Looking to the Future

According to the National Association of Home Builders (Housing Facts, Figures, and Trends for March 2006) the average square-footage of a single family home in the U.S. increased from 983 sq. ft. in 1950 to 2,349 sq. ft. in 2004. In my research for my master's thesis (on Sustainability), in 2002, I found that in 1940 the average was 750 sq. ft. By 1970, the average was only 1500 sq. ft., so the Baby Boomer generation grew up in homes that averaged between 750 and 1500 sq. ft.

According to Emma Johnson, (Forbes The Real Cost of Your Shopping Habits), "In 1930, the average American woman owned nine outfits. Today, that figure is 30 outfits — one for every day of the month."

Obviously, I am thinking about these things, in part, because of the issue that I mentioned last time I posted - downsizing. However, it is also due to the greater issue of our impact on the earth. In yesterday's news, there was a report of the finding of a possible second "earth," that may have life on it. This is the first time anything like it has been located in our space exploration, and it is 1400 light years away. (In other words, if we could travel at the speed of light, it would take 1400 years to reach it.) Yet, I heard, to my horror, a newscaster suggest we might be able to move there when we can no longer live here. My belief is that we need, instead, to figure out how we can live on the planet we have.

The other night, PBS aired a program called Humanity from Space. It chronicles the development of man, the technologies that have changed the world and how we interact with one another, and explores our potential challenges to survival.

All of this took me back to the message of Pope Francis about limiting our needs that I mentioned in my post Living in Harmony. We would solve a lot of our problems with that simple prescription. One of the current advocates of this lifestyle is Joshua Becker, who has a blog called "Becoming Minimalist." His self-identified Most Popular Posts are a good place to start in determining how to go about doing so and why.

I hope that you will explore these ideas and see how they would impact your life.

Until next time, wishing you peace and all good.

(Note: I provide links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply affiliation by me with any site.)

Simple Living

I have been thinking about simple living, especially in the contexts of minimal impact on the environment and slowing down in our fast-paced world. All kinds of things have contributed to this process, such as: Jude Hill’s blog, Maya Donenfeld, my concerns about the environment in the midst of this strange winter, Kimberly Palmer’s new book The Economy of You, “Frontier House,” the amount of time spent indoors due to the weather and illness, and my attempts to discern next steps.

I’ve been reminded recently of our search for a house when we moved to our current location. According to the realtor (and the bank), we could have afforded more in a mortgage than we were comfortable undertaking. In the almost 25 years that we have lived here, our decision to buy a smaller house and live with a lower mortgage has proven to be a wise one. We have had lots of expenses that would have been impossible to cover otherwise, including college costs for three children and ourselves.   

 

My husband went back to school to complete his degree after being downsized. I was already in school completing mine at the time. Thankfully, I was able to get a full-time job at the university I attended, which allowed us to cover our expenses for the time it took my husband to finish his degree and find a job, me to finish both my BA and MA, and one of our sons to attend college. We had a picture window to replace when a son’s stone-skimming attempt turned into a fractured window.

 

There was the lower-level flooding that required new flooring, cabinetry in the utility room and a bath, and new drywall; the spring storm that required a new roof and air conditioning unit and led to replacing the furnace, too; and a multitude of other expenses we couldn’t have foreseen, as well as the normal expenses inherent in raising three children. 

 

It is apparent that, in many ways, we have lived more simply than many in our society. Simultaneously, we live with a lot more than many, both in our country and around the world. At one point in my life, I was feeling somewhat deprived because I was comparing what I had to others in my circle who had larger houses, fancier cars, and other luxuries that I did not. When I made the conscious decision to compare my life and possessions to another friend whose home was about half the size of mine, I felt rich. I realized, then, that much of the discontentment in our society stems from the idea that we are entitled to the absolute best rather than a search for what makes us feel good about our lives.

While we appear to have practiced simple living more than many people, I have been encouraged by the number of people who appear to have embraced the idea recently. In addition, I have been trying to do even more. One of the things I have been doing is imitating my mother, who used to give things away when their usefulness to our family was over. Another is to follow the admonition, made popular during the Great Depression and WWII of “Use it up. Wear it out. Make it do or do without,” which my grandmother used to repeat often. I try to make many, if not most, gifts. Additionally, when I do need to purchase something, I try to see if I can get it used or can make it with materials on hand. I anticipate downsizing our home in the next few years, too.

I am curious about whether you have considered the idea and, if so, what steps you have taken toward that goal? How do you feel about it?

Creating from the Heart

The events of the last month, including the snow and cold, forced me to slow down and take some time to think about things.

 

Snow - Day 1

Snow - Day 2

Like many of you, I find myself contemplating the events of the last year and making plans for the new one. In addition to other things, 2014 needs to be a major decision year for me with regards to direction of the business. By next year this time, I need to have decided whether or not to continue because of certain actions that need to be taken then.

