My Mom taught me to knit when I was a child, but I didn't really pick it up again until I was in high school, and then again in University. Knitting became a therapeutic refuge for me. My first year of university uncovered a huge amount of anxiety that had been lurking within me. Poor self esteem and some rough years of romantic bad decisions coupled with the increased responsibility left my already overwhelmed system unable to cope. Knitting became my way of procrastinating while still being productive...and sometimes still is.
I don't even remember how I came to the idea of spinning my own yarn...just that I thought it would be fantastic to create my projects from scratch. I bought some fibre & a drop spindle from The Loop in downtown Halifax, read some articles & watched some YouTube videos and off I went! Spinning became my new obsession...and from there I progressed to dying my own wool & taking more textiles classes at school.
My time at NSCAD (Nova Scotia College of Art & Design) was a very mixed bag for me. I loved my work and adored my teachers & the studio environment at school, but I was often met with a racing heart and panic when I opened my eyes every morning. My anxieties ranged from the normal adolescent uncertainty about choice of life-path...after all, everyone knows that art degrees are basically useless in terms of setting you up for a financially stable future (or so was the perception of almost every adult I encountered...) to more complex feelings of inadequacy & helplessness surrounding issues of social injustice & climate change.
I entered art school as an idealistic aspiring activist, but soon became overwhelmed by a sense of futility & helplessness I just couldn't overcome. The issues seemed too huge and I felt so small. What right did I have to speak...what points could I make that could possibly make a difference? I became so weighed down by dealing with my own emotional climate that became all I was capable of seeing & dealing with.
Being an interdisciplinary student concerned with craft, textiles & drawing brought up its own challenges as well. I felt so much more able to connect with the other students in my craft and textiles classes than I felt I could with the more "fine art" oriented students. During my time at NSCAD I did a mental 360 when it came to my personal practice and my approach to creating. Craft & textiles...the process of making beautiful and utilitarian objects held a meditative allure that was impossible for me to ignore. These processes, so steeped in history, tradition and women's issues spoke to me in a way that I'm sure speaks to many if not all of you. The practice of creating with fibre holds an ancient and healing magic that soothes the racing thoughts, and pounding heart. It has a way of turning your hands into strong, dextrous and capable tools for creating.
My creative journey has always been an act of self-soothing...and it encourages me to hear similar stories from others in the crafting community. This is especially true when things that I've made become therapeutic tools for others, and I hope that as I grow my business, I will also be helping to grow a community that brings confidence and joy to its' members.