when handmade is soulmade

mary jane dodd

yesterday staci posed the question 'why are you drawn to handmade jewelry?' ... it had me so tied up all day that i decided to answer in my post...

i am personally drawn to handmade/soulmade anything... where a person's imagination, energy and hands have traveled is where i want to be... we all have a voice - and are given different gifts by which to express ourselves... it isn't always easy to find the gifts - we may stumble around trying lots of things until we do... but once revealed, the authentic blossoms... 

'when we discover that the truth is already in us,

we are all at once our original selves.'

~ dogen

for me personally, my actual voice had been silenced for a rather long time... my work became  a safe place for expression, reflection... words became a key part of the designs... 

'words are the voice 

of the heart.'

~ confucius

a number of years ago i enjoyed integrating the work of multiple people into one design... i loved combining the energies into cohesive pieces... it was like collaborating with friends... and i still love that... but now, the goal is to make everything from beginning to end... the piece then reflects my voice completely - my hands have touched each component... i have made every decision... 

but why? because my soul is in each part - concentration, feelings, intentions (or not)... the finished pieces are testaments to my being alive - living, thinking, feeling... i will not, in fact can not, work if i am in a poor mood... i have to come around to it in peace or excitement... 

so welcome to the group, staci... 

and thank you for the thought provoking question ~