Movement
Like so many people, I have had a complicated relationship with my body. Learning to live with it is a lifelong process! I love the experiences that physicality offers. I have also had to develop habits and practices that help me remain aware enough to enjoy those experiences.
I was a gymnast as a child, later learning taiji and qigong. I have been a wrestler, a rower, and a weightlifter. I’ve studied fencing and made a start at taiji sword. I have also been trained in Egyptian, Turkish, and Romany styles of dance, mostly in the tradition of raqs sharqi or belly dance as well as some folk styles. My teachers include June Seaney, Artemis Mourat, and Morocco.
Most recently, I have been focusing on three things: improving my fitness and stamina, studying Western neo-Tantra within the gay community, and developing & teaching the Nine Hazels Qigong form within and beyond the AODA.
Landscape
Each place I’ve lived, I’ve planted a garden. As a very young child, my parents helped me start a small garden of my own to tend with carrots and marigolds. As I grew, I helped my parents with the family gardens—herbs, vegetables, fruits, as well as ornamentals—even rescuing the weeds and transplanting them into their own safe plot.
As an adult, I’ve continued to shape and tend the earth, creating my own beautiful, productive spaces. I spend time observing the land, the light, the water. I experiment to see what grows well in different places. I have thriving compost that enriches the soil so that I can continue to grow for productivity and beauty, both.
I received my Permaculture Design Certificate from The Resiliency Institute in Naperville, IL in 2015. Since then, I have also written and presented on permaculture as a practice of spirituality and justice-making.
Fiber
Although I have explored many different media in the fine arts and crafts, the most enduring for me is fiber. I began by carding wool for my mother when she would spin yarn. I learned embroidery and needlepoint from my grandmother and spinning and crochet from my mother.
Since then, I have learned to knit, weave, and sew. Using my mother’s spinning wheel, I create yarn for specific knitting and weaving projects and for the sheer enjoyment of the process. My weaving has been used for clothing and upholstery, kitchen and dining use, and aesthetic and liturgical use. I also have learned a bit of tailoring and fabric construction: from making clothes and re-lining coats to making curtains and cases for musical instruments. The challenge of thinking multi-dimensionally while playing with luxurious colors and textures is a joy for me.