How will you emerge? How will we emerge?

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This is from my colleague and a dear hearted being, Steve Wells, from www.eftdownunder.com (Australia).

Click for the backstory of this work of art by Steve's wife

My wife Louise is a talented textile artist.

Last year she was invited to submit a piece for the annual “Tied up with String” exhibition, a charity event where artists are invited to make a work which is then enclosed in an identical sized box.

The boxes are allocated at random, and sell out quickly, as prices are well below the artists’ usual rates. Then there is a great unveiling where the lucky purchasers and others get to see what they have acquired.

At the unveiling everyone was gushing over Louise’s beautiful work when it was revealed.

Titled Emerging Slowly, it consists of a series of beautiful brightly coloured circles, each with intricate stitching and cutaway sections that reveal underlying colour and depth, all joined together to form a stunning piece. I have provided some photos below, which hopefully do it justice.

What struck me most, and continues to affect me, is a line from Louise’s artist statement for this beautiful piece.

It brought a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye when I first read it.

It still does.

Every. Single. Time.

The first part of her statement sets the scene, letting you know the work began several years ago, then remained locked away until the opportunity to participate in this exhibition revealed a final plan, and the reasons and benefits of the work became clear.

Then there is this final line, which still causes me to think a lot about its implications.

“Like these samples, locked in a box for much of 2020, there is much conversation about how we will have changed when we eventually emerge. Let’s hope it is with joy.”

I wonder now as you read this if this causes you to think and feel the way I do.

Do you contemplate your answer to the question implied here, as I do?

How will you emerge?

It’s possible to be so caught up with managing the anxiety and stress over worldwide lockdowns and other disturbing events that you can forget the fact that you will, we will, the whole world will emerge from this.

How will you emerge?

How will we emerge?

What kind of world will we create when we emerge?

This is what I am thinking about for the year ahead.

I know some of you are still in a hard lockdown, maybe you have been for some time, perhaps you’ve begun to wonder whether you will ever get to emerge.

But emerge you will.

No night lasts forever, no matter how dark. History is replete with dark nights, some very dark, and some very long. But all of them ended, as this one will.

When it does, how will you emerge?

I hope it is with joy.

Warmly,

Steve Wells

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There’s a lot of ways I hope to “emerge” in the physical world when it’s possible. More time in close connection and dance with those dearest to me for example. Having @Cathy come hold our daughter, in person, and not “just” on Skype.

And… we’re blessed I feel to have virtual realms where we can emerge and grow Together.

This Center is part of my emerging, and our circle, and our community. It’s here for Us, to explore and exchange and engage. I’m emerging into this new we-space myself.

The invitation is open to people who want emotional freedom and safe, respectful discourse to emerge and engage here, too.

Because community matters. Cohesive, safe, supportive kinships matter. They are worth labor that uplifts rather than depletes.

Thank you for being here, and I’d like to here and see how you’d like to emerge, too. :heart_decoration:

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