Calm Bedrooms

Since all my things are all over the place.. These bedrooms are calm, uncluttered and somewhere I could get a good night sleep and a minute to think.

The Next Adventure: Laos

I will begin a new job starting almost a year to the day of being laid off. It has been a difficult and challenging year for me. I can not even believe a year has gone by. When I returned from Morocco and was asked what I want to do next, I answered the question thoughtfully and specifically in October when I was visiting my parents. It went something like this: I want to work with women in a developing country, I want to work with textiles and learn more about the process of creating and developing products to help communities support themselves through contemporary design. I want to live abroad. I want to be part of something bigger than myself. I want to have a purpose. I want to wake up and love the people I work with and know that I am valued as much as I value them.

While this sounds specific, it has been hard to really find all of these details in one role, not to mention the majority of the roles I was looking into were more about volunteering, which is not realistic financially for the long term. And the idea of moving abroad is not easily realized without a foundation, especially in the areas I was focusing on.

I finally found the job I knew was out there, I knew I wanted and had been searching for. I will be joining the team at Ock PopTok in Luang prabang, Laos

Much much more to follow on Ock Pop Tok and the role I will have with them.

I am packing and organizing and getting the logistics of the move settled. I am also planning to go back east to hang out with family and friends, so time is tight and things are moving quickly.

Thank you to my family and friends for being so unconditionally supportive and loving during a very difficult year. Without your support I never would have been able to have the opportunity to realize or follow my dreams!

Ladies

A new drawing.

charcoal and pencil.

The Hmong and hemp

I am starting to study different tribes in Southeast Asia. The Hmong have a long and difficult history of war and conflict within Laos, Thailand, China and Vietnam. While they may now be dispersed and in some instances refugees, they have always had a bond with hemp. They grow, produce and weave all their clothes with hemp and hemp cloth plays a large role in their burial rituals. They live mostly in the mountains of these countries and their livelihood is agriculture based. The women still create textiles and sell them at markets around South East Asia.

Ohhh how I hope to meet and work with the Hmong people soon.

At first glance their designs are similar South American designs I have seen and pictures my sister took in Peru and the Amazon where there are similarities in accordion style skirts with bands of bright colors and designs.