Sculpture, welcoming conservation

Very pleased. It’s not finished. But it’s a long way towards where I want to go with this. It was originally a school assignment. But I developed it, and now it’s my own. It has taken me some time and energy; first I dugg up my complete fear of feeling lonely. It’s strong, and I had never looked it in the eye before. Then with time and hard work I have slowly realized I am not alone. I have one that constantly writes to me. One that does what she says she will, that one I can trust. I have one that at the moment treasures my friendship highly. I have one that I think will not fail, and will stay with me a very long time as my friend. On top of this, I will meet people I know a bit around town. That is important too.

So, my sculpture started as a wordless show of my loneliness, and the fact that many things ends this spring. But it ended with the joy of feeling loved. Do I journey hard? I always journey hard.

It ended up in a exhibition on Umeå Fashion week, at Hotel Mimer. Not just me, but all of my class. We are all good at what we do, and really nice people, I will miss them a lot. They have a part in how this sculpture became, since our time together in class are one of the things that ends. One other thing that ends, is my therapy.  I completely forgot to tell my main inspiration about this exhibition! My therapist. If you read this, I wish you would go see it.

They made us white something to fit with our sculptures. I was unused to mix writing with sculpture, but it was very nice and educating. Here it is:

A good conversation

To meet and be open and humble together

To accept who we are, do not try to change

To meet with my horrible, wonderful person. Just by being there. Listen. Or tell.

To not be someone wrong or right, happy or sad, friend or enemy.

To just be what I am just now.

Not to change the other, but grow. Preferably together.

 

I hope I’m on my way. To make a difference. Just to be someone to talk to, and give maybe a few good words on your road in life. What more could I ask?

All these lovely photos!

 

I must admit, I have many very nice photos on my drive. Most of them from this winter. While it is a lot of fun, what to do with all these photos? No one but me will see them on my drive! Finally FINALLY I red about stock. Not like stock market, but stock photos. I know there is a lot of discussions about this phenomena, specially from professional photographers. But I figured, I am not professional (that would be an insult to the real professional), and now that I tried to have my photos up for sale on one of these sites, really. The photos there are not the greatest I have seen. They might be technically good, but they are not fantastic, perfect or art. THAT should be sold for the money they deserve. Most of the photos I see there are fine. Absolutely fine. Some of us might actually earn some money too. But most of us is just happy to share and have fun I think.

And it is all good! I have a lot of hobbies, this is one. I use photography and painting like therapy mostly, I do not need to be the best. And some of my photos have four likes already!

In the end, maybe I will sell a couple of them too!

Not being the best, and still be enough.

https://www.mostphotos.com/anneliandreart

Only one left! Luffarsloyd: Pendant with a seahorse.

Have I told you I’m a blacksmith? I’m a blacksmith. This weekend I got inspired. By a guy showing me luffarsloyd. In Sweden it was illegal not to have a job 150 years ago, you could go to jail for being poor. But poor people still existed, so they found a way. They knocked on doors to ask for food and somewhere to sleep, and as pay they made luffarslöjd (“hobos craft” in Swedish) of simply wire. Wire has the trait of being light weight, they could carry it around without much distress. They often carried two sorts, one thicker for structure and one thinner for the in between. Unbelievable what they could do. This was 150 years ago, but the tradition making luffarsloyd still lives. And I got terribly inspired. Today mostly plates and bowls are made of luffarsloyd. Sometimes hangers and stands. But I saw this tradition with blacksmith eyes, and made this:

(If you wonder about what luffarsloyd looks like, this is a blog with some nice examples: Metallbinderiet.)

I think this it the biggest jewelry I ever made. Apart form my blacksmith exam, but that is an other story. It’s 14 cm long. So. Much. Fun. I am a blacksmith with a businesses, and this one is actually also up for sale on etsy.com: only-one-left-luffarsloyd-pendant.

It can be hard to part with my loved ones, but even if I really like it…it’s not my style. I tend to be angry at it for being in my way. This pendant must go to someone that is staying still at least once in a while. I do not.

 

Inspiration

Inspiration. We can miss inspiration. We do not find it, or we never had it. It’s easy to forget in everyday life. A good idea that’s floating away from you. Or is it that commitment… What is the difference? Commitment to really do something and inspiration to really create something?

Committed people is a bit stressed out. Inspired people is not. Commitment is on the outside, but inspiration on the inside. Silent, thinking, searching and fleeting inspiration. Loud, active, fast and determinations commitment.

I like inspiration. Makes us think of things from a different point of view. We see small things where others see big. And the other way around. A tree has levees. Levees are small, and the tree big.

The funny thing is that inspiration is to a great extent creativity and new thinking. Just like commitment. Maybe they belong together anyway.

First published February 2016 in Swedish on anneliandresenblog.wordpress.com