by hand | Shibori Girl

These words struck me today

The first sign of disintegration — in a writer — is that the writing loses the unique stamp of his/her character, & loses its inner light.

I think it can apply to all sorts of creative endeavors and is a good reminder. Something (else) to be vigilant about.

It was written by Ted Hughes to his aspiring teen age daughter/writer- and daughter of Sylvia Plath. I have been following the blog Brain Pickings and have been enjoying the reading there. I love letters- they are so revealing…

Introducing the post, Maria writes:

“Read good books, have good sentences in your ears,” the poet Jane Kenyon counseled in what remains some of the sagest advice to write and live by. But if literature is essential to our moral development, as Walt Whitman believed, and reading enlarges our humanity, as Neil Gaiman asserted, then attunement to good sentences is vital not only to our writing style but to our core sensibility of character.

You can make a donation there of any amount in appreciation. I always appreciate a good ad-free blog.

“Inner light” struck me as I have been working on this piece incorporating an earlier “traveling moon” and some other small bits of indigo cloth. The moon leads the way, just stitching and adding intuitively, lighting the path as I go.

In between, I had a little time this week to make a couple of sets of indigo sky cloth and a moon for each. Just 2 in the shop…for now. Maybe someone wants to start something…

It’s true, my blogging sabbatical is over. It was never really “official”, whatever that means, but in the 9 months in which I haven’t blogged here I have been missing it. Missing you, those of you who don’t partake in the flurry of other social media offerings.

What exactly do I miss about it? I miss the wordier, more thoughtful, slower pace of writing a blog post as opposed to the quick quip on Facebook or a clever (maybe) image on Instagram. If I want to give myself a sorry excuse, I will say I have been very busy these past months. I am quite thankful for that as there have been times when I wondered…financially speaking, if continuing was the way to go. But being my persistent self, yes, once again persistence was the way.

Often over the past nine months I have thought- “Oh! I should blog about that.” Then I let it be and carried on in my work and the moment passed. (Sometimes for the better I will admit.)

Blogging is more like a homemade meal, often with ingredients right out of your own garden. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the rest are more akin to a fast food joint- you’re in and you’re out. Things can happen in fits and bits. That is what I have noticed. And while I work out in the dye studio I can keep up with all that on my phone in a staccato-like way. I can even throw up a photo ever so easily as I work.(Squirrelly Gurl says Hello!) Throw out a comment or two, commiserate, cheer on, congratulate, and send birthday wishes to people (some of whom I actually know!) But in the end, it’s the words and thoughts I miss. Expression in a different form.

So, even if you can only stop in for a home cooked meal every now and then, come on by- I’ll be here stirring the pot a bit.

Some images from 2014 on your way out, great thanks to all who were a part of it- enjoy, create and wonder!! We need more wonder in the world…