DIYing: the hunt for materials, cool music recs, and feeling grateful to be making things

As you all know I've been getting to the task of trying to create some visual magic for The Grand Scream. The crafting process has been arduous but worth it!!

I decided to make a vintage-style clothing item for an upcoming social media shoot. Initially I was going to use black stretchy velvet, but after I found that my local fabric store did not have it (and real velvet was too thick for what I needed and also $20/yard), I got creative and chose something different that I ended up liking even more than my original idea. In the end I was choosing between the houndstooth below and the small checker-esque pattern below it.

I also visited a craft store about 30 minutes away from me because they had the cheapest option for another crucial element. While in the store, I saw these fun bologna-style sticky notes, though I have so many sticky notepads already and didn't need them. They made me smile so I sent a picture of them to a friend.

On the way to and from the craft store, I listened to a beautiful and ethereal album called Iconoclasts by Anna von Hausswolff. I had gone to a friend's party the night before and met a person with super cool art and music taste, and he recommended Iconoclasts to me.

I haven't looked up the lyrics, but a lot of the songs seemed to be about time, grief, death, and change and spoke deeply to me!

Here are some other fabrics I was considering before I narrowed it down! They don't all look exciting on their own except maybe the first one, but they were all perfect for the clothing item I was making.

Anyway!! The process was a lot of fun. I forgot how cool it was to follow steps to make something in a medium you don't typically work with. Knowing you had the bravery to try something new even if you felt a little lost while doing it can feel comforting and build self-trust. Also helpful to keep your brain and hands busy when the world and future feels scary. I can't imagine a lifetime in which creating isn't a gift of calm for me.

I will further break down the process and share the tutorial I followed once this DIY item has been revealed!

Thanks for reading!! Try something new this week!