One of the things I think about is how knowledge is kept, and how it can be grown. Reading The House of Wisdom by Jim Al-Khalili sent me down all sorts of rabbit warrens as I thought about the body of knowledge contained in the crafts, particularly spinning and weaving (and other related textile crafts).
Over the years I've learned a *lot* about weaving, in particular. Not to brag, but I've dug deeply and fairly broadly, into the craft. And I have tried at all times to understand the sciences involved - mathematics, physics, colour, etc.
(A friend assured me that if something was true, it wasn't bragging...)
When I was writing Stories from the Matrix, I had to wrestle with my impostor syndrome and while talking to another textile person, I found myself saying that I had written Stories (and the other two books already published) because I knew s..., er stuff.
There is no secret about what I do because I have been telling people for, quite literally, decades what it is I do, and how I do it.
And I have been blessed with students who soaked it all up.
Now I am beginning to see them do the same, and I am thrilled. Because the best thing I can do is pass the torch to others who are younger, have more energy, and the will to carry on.
More than one of them has said that my voice is an earworm (but a welcome one), and two have said that when they run into a problem they ask "What would Laura do?"
If that is to be my legacy, then I can rest easy.
(And yes, I do understand I'm not the only person doing such work, there is a long list of people researching, digging, exploring - I'm only one of them - but the craft is long, the life is short. It takes many people to truly understand the craft.)
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