Here is another cross-stitched piece completed by a participant (Elizabeth) at one of the Stitching with Purpose workshops I ran this past summer (2014).
Breathe, cross-stitched piece by Elizabeth in Vancouver
I asked Elizabeth why she chose that word for her piece and I recall her recounting a day when she had many things to do, one of them being an appointment for a massage (if I remember correctly), and how frenzied and stressed she felt trying to make it to her appointment in time. It’s funny how we can create spaces in our life to make ourselves feel better but how we can also sabotage ourselves by expecting too much out of our day.
As Elizabeth sat in the waiting room, she reminded herself to breathe and prepare herself to enjoy the massage to come. So this banner serves as a reminder to slow down.
You might see this piece around Emily Carr University of Art & Design, where Elizabeth is currently studying.
How is this piece activism? As Betsy Greer said in her recent book on Craftivism, “craftivism is about change from within,” and “[it nudges] you toward looking into your own ways of making.” “By bringing positive intention to the making of things and creating to soothe your own as well as others emotions, we can discover what it’s like to create for the greater good.”
If you took the Stitching with Purpose workshop I led at Artful Sundays on August 24th and have finished your piece, please send me a picture so I can share it on my blog. Email me at laura [at] laurabucci [dot] com.