Enough

view from under the loom - this cloth has two distinct sides.  The part of the cloth on the beam is the 'right' side, the part above shows the 'wrong' side - which is what I see while I weave.  Because I prefer to lift fewer shafts.

Got the first towel woven on the striped warp yesterday and I am...satisfied.

No, it is not a work of great art.  I don't aspire to be a 'great artist'.  My goal has always been to make functional textiles, but also to look good - which includes making them look pleasing (to my eye).

And what is 'beauty', anyway? 

Media constantly tells people of the female persuasion that they are not pretty enough, not thin enough, not beautiful enough.   So, many people internalize the message that they are not 'enough'. 

I reconciled myself to not being able to meet the marketing message of 'beauty'.  I am well aware that I am not ever going to fit into that mold, especially now that I am 'old'. 

But getting to be 'old' is a privilege denied to many.  So I look for meaning beyond that messaging.

I try to create textiles that will be pleasing to the eye while they perform a specific function.  I want towels that dry (without becoming soaking wet quickly), scarves that keep someone warm, shawls that bring comfort as well as style.

I think modern day marketing has developed the message of 'buy this thing to make yourself/your life perfect' to a very high degree.  It is a message I struggled with in terms of trying to sell my own textiles over the years.

Because I was raised to not 'toot my own horn'.  I was taught to try to achieve excellence without it going to my head.  I was never told I was 'exceptional' - rather I was told that in order to achieve 'excellence' I had to work hard.

And so I did.  I worked hard.  I dug deep into the craft of textiles.  I learned the principles, the physical skills. 

But my textiles have always been about enhancing other people's lives by how they provided service to their owners.

So, no, these towels are not 'great art'.  They don't have to be.  My hope is that they will dry dishes - or hands - and bring a smile to the user while they do. 

And if they do?  That is 'enough'.