Looking Forward, Looking Back
By now, most of us have been in some sort of home isolation for the past five months. The country has closed, reopened, closed again to one degree or another depending on where you live. And depending on where you live, face masks can run the gamut from necessary accessory to political statement.
We may have homeschooling thrust upon us, or working from home, or both. It’s been months since we have been inside a restaurant. Many businesses have teetered on the brink of closure while some have been able to rethink their business model and ride the wave of survival.
For the most part, when we weave or spin, we control the outcome. A certain pattern, color scheme, drape, hand or feel. Right now, it may feel like life around us is spiraling out of our control, but with our creative response to changing daily conditions, we can allow our response to these events to feed our inner muse.
So let’s take this 5-plus month hiatus as just that. A gift of time to breathe, rest, regroup and dream. Go through the books on your shelf and find that one project (or two!) that you have said “one day” and make this at-home time that day.
With CNCNnet, what articles do you want to see to inspire you? To feed you? To connect you with the greater textile world? Contact me with your ideas!
As we leave the heat of summer behind and plunge headlong into autumn, future editions will focus on obscure tools and hacks to make life easier, spirals in ancient textiles, rare breeds, ethnic textiles, and more.
As practitioners of textile arts, we need to honor our art and share with the next generation. While the world swirls around us, let’s be the beacon on the hill.