This question comes up a lot with my artist friends. The argument sometimes is that creating is an indulgence when there is much work to be done to make the world a better place.
It’s a fair point but I don’t know that I agree. Here’s why:

1. The act of creating is soothing and therapeutic making it an important way to maintain equilibrium in times of sadness and fear. Through it we can be hopeful. We need hope to fight.
2. We can use our creativity to shine a light on injustice or to let our voices be heard. Look at the work of Sarah Corbett or Amplifier for more inspiration.
3. Art expands the mind, asks questions and communicates in a way that demands our attention, making it a rebellious thing. If this was not the case, the Nazis would not have spent so much time into destroying art nor would other current oppressive regimes persecute poets, filmmakers etc.
4. To fight our way out of oppression requires creativity to envision a new world that serves humanity fully with equity for everyone. Art makers are lateral thinkers and problem solvers, these are essential skills for dissent and revolution.
5. The act of art making for no other purpose than to express the self is an act of defiance against capitalism that seeks to commodify every part of us.

So go ahead and take up arms against oppression through your paint brushes and pencils. The pen truly is mightier than the sword. 

It has been an exhausting couple of weeks both personally and politically. Trying to work through grief and support my loved ones is not easy and it can fog the brain.

So I did the things I know will help me. I sat in my garden and turned to my community. I performed ritual and opened myself to intuition and the divine.

Last night I met with one of my covens and we talked about the state of the world and how it should be. To the outsider this might have seemed like an animated conversation that covered spirituality, politics etc and nothing more, but in the circle we created, we were conjuring and envisioning. Magic and witchcraft can hide in plain sight. Spellwork takes many forms, and sometimes the spells happen in our subconscious.
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In my fiber art I explore this and use my work as a refuge. 

As a witchy woman who already loves growing plants and making potions, natural dyeing is very exciting. Every time I do it, it feels like magick. I am never sure how the color will come out. Here is a video of dyeing with blueberries that were going moldy in my fridge and the finished brooch I made from the fabric.

As my work is not intended to be washed I like to be quite relaxed and let the process lead me. This method of sitting the fabric in the dye liquid (I added alum powder as a mordant) is from Slow Stitching by Clare Wellesley Smith. 
I was a little intimidated by natural dyeing at first because it seemed so technical, but if you're willing to experiment it is actually pretty easy.

Lot's of terrible things happening in the world. So what to do? Make a sarcastic video tutorial!

It's great to have a hoop both to keep your work taut, and as an easy, economical way of displaying your finished project. Check out my new video on how to do it.

Like the video? Subscribe to my newsletter and be the first to learn about my online workshops coming this summer.

My journey into showing gratitude for my friendships continues with these flags or pennants. They were created for friend and coven member Safi Mahaba. She and I have been friends for many years now and her presence in my life feeds my soul.

Her work is full of beauty and activism. The Peace Gardens that she cultivated with her partner DeWayne Barton, were one of the reasons we moved to the neighborhood we have been in for over 10 years. 

I could write endlessly of how the work of these two people have been important to my family. Their love of this special community has brought it back from pain and destruction caused by the racist policies of urbanization. I am grateful for their work and friendship. That is why I made these artworks that pay homage to the land and growth. 

Safi and DeWayne are working hard on the next chapter of community cultivation called Blue Note Junction. Please take time to see the project here.

It's just a week away! Here's a video of the kit participants receive as part of their registration. 
The class will be on April 30th at 3 pm - 5pm at Asheville Raven and Crone. 
​Registration is $35.

Here I am talking about where I work. The great thing about fiber art is that it is easy to do with little to no space as you will see from my video. I also wanted to show how I use packaging for storage to avoid throwing away too much plastic etc. 
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This weekend I played around with making some more videos. Here's one I did on paper piecing which is one of my favorite methods. I have used paper piecing for years to make quilts, usually sticking to hexagons as you will see in the video below. 
However I recently made one using sari scraps with a basic square and rectangle design, which worked really well (pictured above). Using papers is helpful with lightweight fabrics, the paper gives them stability. I get often asked: "Do you take the papers out?" Yes! You do. When you are done sewing each shape you snipe the tacking thread, remove it and take out the papers. You can use the papers a couple of times.