Time Well Spent

Dear Reader,

I listen to a lot of podcasts—sometimes when I’m driving, sometimes when I’m taking care of boring tasks. Today I listened to one about paper-making. Not that I make paper. I’ve only done it once or twice a long time ago. Years ago, a friend enthusiastically told me about taking a paper-weaving class with Helen Hiebert. So, of course, I started following her and signed up for one of her online classes. It was fun.

In the meantime, she started a podcast called, Paper Talk and I started listening. Today’s guest was Bernie Vinzani, an artist who lives in Down East Maine. In a tiny town, a bit away from the water front, and very close to Canada.

As I listened, I was captivated. As Bernie described his journey to becoming a papermaker and teacher, I was intrigued by his path. From stamp collecting as a boy, to visiting art museums in Chicago, to wandering into the art building at university, he was drawn more and more clearly to being an artist and a teacher.

Y’all know that I love fiber and have fun playing with it in various ways. So, you won’t be surprised that my ears perked up, when he mentioned a book that describes the science behind what happens to fibers when they’re beaten in preparation for making paper. 
After he mentioned chemistry and formulas, my interest waned, but I wouldn’t mind skimming the book.

What I noticed more than anything else as I listened, was how contagious his curiosity and enthusiasm were. And I loved how that translated into his teaching style. For example, he collects stamps. He gives his students a stamp at the beginning of a course, and asks them to observe the stamp every two weeks and describe what they notice. Along the way, they’re learning more and more about making paper, and their perspectives change—they notice more and more details.

Just a little stamp, made of some kind of paper. And every two weeks, they find something new in it. Attention to details. Slowing down. Learning something new. Time well spent.

Paper—something we use every day and hardly even notice. And someone spends a lifetime, making, exploring, sharing.

What arouses your curiosity? What might you slow down to notice? And how might that affect you? What might become possible? It could be time well spent.

Speaking of inspiring teachers, I’m more than excited to visit next week with the woman who introduced me to felt-making—and so much more. What a privilege to encounter creative, inspiring people and to witness the changes they spark.

We have a couple more weeks on the calendar before we resume our weekly online Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lessons. Our next session will be on Tuesday, August 18. Iit’s still Free/Pay as You Wish.

And, I’ve kept some open spaces on my calendar for private sessions. If you’re interested in working with me one-to-one, you can Book an Appointment for a free zoom consult. We can work via Feldenkrais, coaching or felt-making—any or all of these. You can also just reply to this email and let me know what you’re interested in.

Have all the fun you can!