New ventures

I don’t know about you but I love trying new things, and being creative is all about doing new things all the time. Then sometimes, before you know it, creating turns into something more than just creating for the pleasure of it and thats what happened to me recently. I had a bit of inner tube left over from beautifying Yorik – the deer skull and antlers on my lounge wall and couldn’t bring myself to throw the rubber away. I had that crazy creative thought – there must be something I could do with this and the idea for a jewellery collection made out of inner tube was born. Before I knew it I had made a few pieces and found that I loved wearing them – they suited my personality and design asthetic well. Everywhere I wear them people comment on them and have asked if I sell them and of course that poked away at the thoughts that had been in the back of my mind for a while – turning them into something that brought others pleasure and would make me a little income as well.

The next step was to finally take the plunge and make myself an online shop so “not very nana” was created and now my whole range of designs is available for purchase at http://www.notverynana.felt.co.nz . Here’s a wee sample of the fun I’ve been having but do go and check out all the designs over at the shop.

           

On Sunday i got a chance to paint during the worship time at church. The Lord had
showed me a picture in my mind of a painting so I did it asking for the meaning as I was painting it. It turned out to be a double whammy meaning. The first meaning was in the title “Under the shelter of his wings” and under that the background representes the stuff of life, our trials and tribulations, our hurts etc. But if we come to him the Lord will draw us into his shelter and hold us close to him restoring and refreshing, healing and strengthening us.

The second meaning is that the painting represents the Maori feather cloak which is worn on important occassions and is a sign of respect and authority. It is a great honour to be given one of these to wear and I felt the Lord speak to me of the honour he has bestowed upon the Maori people and the respect he has for many aspects of their culture like their understanding of family. I felt like the Lord was bestowing a fresh understanding that in his eyes he sees a people that will release an understanding of his love, respect and honour in a way that brings fresh understanding to those words. I was wrapt when he said that as those things are something many Maori struggle with, they believe they are not loved, respected or honoured, they see themselves as being treated as second class citizens in many ways yet that is not how the Lord sees them and not how anyone else should either. In the days ahead I belive the Maoi people will be an example of love and honour that will ignite many hearts to see and accept people in a new way.

Time and patience pay off big

i came across these pictures a while ago of a decorated tree called an easter tree. it’s decorated with 10,000 hand blown and decorated eggs and has taken it’s creators approx 50 years to get to this point. it was created by volker kraft, a german man who saw his first easter tree in 1945. he started this tree in the mid-60’s in his home town of saalfield, germany. it is a stunning piece of installation art that has been enjoyed by thousands over the years.

on being potted…

no, I’m not talking about gardening, in fact that’s something i just can’t get myself to enjoy. i can get dirty hands painting or sculpting and love it but dirty from dirt is not my thing.

i’m talking about being moulded and shaped like clay under the hand of a skilfull potter. i’ve had the privilege of watching potters work and love how they make a lump of unformed clay become something with form and purpose. whether that purpose is to be used or just admired doesn’t matter, there is beauty to behold in it.

i love going into the shops at the mall that have all the household and kitchen bits and seeing the form and shape and colour, it feeds something inside me. my husband goes sea-kayaking for the same reason. isn’t it funny how different things feed different people. some people don’t understand me when i tell them i like to do that but some of you will understand straight away.

the interesting thing to me is that all those things are finished works, already complete and out there being used. yet here we are as people, unfinished, in progress, not complete and yet our form and beauty is undeniable and the full extent of our uselfulness yet to be discovered. we are the ultimate creation – one that has the capacity within itself to create a never ending array of things as well as continually re-creating ourselves in many little ways. each time we learn something new, master a new skill or embrace new ideas we change the creation just a little, until a few months or years down the track we look and function quite different to what once was.

you are a potter working on the clay of your life, moulding, making and rearranging. yet others also have a part to play in the forming of your life – family, friends, God, strangers; they all play a part in the potting process. you will always be a work in progress and although there will be many times you’ll sit back satisfied there will be as many or more when you’ll reshape and change who you are and the form you present to the world.

enjoy the process, have fun in it, don’t take yourself too seriously! it’s okay to have sticky-out bits and look wobbly, that’s part of your charm! and the never ending metamorphisis which is you is out there for the world to see and enjoy, and we do; we enjoy you!

here’s an artwork i did on the potter and the clay – enjoy!

this art piece is copyrighted to me – Lyn Packer. please do not copy and use without my permission.