I used to like to travel, until I discovered that it wore me out. More recently, though, I have been teaching myself how to sustain myself and find joy even when away from home. So when in Detroit to visit family last week, I explored on foot & in a car, with my camera and an open heart. Taking breaks for treats & coffee may be a cliche, but it's a thing. Delicious coffees and pies in interesting places run by cool people warms my body and my soul. Walking sustains energy, as does witnessing creative Little Free Libraries... and eclectic gardens on street corners inviting me to 'Be Patient.' Once again I found myself between generations, sitting with Aunt Al waiting for the dog walker to arrive and, later in the day, celebrating my godson's 14th birthday on the 14th with a celebrated 'Bumpy Cake.' Who knew? In the midst of it all, I was surrounded by strong women figuring out how to find joy in various messy places - from single-motherhood to compost. You got it. Compost. I just can't not seek it out. In this case, I explored Detroit Dirt, a thriving organization that processes food waste and animal manure between old warehouses and the highway. As I stood among the eight mounds of compost, trying to keep warm as it snowed and the wind blew, I felt the power of earth's capacity to renew itself. It takes energy to create life from waste, but that is just what the amazing Pashon Murray is doing. Three days before the Women's March 2020, I was surrounded by strong feminine energy, the kind of energy that changes the world. Scraps to soil. Soil to plants. Plants to life-giving energy so that we can breath. After Detroit Dirt, I visited the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory in Belle Isle Park. Anna's story is impressive, but while there, warm and protected from freezing breezes blowing off the Detroit River, I thought about the power of focus - - When we focus on one thing, often something right in front of us, there is clarity and purpose. Trying to see and do it all just gets confusing. It's funny to me how I notice the bird sculpture more when it is blurred in the background, than when I tried to get it and everything else in focus. So when not exploring and playing with extended family, I made time to read and sew, taking a media holiday of sorts. I hadn't planned it this way, but it turns out I read about another inspiring and game- changing woman, Rebecca Burgess and the Fibershed Project. The subtitle "Growing a Movement of Farmers, Fashion Activists, and Makers for a New Textile Economy" connects to, well, everything. It seems that
2020 is turning into a year for making connections among people, places and possessions, in particular, clothes. Compost remains the focal point, but clothes and their relationship to our identities may be a parallel story line...We'll just have to see. But I'm having fun being with people I love, meeting people who inspire, and feeling the power of the feminine spirit wherever I go.
Sarah
1/20/2020 08:22:08 pm
Lovely lovely. Especially excited about all of your mending, and Rebecca Burgess’ work. I’ve been connected on teh internet but haven’t yet seen her book. Hurrah
Claudia
1/21/2020 01:21:56 pm
Beautiful! Comments are closed.
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Lyn Swett Miller
reframing the narrative, one day, one image at a time Let's ReFrame: By Degrees
A place where photographer Lyn Swett Miller considers wonder, joy and transformation in a complex world. Archive
September 2021
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