Raincloud Brooch

I made this magnetic brooch during my first session at Penland School of Craft. I hadn’t been making much art since graduating from SAIC, something I attributed to a nauseating cocktail of burnout, relationship and work stress, and ever-present shame and self-criticism.

Penland gave me the space to get out of my head (and maybe back into it through a trapdoor or window). My metalworking class was incredible; the instructor–April Wood–was insightful, and she jam-packed thought-provoking and technical content into every lesson. I took advantage of the campus and its many trails, taking time to journal and think. 

For two weeks, I became a sponge. I found myself able to embrace engaging and thoughtful conversations with fellow work-study students, rather than succumbing to the voice saying, “Shouldn’t you be in the studio right now?” For the first time ever, I was able to shut that voice down, not just because I recognized that a conversation with a fellow student could be (and ultimately was) even more valuable, but also because I was learning to give myself permission to enjoy something free of guilt and pressure to produce.

I’m still learning to roll with the natural ebbs and flows of my desire to create. The scope of what I consider art (both as a whole and for myself) has broadened. This piece was a practice in learning. Self-love and self-acceptance have become a goal, as has the reframing of art as a lifestyle.