20 years and a bit ago, Ben and I built a static website for MegWeaves, which in a sporadic manner was many years in the making.
The first impediment was what to call myself, i.e. the "business". The name "MegWeaves" sprang after I came to the conclusion I was thinking too much, attending too many art group meetings and small business courses, looking at other weavers' websites, but not getting enough weaving done. It was a directive to myself.
The second naturally followed I needed to weave enough pieces to be able to show what the website was about. I was still in the big transition from being a word person to... whatever visual/craft/art/making person I was trying to become, and thinking/reading/communicating was always easier than sitting at my loom.
The third was what to put in the website. Looking at other weavers' websites and talking to weavers, I learned unless I taught or wrote articles/books, there wasn't to be much selling from a website. Back then, there were no moving parts or sounds on (most?) websites, just pages with text, pictures and links. My memory is fuzzy, but I probably had a profile/bio, contact info, and a handful of photos. The server was under Ben's desk in the study; and he told me the next step was to write "News" items on a regular basis so we have repeat visitors, although we weren't sure for what purpose, if weavings did not sell online.
About the same time I learned from my high school girlfriend Liz about this thing called "blog", and she must have been on Blogger because I only I investigated Blogger. Well, blow me away, it was simple enough for me to start one right away. I wanted to use "MegWeaves" for my Blogger domain name, but back then it was taken, so "Unravelling" it was. I don't regret it, though, because life turned out to be one long series of unravelling the complexities of life, and the older I get, the more I appreciate it. Not to mention, aging unravels us physically and mentally, but this took a little longer.
I published my first post and Ben added a "News" link on the website on April 30, 2006. Not long after, I copied the contents from the static website to here, Ben did the redirect thing so www.MegWeaves.co.nz pointed to this blog, and the original site was gone. I also got my first digital camera in August, which I still use sometimes.
For this great-starter-but-never-a-finisher, I take some pride I kept the blog for 20 years, in spite of its many guises; from the long "shouting in an empty cathedral" stage; to the heyday of blogging, camaraderie, and all kinds of Internetty shenanigans; to the dispersing of our community due to the decline of blogs, (though it's back now, isn't it, while Facebook has declined considerably, and I never had Instagram,) and some quitting weaving altogether. For more than a decade, my blog for me has become part therapy, part a record of what I did, and a big part crazy old lady screaming into the wind. This coincides with the changes in my life; preferring my own company; folks, including my parents, departing this realm or my becoming estranged from friends and family, and so forth. It reflect the general changes in my life, and my waning/different interest/intent/manner in/of weaving.
I like my current life well enough. Having shed a lot of "shoulds", and losing some "would have been nice to have kepts", it's smaller and self-contained, giving me better control. Pension has given it some financial stability after 20+ years of virtually no income. And luckily, dire events in our lives have been, by world standards, non-events.
For a couple of months I had hoped to have some weaving content for this birthday, especially since 20th is the big birthday in Japan, not 21st. I started one on the rigid heddle after a conversation with Sally about this bag, but it isn't going well. I have another small commitment, but I've had no good plan in spite of weeks of thinking. My three looms are still occupied with technically fiddly warps I haven't been bothered to return to thus far, but I keep telling myself I will soon. On the other hand I've been interested in things happening on paper, drawing, collages and bookbinding, as you know, and I'm learning.
So here I am, coming in short of my own expectations, again, a little embarrassed, but not too much. I understand better how Mom faced her challenges in her last decade or so; if an old lady made the effort to show up, that should be good enough. I have been learning to count the act of showing up is a win.
* * * * *
Here are some of my memorable pieces.
The first impediment was what to call myself, i.e. the "business". The name "MegWeaves" sprang after I came to the conclusion I was thinking too much, attending too many art group meetings and small business courses, looking at other weavers' websites, but not getting enough weaving done. It was a directive to myself.
The second naturally followed I needed to weave enough pieces to be able to show what the website was about. I was still in the big transition from being a word person to... whatever visual/craft/art/making person I was trying to become, and thinking/reading/communicating was always easier than sitting at my loom.
The third was what to put in the website. Looking at other weavers' websites and talking to weavers, I learned unless I taught or wrote articles/books, there wasn't to be much selling from a website. Back then, there were no moving parts or sounds on (most?) websites, just pages with text, pictures and links. My memory is fuzzy, but I probably had a profile/bio, contact info, and a handful of photos. The server was under Ben's desk in the study; and he told me the next step was to write "News" items on a regular basis so we have repeat visitors, although we weren't sure for what purpose, if weavings did not sell online.
About the same time I learned from my high school girlfriend Liz about this thing called "blog", and she must have been on Blogger because I only I investigated Blogger. Well, blow me away, it was simple enough for me to start one right away. I wanted to use "MegWeaves" for my Blogger domain name, but back then it was taken, so "Unravelling" it was. I don't regret it, though, because life turned out to be one long series of unravelling the complexities of life, and the older I get, the more I appreciate it. Not to mention, aging unravels us physically and mentally, but this took a little longer.
I published my first post and Ben added a "News" link on the website on April 30, 2006. Not long after, I copied the contents from the static website to here, Ben did the redirect thing so www.MegWeaves.co.nz pointed to this blog, and the original site was gone. I also got my first digital camera in August, which I still use sometimes.
For this great-starter-but-never-a-finisher, I take some pride I kept the blog for 20 years, in spite of its many guises; from the long "shouting in an empty cathedral" stage; to the heyday of blogging, camaraderie, and all kinds of Internetty shenanigans; to the dispersing of our community due to the decline of blogs, (though it's back now, isn't it, while Facebook has declined considerably, and I never had Instagram,) and some quitting weaving altogether. For more than a decade, my blog for me has become part therapy, part a record of what I did, and a big part crazy old lady screaming into the wind. This coincides with the changes in my life; preferring my own company; folks, including my parents, departing this realm or my becoming estranged from friends and family, and so forth. It reflect the general changes in my life, and my waning/different interest/intent/manner in/of weaving.
I like my current life well enough. Having shed a lot of "shoulds", and losing some "would have been nice to have kepts", it's smaller and self-contained, giving me better control. Pension has given it some financial stability after 20+ years of virtually no income. And luckily, dire events in our lives have been, by world standards, non-events.
For a couple of months I had hoped to have some weaving content for this birthday, especially since 20th is the big birthday in Japan, not 21st. I started one on the rigid heddle after a conversation with Sally about this bag, but it isn't going well. I have another small commitment, but I've had no good plan in spite of weeks of thinking. My three looms are still occupied with technically fiddly warps I haven't been bothered to return to thus far, but I keep telling myself I will soon. On the other hand I've been interested in things happening on paper, drawing, collages and bookbinding, as you know, and I'm learning.
So here I am, coming in short of my own expectations, again, a little embarrassed, but not too much. I understand better how Mom faced her challenges in her last decade or so; if an old lady made the effort to show up, that should be good enough. I have been learning to count the act of showing up is a win.
* * * * *
Here are some of my memorable pieces.
Tapa I, 2007, my first of only two Pacific-inspired project, purchased by Mrs Woods, one half of my parents' best friends since their Minneapolis days in the 1960s.
The skinny cotton series, 2008, referred to as "Rococo" by then-Suter Shop manager Andrea. This style is never too far from my mind. 
"Pillars", 2012.
I hope there will be a few more memorable pieces off my looms in the coming years. Thanks for your company.
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