Friday, July 23, 2010

And so it begins..

Finally, my Etsy shop has been set up - check it out here if you feel inclined. I'm still in the process of pruning and refining some of the details, and the process of adding items is far more tedious than imagined, so please bear with me during these inital stages!


In tandem with finally placing my work 'out there', it seems appropriate to lay some foundations for what I am doing. Sure, I make clothes, art, and the like, but to be clear, I am not setting out to establish just another clothing label - the last thing this world needs. To be honest, I do not have any specific or definitive framework for what I am doing, which suits me fine - in the words of William Blake, "I must create a system, or be enslaved by another man's". I am just following my heart and intuition, and being true to where they lead, which can be as daunting and exhilarating as a skyscraper-high rollercoaster.

If it's not just independent art and clothing, what else is in it?

As far as I can see, at this stage, the creations I deliver are part of a process of exploration, of questioning, and of sharing what I find along the journey. I might adore pretty things and colours and new styles, but the whole gist of it all is chasing the fascination behind it, the glimpses into varieties of experience and expression. It works best when I'm not sure what I'm doing, but am compelled to do it anyway.

Intrinsically linked are my ingrained values; of acceptance, and the universal right each person has to be who they are. So, I won't tell you how to dress, what I think is hot or not, what you need, or who you should be this season. I will just create, and encourage others to find their own essence, needs, and expression, on their own terms. To find their own 'unknown quantity', to seek it in others and the world around us.

Once again, this is an exploration into uncharted areas, even if only for myself, so over time things will emerge organically over the course of further posts. I will be writing about my processes, findings, realisations, and observations. I may come off as eccentric, strange, experienced, or clueless, but I will always be honest and brave in sharing. I hope you can enjoy the journey with me and find your own treasures along the way.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

A brief introduction.

So many thoughts, ideas, observations, hunches and intuitions, dreams, glimpses, and hopes all flitter  about and combine to make up what is my life's compass, my inherent obsession; something so far beyond me but yet must be manifested in the practical, everyday material sense. It's like trying to bring these visions of the heavens here to this earth. From the outside, it appears I enjoy making things: clothes, accessories, art, objects, collages; but from the inside, these are the tremendous urge to search, explore, and unify with this elusive but utterly familiar essence. I seek to be the channel, and hope that my work can transform, inspire, and create joy - not because I declare any of it to be beautiful or merely a product for others to consume - but hopefully because each item will speak to others on a soul level. I would much rather someone buy my product for that resonance than purely for the sake of acquisition of more material objects to own and consume.


The other side to this coin, or perhaps prism, is that in being one who produces material objects, I seek to produce outside the current paradigm of materialistic consumption, which tends to encourage us to consume mindlessly and without reference to the bigger picture. Surely some might wave this away as 'reading into things too much', a branding angle, or just a useless appendage; however it is without a doubt that our consumption has left out the bigger picture for far too long, leaving us with a damaged planet and a culture starving for something it can no longer find within itself.


Ultimately, I aim and hope to encourage liberation beyond the sphere of my own work; I hope that my efforts ultimately inspire and encourage others to seek their own experience and understanding of beauty and joy on their own terms, and to find their own truth and essence. My work is a distinct revolt against any system (usually commercial) which believes its business is to create and dictate the desires and needs of others.