Year of Magic

She said I'm young enough, I'm old enough
To paint a smile
I've tasted heaven and hell
Heaven - stay a while
She said my struggle hurt but it turned me on
And when my revolution came
The chain was gone
On my feet to the sound of my heartbeat

(Money, Laura Nyro)

2008 is here. Congratulations to everyone who made it through 2007 in one piece -- I won't say unscathed -- and thanks to everyone who got me through a year that I'm sure I'll look back on as watershed.

The gifted songwriter, blogger and creative coach Christine Kane suggests choosing a word for the year instead of making old-school resolutions. Last year I worked with the word allow, in the general spirit of allowing good things to happen. Things happened; let's just say that. And I focused on allowing it all; as if  I could stop any of it, and I guess that's the point. 

I've been trying on a few different words for 2008. I could certainly use grace, and like many of us I would welcome wealth in all its forms, including creative abundance. The world needs peace and restoration, and very deliberate -- not random -- acts of kindness. All worthy contenders.

But the word I keep coming back to me is magic. I declare this a year of magic. For me I hope it's the magic of beauty and of truth, of things happening outside the realm of the ordinary, of making art and advocating for art, especially textile art and craft. I'm counting on some magic in the form of flying through the air to other parts of the world. I hope to be able to see the magic of new doors opening and new connections made and old connections reborn, when least expected, when the river's all but run dry. You could throw in the word faith for good measure.

Wendell Berry says to be joyful even after considering all the facts. That's an act of magic and an act of will on some days, but worth striving for.

Back on topic, there is magic in painting and printing and dyeing fabric, in taking yardage and turning it into something three-dimensional, in knitting, in piecing fabric together in quilts, in beads, in tapestry, in clothing, in designing textiles of every kind, in all of our rituals around fabric, garments and cloth, and certainly in sharing it all on the Internet. In mythology the weavers are always magicians, and vice versa; they spin and weave all kinds of things into cloth. I watched Broken Trail the other night and composed a whole long post in my head about sparkly Nudie suits and the wild west and spirit cloth and some powerful magic I once made in the form of a beaded cowboy shirt. I'll commit it to keyboard soon. I noticed too that Folkwear Patterns, a Slow Cloth kind of company that's been doing its creative thing for a long time now, has a new western jacket and skirt pattern for all mystic cowgirls and sweethearts of the rodeo.

On the Slow Cloth/Art Cloth front, I have been exploring archives in shibori artist Karren K. Brito's wonderful Entwinements blog. She's put the blog on hiatus and is working with Earthues, a natural dye and color company. But there's plenty still to read on Entwinements.  She has written brilliantly about Slow Fashion and the Slow Cloth concept, though she doesn't use that term. There are several posts in her Philosophy category here. In one post, Karren identifies three provocative questions:

What is the quality that these objects have that industrially made objects don't have?

What qualities do those made by master-craftsman have that differs from that made by a hobbists/novice?

Are these objects endowed with properties that are a reflection of their maker's culture and times? 

On the sustainable apparel/organic fabric/New Cloth front, I have to get down to a lot of serious work this week. So onward we go.

Comments

[Lainie]

Hi Sue, thank you so much. I have more thoughts on Slow Cloth for posting soon. I hope you're feeling well and that the sun is showing up at least occasionally in Washington.

Lisa, thank you. I love the word "fascinating" -- what a compliment. The year is getting off to a good start. I hope yours is as well, your work is an inspiration.

Paula, that is terrific. Another huge compliment as this blog is so new. I will try to keep making your day and live up to your generosity. Thanks.

[Paula]

Hi Ive just nominated you for a make my day award. Love your blog, always interesting reading

[Lisa]

May your year be magical! Your blog is fascinating.

[Sue in western WA]

Those are three very significant questions. I'd especially like to hear the answer(s) to number 2.

Can't remember now whether I commented on your bullet points for Slow Cloth. In case I didn't, I am with you 100%.