Being Consistent and Patient Whilst Living in a Surprise Box

It's fascinating to me how my upcycled art practice cannot be separated from the greater context of my life and others' lives because of the meaning-upgrade inherent in re-using materials. The art is meaningful as art but also as something that has proven itself to be more useful than the culture expected it to be. That upgrade comes with the risk of stress from the very act of holding onto things to re-purpose.

I find my art practice often at odds with my living situation, which is a very small apartment packed with books, sewing/craft supplies, music, my archive of completed paper journals, too many thrifted clothes and an overflowing mending pile...oh, and did I mention...garbage waiting to be re-made into art? Sometimes it can feel so crowded in here that I can't muster the energy to start anything. One day I joked with a co-worker that my apartment is like a "surprise box" from a company trying to off-load undeliverable mail and returned merchandise. It feels that way because sometimes I am surprised by what I find. The comedy of being surprised by ones own possessions results from the outsized ambition of what I am trying to do --- create art, buy the earth a little more time.

Well, life in the surprise box is getting better because I have recently picked up some momentum with getting rid of stuff. I have also figured out some ways to reorganize my work areas and supplies. One of those organizational tools is actually an upcycling project I completed in the last few weeks! Remember the upcycled/decoupaged decorative box from my first post? I gave it a couple more layers of preserver/sealer (thanks, earthsafefinishes.com), glued on a button I made out of paper and more glue, and glued on a ribbon tie I crocheted from random leftover yarn. Now it has a snazzy closure and is somewhat more durable, so it can become my jewelry upcycling storage vessel!

I am part of a local Disability Justice Study Group and am teaching myself how to make mask chains so I can teach others at our upcoming event celebrating the ways we (me and other disabled folks) meet our access needs. If you aren't familiar with mask chains, they are a way of decorating ones respirator, cloth, or surgical mask to make it more fun to wear. My favorite creator of mask chains is Kristina at Matula's Mercantile (https://www.matulasmercantile.com/). I have been busy taking apart my old jewelry and acquiring other broken jewelry that I can take apart and reassemble into mask chains.

I hope you enjoy the pictures of the finished decorative box as well as the way it has become useful and even more meaningful through my decision to use its capacity for holding more materials to upcycle.