What does simplicity mean to you?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The new collection, launched a few moments ago, is all about simplicity. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Why? I feel like I live a chaotic life in a chaotic world. I thrive in chaos, to an extent, but I've been trying to simplify everything. I've been craving routine and familiarity, in the sense that I'm becoming okay with my love of working all the time and only hanging out with my small circle of friends. I think non-stop about homesteading in northeast washington or living in new mexico, and often, the design choices I make reflect those obsessive daydreams.
⠀⠀⠀ I'm still figuring out how to simplify everything. How to live a life that makes sense, where all my decisions are clear, and I know what my next steps are. To me, that looks like homesteading, being a mom, working with textiles, cooking amazing food, and having abundance and prosperity without the stress I'm so so so used to. I know that there's a lot of work to do to get there, and pushing through this collection was/is part of it. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Oh and I certainly don't mean simple as in minimalist. If you've seen my house or personal style, you know I'm all about maximalist expression.
When I start a collection, I usually don't know what I'm pursuing, and the question will be revealed to me at some point during the work-- and that's the same case here. I kept asking myself, how do I get to where I want to be? How do I get to my simple life? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ You'll see this question worked into all of the new designs-- small color palettes, monochrome and tone-on-tone, repeated shapes, echoed patterns, familiar colorways. Statement pieces reflecting the ache for another place and another lifestyle, less bills and a slower pace.
How can we make the smallest amount of negative impact, while making beautiful objects? How can the objects we make speak about the concept of minimalism, while also embracing maximalism? how can modern quilting be introduced to new folks, in a conceptually easy to digest format? Where is the line between affordable and reasonable profit, without compromising quality? How can we be real about authenticity, intentional products, and simplicity without being corny?
I feel like simplicity also means forgiveness. Learning to love myself despite all my flaws and all the ways that I need to become a better person... and that I don't need to wait until x or y happens to live the life I want to-- I can start implementing changes towards simplicity NOW.
I started with embroidery, and I find myself circling back to it again and again. Way back when, in 2013, when I opened my @etsy shop. It was full of floral bouquets, Vonnegut quotes, and some weird stuff I can’t believe actually sold. I was quilting too, as more of a hobby, though. I had learned these skills as a kid and textile + fiber art has always been my go-to extra curricular. ⠀
For about two years, embroidery was a decent side hustle that paid my bar tab during college— and then in the thick of grad school, I stopped embroidering at all. Part of it was stress killing creativity, part of it was my advisor making fun of it. Part was, I felt I had to choose between being in the environmental field, because since I was already planning on being a mom, I was losing some feminism points or whatever and maybe I needed to tone down on the femininity. Or that I wasn’t good enough at embroidery to matter. it’s all ridiculous and I pulled a 180 after having a child— to be COMPLETELY unapologetically feminine, proud of my interests, pretty ok with my skill level and competency (‘sup imposter syndrome) and unafraid to do whatever the heck I want, to heck with any outside perspective. ⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So, now, I’m a stay at home mom with a masters degree and I do a heck of a lot of embroidery and quilting and it’s my JOB now. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀ Secretly, that’s what I wanted the whole time. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
another question for you: are you shopping small this holiday season? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ If you’re thinking of ordering from me, you’re in luck! the last restock of the year at ponderosacreative.etsy.com is live! you'll find new embroideries, quilted bags, wall hangings, upcycled clothing, and a replenished inventory of #ponderosathreadgloss AND some new options for made-to-order items. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀ This is the last restock of the year, and the first time in awhile, because I’ve been working so much on orders from shops. It’s a huge blessing and a giant leap forward, but I want to make sure to still have offerings for the day 1 folks that have shopped on Etsy. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I’ve been talking about this on instagram stories: Don’t get me wrong, we all use amazon prime and target and conveniences like that. But swapping out a few purchases from major corporations to local, family-run, small operations makes a world of difference in the lives of people you actually know... and not another dang luxury vehicle for a billionaire. An order from a small business is groceries, utility bills, gas, preschool, etc. and this “shop small” rhetoric isn’t meant as a guilt trip or a moral posturing or social status via conspicuous consumption (#vscogirl) but I feel like we all get so entrenched in the hustle of capitalism and sales and bargains during the holidays... what’s it all for if we’re not fostering community with our extra spending? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Thanks for coming to my ted talk or whatever. ⠀⠀⠀⠀
SHOP THE SIMPLICITY COLLECTION⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
