Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Being a Weaver

One of the nicest things anyone can tell me is they hadn't felt like weaving for a while, (ranging from three weeks to 27 years so far,) but seeing my work or talking to me made them want to weave again. Two weavers told me that in five days recently, and I was thrilled. A couple of weavers in town have my standing offer, good for 10 years, to help them put on a warp on their looms.

* * * * *

Sometimes I'm asked if I am "the weaver" Meg in this little town. Needless to say, it happens when I least expect it, and sometimes at very inopportune times, like when I'm having a good rant with my friends, in a public place. I feel embarrassed, immature, and have a hard time switching the conversation to pleasantries. Mumble, mumble.  Rant...

That said, this is about something else I think about a lot; I said this several times before on this platform, so apologies if it's the same old to you.

I am a weaver because I weave, but my weaving is not "who I am"; they are only what I make.  I would be pleased if folks like my work, (and maybe buy them,) and if one day my work can be part of a collection or can be seen outside gallery shops, I would feel rewarded. But my person is inconsequential.

I am a short, fat, grumpy middle-aged woman who dresses badly in dark baggy clothes who moves slowly but also stops often, thinking, looking, listening, or not, about textiles and weaving 24/7. What I make is the best representation of what I do in my time on this planet; they are prettier and more interesting.  My person is inconsequential.

This, of course, may confuse you considering the amount of non-weaving rant that takes place here, as Unravelling is my place to park thoughts and moments as much as it is a tool to communicate with weavers, textile aficionados and friends. You may remember I didn't post a picture of myself for a long time, until ultimately Ben and a couple of others coaxed me into it. Ambivalent behavior on my part, yes.  

This separation of my work from my person is very clear in my mind; I need to consider behaving consistently along the same principles, but which way??

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