Man oh man, I thought 2008 was the year of change, but 2010 has been giving it a run for it’s money! Babies, weddings, engagements, elopements, surprise birthdays… I want to pass out on the futon just thinking about it! This year has been one of change for me as well. I decided after much thought this year that it was time for me to shake my life up a little.
It started with a trip up the west coast that ended in Portland, Oregon. I was looking for a break from the hustle and bustle of New York, just a nice, relaxing vacation that would help me unwind. But something unexpected happened. Can you fall in love with a city? I still can’t really explain it, but something in me opened up in Portland. Out came the need to create with my hands, to draw, to sew marshmallows on a dress and walk down the middle of the street, to take walks in the rain, bike wildly, explore and find a connection between myself and the people around me.
When I got back to Brooklyn I felt… a little lost. I’m not unhappy with my life here, I love Brooklyn and all the close friends that I’ve made here. But for the last few months, I haven’t been able to shake the feeling that I need something else in my life. I haven’t been able to shake Portland.
You know that saying: when you’re searching for something in your life, oftentimes it finds you. That phone call that you put out into the universe a few months or years ago is finally returned and perhaps it’s not what you expected. But it makes sense! In some weird way, your blind searching paid off. I feel like that’s true in my case.
For the last few months, I’ve been sketching, dreaming and taking classes. Lots and lots of classes. Sewing, wood-working, textile making, screen-printing, ceramics, etc. I felt like, “OK if I’m going to Portland, I have to create something.” And create something that is useful and well-made. I’ve been working my butt off trying to find something I can make… and I think I found it.
To be continued….