This post at pomegranatesandpaper really spoke to the kinds of feelings I've been having about the process this time. I find I need to step back from the push to create for the market and do more to create from my heart. Whether I will end up spending more time in the studio or less remains to be seen. I plan to work on a number of things in 2014, including gifts, my book, downsizing the stuff I own, and experimenting with techniques. As often as possible, I plan to share my progress with you.

After making the quilt and quilt top I showed you in November, I pushed forward on three additional gifts. None of them was completed in time, though I showed pictures of their progress to their recipients. So, I can show you, too.

 

This is a Mill Hill Pin Whimsy kit, called "Dazzling Dragonfly."

 

This table runner, which has not yet had that border attached, let alone the binding, is from a kit by Sally Holzem, called "Tuscan Nights." I did alter the border strips. 

 

 

Finally, this table runner is my own design. I'm currently working on the quilting. I am using a variegated thread and hope it will help the border to blend more with the center panel. There were also two pot holders that go with it, but I did not get a picture of them.

 

 

In hopes of giving you a little something to smile about, I'd also like to share this portrait of a little fellow who was enterprising in his search for food he knew was hiding on our patio.

 

 

Wishing you peace and all good.

 



Simplicity

As many of you know, I am a Secular Franciscan. One of the hallmarks of the Franciscan lifestyle is simple living. This does not mean that as a lay Franciscan I cannot own things. It means that I strive to live my life in relationship and detach from possession. What does that mean, exactly? It means that I can enjoy things I do not own for their beauty without feeling I have to have them. I can use things and not own them, like reading books from the library. I can give away things that I own when someone else can make better use of them. I can live with less, focusing more on relationships.

My mother was a wonderful example of living this type of life, though she was not a Franciscan. Towards the end of her life, she "broke up house," as they used to say, and moved to an assisted living facility. She was still healthy enough to enjoy a variety of things, and with her large family, rarely had a chance to encounter boredom. The thing that amazed and enlightened me, however, was the fact that she gave up a four bedroom home, with a full basement, and all of the accompanying stuff to move to one room that served as her bedroom, living space, included a bath, and held all her storage in built-in cabinets. This was not the first time she gave up things without any fuss, but it was the eye-opener for me.


One of the things that Mom taught me was that it is possible to have things, even very nice things, without having a need to possess them. At the same time, she taught me that one should always consider whether someone else needs what we have more than we do. Finally, she taught me that it is possible to have enough, even if one doesn't have everything the advertisers say we "need" or the "Joneses" have more than you do, and have a good life.

What I am still trying to discern is what this lifestyle means in terms of my art. It comes back to a question of what is necessary. One could certainly argue that making and viewing art is necessary, since humans have been doing so since living in caves. There is something about artwork that stirs our souls. My particular role in the making and distribution of art is what I question. There are so many wonderful artists in our world. Do I have anything to offer that cannot be provided by someone else? If I do, what form should it take? Would it be better for me to create beauty in practical things and give them away? Should I create artwork to sell and offer to a wider audience?

I know that I am blessed in the fact that I can ask these questions. I am not confined by a need to create for income (at this point) nor do I have to take a day job just to pay the bills. That, too, is part of my quandry. Yet, I have a need to create things of beauty, and so my dilemma.

I'm off to ponder my issues. Until next time, I wish you peace and all good.

Goals

I've been thinking a lot about goals, recently. One of the things that has been helping me get focused is a series of expert interviews that Lesley Riley has been conducting. It is called SEEK. You can find out more here: Artist Success. Lesley's questions are designed to help artists get the most information possible, and the experts have been forthcoming with lots of thought-provoking material.

I've realized, again, that all of my experiences and training work together to create the place I am currently at, and that they will all help me to launch myself into the rest of my life. While I am an artist and work in mixed-media with a concentration in fiber, I am also a social scientist, with an MA in Political & Justice Studies. My focus, as mentioned in my profile, is on global equity and sustainability. In addition, I am a gardener and am beginning to realize I am also a photographer. It remains to be seen how I will meld all of this into future creations. That is why I am working on identifying my goals.

During the heat bubble of this last week, my husband suggested I take my camera out to take some pictures of the Tiger Lilies blooming in a side yard. It is fascinating to see how they grow and perpetuate themselves. Of course, they are lovely flowers, too.

I am inspired by things like this to consider how to incorporate the concepts of simplicity, functionality, and beauty into my own work. In a lot of ways, however, it is a return to previous work in other media, since my Master's Thesis was on sustainability with a focus on Voluntary Simplicity. (If you are interested in more information about that, I suggest reading Duane Elgin's book Voluntary Simplicity, What is voluntary simplicity? by Samuel Alexander, and/or checking out  Center for a New American Dream, Financial Integrity, and/or Northwest Earth Institute websites.)

I'm off to think more about my goals, try to get something defined more clearly, and create. Until next time, I wish you peace and all good.