Handmade Arts

Artistic Statement

Yin; the passive female.

Since childhood I’ve been immersed in the feminine arts. From an early age I learned to sew and weave by reverse engineering jewelry and clothes I found at garage sales. I learned to make paper from library books. By middle school I was proficient in using a sewing machine and made new clothes from old ones and created my own stuffed toys. Fiber art has always been both practical and meditative since the first time I picked up a sewing needle. I found through the process of these hobbies I was able to clear my mind, relax, and learn to focus. The final products were rarely important to me. I never had money to buy gifts for people so I simply gave my art away. I could also use my skills to mend and adjust poorly fitting clothing that my mother would always buy for me. It was not until college that I ever considered fiber arts as a fine art and not just a hobby. Now I’ve created a body of work that is both academic and therapeutic. The process of creating these pieces has given me the same fulfillment it once had as a hobby, yet now I’m able to also share its messages of playful intellect and humor all stemming from my appreciation of the materials since childhood.