Give it Away

I had a great time at a local Arts & Craft Fair the other day. It was in Henfield, where I live and everytime I do something within the community I am reminded just how wonderfully supportive and kind the people are here.


I've been thinking and reading a lot about being human. Ideas of anthropology and ecology, the way we treat and view the world. And a hell of a lot of it has truly open my eyes and mind. One aspect that keeps ringing round in my head is, how in this consumerist society we live in, everything and everyone is geared and programmed to think "what can I get". We wake up and the first thing we think is "What can I get today? If I go to work I can get money to acquire things that I think I need and this will make me happy". But how happier would we be and how much better the world could be if instead we said "what can I give today".


When I was at the fair I gave away the necklace I was wearing. I didn't even really think about strangely. The lady said her daughter would really love it so I gave it to her. She was shocked and didn't know what to say. It wasn't the most precious necklace to me but I liked it and thought "I've had it for a while and enjoyed it, maybe someone else can get some pleasure from it now". It felt good and right. And would of made my day if someone did that for me.

It was just a token and something like isn't going to change the world but you never know what these things might lead to....

'White Prickly Holey Spikes'

 

I think it's fair to say I'm going through 'A White Period' with my pieces at the moment. I'm really trying to focus on form and texture using just the clay and my hands. 

Making them is becoming therapeutic for me. They take ages to make, sticking on each tiny little spike and it frustrates me that I can make them quicker. But I am reminded - this is clay, you can't force it. Well you can but that's lame and slipping it into a production mold kinda beats the whole point.

I suppose the white is my way of hoping for purity, simplicity. My world feels crazy at the moment yet if I can create these beautiful pure objects maybe something good has come from it. Maybe I'm just hoping for snow again this winter