An Inspiration Seesaw

Anything hitting that nerve that fills me complete or carries my heart over my head and depletes the question of WHY - That, is what makes me want to create, and that is why I wanted to give back to those who inspire me.

A couple years ago, I started exchanging email with a sweet girl named Nanda from Jakarta, Indonesia, who had recently moved to Seattle. She wondered if I had any suggestions for artsy stores in Washington due to my crafts displayed on a Myspace profile. Although I couldn't really help her, we still conversed about art and life, and I found her to be a really interesting person, as well as her photography. We ended up befriending each other on Facebook as well, and a few months ago she posted a Kick Starter to raise funds for a vinyl with music and art done by her and her husband. She had told me a little about her story with her husband, but the video they did to promote the project colored in all the details and warmed my heart.

I have always been captivated by husband-wife duo bands and artists (see: Tennis). Maybe it's partially because I haven't surrounded myself with artists in my life, but to think that one could, not only be so in tune with oneself and his own creativity, but be able to share and collaborate that same energy with a partner to create this whole new world that they can live in together... Well, that allures me.

I wanted to make Nanda something that could possibly embody her version of happiness as well as be what she always wanted but never thought could exist. She had told me she liked things that are colorful, and after listening to their music, I knew I wanted to create a colorful scene from their story. So I decided to bring to yarn (get it, life?) her favorite scene:

"My favorite scene from the book is when Ms. Rabbit and Mr. Carrot flew on a magic cloud passing the mountains and two dragonflies "

Crocheting the carrot and the rabbit was such an adorable task, but I have been noticing a trend in my scene projects that the 'prop' the characters are sitting on are always the most difficult to create. Luckily, because I do the characters first, they inspire me through all the pain and frustration to finish so that the set can be complete. In this case, the cloud was unbearably annoying. I was desperately trying for a cute cumulus cloud, but the tricky part was visualizing the probability of fitting everything on it while not looking clustered or confusing, too. I tried several methods, like increasing on the sides with two stitches in each, then taking it apart and doing three stitches, then taking apart, and random decreasing! In the end I made three separate round pieces and and attached them at different points in the rounds. I then used pipe cleaners for the first time with my yarn, in attempt to create flying dragonflies. When they all finally came together on the cloud, all I could do was smile at its cuteness:

I also secured removable suctions cups (demonstrated in the first picture against a mirror) to the back of the cloud, so it can kindof take to air. This was a method I used on Cocaine Baby that I wanted to keep up, but although it gives my art a different exhibiting opportunity, it also limits it to windows and mirrors. I guess you can't have it all. Nonetheless, I absolutely love this project and all that it stands for, and I just can't wait to send it to my friend, Nanda.