October 21st, 2008 -- Posted in Musings, jewellery, knitting |
Regular readers will have seen my foray into knitting recently. I’ve really been enjoying it - the creativity and the feeling of growing proficient at a new, constructive skill. It’s funny - I’ve never thought of myself as a ‘crafty’ type of person. Most of my life I have identified with intellectualism, and somehow looked down on traditional ‘feminine’ skills. I’m certainly not a girly girl - I’m not into the latest fashion trends, or shoes; I don’t wear makeup, or buy copious amounts of beauty products (though I still somehow seem to have a stash that rarely get used).
So, when I’ve told people that I’ve taken up knitting (and, also, jewellery making, but more on that in a later post), most of my friends and colleagues have looked at me askance, and said “knitting?!” Then I have to rise to my own defence. It’s fun, creative, constructive, and a skill for when the world reverts to a pre-oil society and chaos (okay, I don’t really say that last bit :P).
And, I have learnt something. One of the things I have been doing is experimenting. With different yarns, stitches, small items, adding beads… and more than once I have made a mistake, dropped a stitch, or just done something I’m not totally happy with… and I’ve unravelled it! I think it takes guts to undo something you have spent hours of your life creating. But it’s also queerly satisfying. Yes, I have created this, and yes, I am going to destroy it because I am not happy with how it has come out - and I’d rather re-use the materials for something else than waste them.
So, I will continue my creative/destructive journey with passion! Look out for some examples of my work. In fact, I have started another site, where I’m going to start selling some of this stuff when I make something I think is worthy of others! I already have a number of my photos and digital art pieces there and for sale on Zazzle, as well as some of my jewellery. If you ever want to check it out, have a look at EpheriellDesigns.com
My interest in jewellery making has also got me intrigued about the art of lampwork - hand-making unique glass beads. Check out a local organisation of mine to see what I mean! This stuff is seriously beautiful. I may have to investigate further…
July 15th, 2008 -- Posted in Musings |
The last few weeks I have been keeping myself very busy. So busy, in fact, that I have been neglecting things like caring for the garden and making myself healthy meals from scratch. It’s got me thinking - what does it really mean to try to live a sustainable life?
I guess the sustainability and simple living movements get quite entwined. But there are no doubt many people who try to reduce their impact on the environment who still work high-stress jobs, and don’t live what most would call a ’simple’ life.
I, for example, don’t make my own clothes, or bake my own bread. I try to cook fresh food, but as often as not I’ll just grab something that is pre-prepared in some way - especially while I’ve been on my own. I get home from work at about 9pm, and it can be hard to motivate myself to cook a proper meal for just one person! My fall-back is often some low-GI bread and tinned soup, or an omelette with some frozen vegies and left-over meat thrown in!
Perhaps I’m trying to do too much at once
I really enjoy my online pursuits, and I am aiming to build a business of my own so that I can eventually work from home, support myself, and be able to devote more time to my home and garden. But it’s going to take a lot of work!
I’m thinking I need to conciously program some ‘relaxation’ time into my life - time where I just read a book, meditate, go for a walk, play with my cat. Because, while I’m trying to reduce my impact on the envrionment, I’m doing a pretty good job of heaping more and more upon myself!
So - what does sustainability mean to you? Do you come from a simple living perspective as well? And should we try to combine reducing our impact on the envrionment with a more relaxed and slower-paced life?
June 22nd, 2008 -- Posted in Musings |
I have spent a lot of my life interested in religion, spirituality, science… basically, I was always fascinated by the world, and I wanted to know how it all worked. I’m a scientist by nature - I won’t believe what you tell me unless 1. I trust you deeply, and 2. You can prove it to me. Empirically.
Therefore, though I have learnt a lot about religion, and find it a fascinating topic, I remain an atheist. In some ways, I believe that those of us who are not religious have the most investment of all in preserving this Earth that we live on. Why? Because we believe this is all there is. There is no other life, no other world. This world - in all its beauty, terror, pain and glory - is all we have to experience. And we only have one life in which to do so.
I wanted to draw your attention to an article written by Lawrence Krauss in NewScientist (It’s a wonderful cosmos…). He argues against the claim that we need to imbue the universe with some supernatural agency in order for it to be meaningful and magnificent. This article really moved me, as he elucidated my view of the world beautifully.
Some of the most amazing experiences in my life have occurred sitting in a lecture theatre, learning about how our fascinating bodies have evolved, and how they function. How the intricate dance of our genes, proteins, hormones, and other chemical messengers keeps us growing, learning, and alive.
And who hasn’t had that experience of awe when looking up into the night sky and really seeing what is out there - the billions of stars in billions of galaxies - the overwhelming size and complexity of it all, in which we play such a minuscule part. And yes, in the grand scheme of the universe we are but a momentary blip, perhaps utterly meaningless..
But I believe we create our own meaning. We have but one, unique, and fragile life in which to express ourselves, to make our contribution to the world and to the generations to come. That is why I want to live more in harmony with nature, to do my little part to preserve this amazing planet, and to encourage others to do the same. If we all do our own small part - whenever and however we can - those little parts will come together like snowflakes and create an avalanche that could change the world.
