all that I dream, I create

 My art practice has been feeling a little scattered over the past few years. My pattern seems to be to find a new form to dive into and explore, and then before much time has passed a new obsession will come along and I’m onto the next thing. With an intention to find something to hone in on and really go deep with, I have been looking at each medium that I like to work in, and feeling out which feels most in alignment with my spirit.

Recently I have been really stoked on exploring what I can create with polymer clay, and the feedback I’ve received from my followers has been extremely positive and supportive. I thought for a while that making clay wands was the jackpot for me....however, there is something that doesn’t feel quite right about this craft...

Though working with clay can yield some really powerful results, the medium itself makes me feel kinda resentful due to the fact that it is by no means environmentally friendly. Polymer clay is a form of plastic... which must then be baked in the oven (using electricity or gas) and then is then painted with acrylic paint (more plastic and chemicals) and then sealed with a sealer (more plastic and chemicals.) Can I really justify contributing to bringing all of these gross materials into the world, just to make a bunch of fancy wands, pendants, and figurines? It’s hard to devote myself to this practice when there is something that I don’t agree with about it.

Another aspect of my recent crafts that I have been questioning a lot is the use of crystals and semi-precious stones which I purchase to make art objects out of. I usually don’t feel very good after going to the crystal shop and spending a bunch of money on crystals.... because these jewels and rocks have been mined, and then imported from all across the globe... and I really have no idea where they came from, who spent the energy digging them up, and if everyone was treated ethically in the process. There are stones all around me... they may not be “spirit quartz,” “celestite,” or “carnelian” but I believe that when they are used with powerful intentions they can be just as powerful as these precious stones.

So ultimately what I have been coming to face is that it really does matter to me what I am bringing into this world, and if my contributions are doing good for the planet in as many aspects as I can control. Of course I will still use the clay, crystals, and the paint that I already have, but I’m feeling quite sure that I do not want to make having these materials a priority.

Also, in coming to realize what does not feel completely right to me, I have also been becoming more clear about what does feel right to me...

I’m really interested in using materials that come easy to me, and I don’t mean ones that I can go pick up at Michaels (mainstream crafting store.) Materials that I can find freely in my environment such as sticks, rocks, leaves, moss, etc... as well as man-made materials that have been discarded to the garbage, recycling, or second hand stores are also really appealing to me, because then I am reusing materials that are already here - rather than contributing to the creation of more unnecessary materials on our planet.

However, I don’t want to completely restrict myself from using the potentially harmful materials which I listed above, but I do want to create more a mindfulness in my art practice, and my daily life for what my contribution is during my time on this earth... so that being said - I do not want to put too much energy into creating things that use lots of new “waste creating” materials.

GOOD NEWS IS THAT For a long time I have had ideas about creating jewelry out of rocks that I find in my naturals surroundings, rather than gems from the store, and since I started making necklaces out of these rocks I have felt so much more connected to myself and also the land I live on!!! I also have been experimenting with using various textile materials that I have collected over the years to make these rocks into necklaces. IT FEELS SOO GOOD. It’s much more accessible and easy to do than working with clay and paint, and I really like this about it too.

This past weekend I had the incredible opportunity to camp out in Bragg Creek and paint this mural on my friend Michelle’s soon-to-be-opening, Wild Child Forest and Nature School.