and stay awhile…

Thanks for reading ❤