Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Exuberant

Today was my more social day where I got to catch up with a good friend and then visit Praxis. There is always so much going on and they're in the thick of indigo banner creation, which even includes some marigold dyeing. I helped fold and clamp some fabric for dyeing later, all a good outlet because I got very exciting news this morning. I can't share it yet but it's a big honor and completely derailed my plans to work on my book because I was so happy.
Velma somehow in the midst of a huge move managed to cut down, strip, and mail me slippery elm bark. I really would love to process it right away but think I need to wait until I get some more writing done before I can treat myself to the manual labor (mostly, to the time required). Here's one of my bal for making hanji, a measurement for a colleague interested in making some himself.
Last week was my LAZY salago papermaking. I mean, super lazy, which you can see in how little it was beaten and agitated. But better than no papermaking at all!
And this is another project that needs to get done, pronto, at least in its first incarnation before I leave to teach in a few weeks. I now see why I should have tried to write this manual on jiseung years ago. Now I know so much more, which means I have to get even more down on paper. But it's going to happen this year, I'm determined, and today's news reinforces my faith in my ability to do it.

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Re-settling

I have about three weeks until I travel again and have been stymied by my own mix of backlog, a bodily need to Do Nothing, and spring desire to be out in the world (while knowing I have to be alone working because that's what the work requires). It took three weeks to make gampi paper after prepping fiber, embarrassing. As underbeaten as the fiber was, it felt good to be back in my element, and the bad fiber prep forced me from a hanji setup to a western setup with my new refurbished British mould. More discoveries!

Being home for a bit means that I can get back to the grand and already fruitful experiment of teaching jiseung to a 10-yo. She is catching on quickly and I am realizing that in this particular relationship and family dynamic, I can teach in a totally different way, which is freeing. I'm on the cusp of a lot of change and it's probably why I feel like a tangled mess of hair lately: too many transformations fighting for attention. Trying to cultivate the patience to comb out one bit at a time instead of cutting it all off.

Also, I love the theme of the show I'm part of in CT.