This week had been a bit if a roller coaster, but we’re on an upswing. Mom’s surgery went well. The nurses literally called her robot surgeon Wall-E. 😂 It was conducted by a human, but still. We live in the Future y’all. ![[GIF-WallE-Robot.gif]] Also Davy’s first festival. These rides show up each year in our park just days after his birthday and this year he was old enough to go. We went early and brought headphones. When it was all done we were a 5 minute walk from our house. Ideal. ![[2024-06-MudTown-Carouse3.jpeg]] ![[2024-06-MudTown-FerrisWheel2.jpeg]] ![[2024-06-MudTown-Carousel2.jpeg]] ![[2024-06-MudTown-Carousel4.jpeg]] ![[2024-06-MudTown-Silhouette.jpeg]] ![[SS-Header-Ecosystem.png]] I’ve had fractured sleep all week and really felt the effects. Finally feeling human again after a full night’s rest. I managed to record a [collab video](https://neurokind.substack.com/p/create-a-collaborative-work-of-art) for Neurokind (originally ideated with much higher production values, but sometimes you just need to get something done.) ![[Screenshot-WeavingText.jpeg]] I also drove around the neighborhood and found some nice vines to photograph my Entwined proof. 🌿 ![[2024-06-Entwined.jpeg]] Suddenly feeling incredibly productive, but taking a bit more time before downloading Instagram to post these. ![[SS-Header-Making.png]] Growing up my family was in hospital waiting rooms a lot for my dad. Mom always packed crafts (we still have beaded Christmas ornaments we made during one of his heart surgeries.) It’s one of those ways she dealt with our neurodivergence without even knowing what it was. Busy hands are self regulating. So I packed up some hand sewing for the hospital. ![[FullSizeRender_VSCO 10.jpeg]] ![[2024-06-03-Soft-Sculpture-Process.jpeg]] These are pieces for a “soft sculpture” I’ve been working on for YEARS. I have progress photos and videos pinned to my IG highlights. Every time I work on this my fingertip splits (thank you connective tissue disorder) and it takes months to heal. ![[2022-10-Soft-Sculpture-Bandaid.jpeg]] I got a new needle puller doo-dad which is a game changer! [Shoutout to @mx.domestic for this tool tip.](https://www.instagram.com/reel/Crzg9oDAJ1W/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==) 💫🌈🥰 Maybe I can actually finish this piece now. I don’t have a title yet, but it’s going to be a fiber arts brain created with baby onesies, blankets, washcloths, bibs, and a maternity top. ![[2024-06-04-Soft-Sculpture-Brain.jpeg]] I added a bit more after this and I have half a brain now! 🧠😂 ![[SS-Header-Compost.png]] I collected a few new quotes for [[Medium]]. These are from Virginia Woolf, [Modern Fiction](https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0300031h.html#C12) about the expected storytelling forms of her time, > Is it the method that inhibits the creative power? I think so Virginia! Sometimes. This was a helpful read alongside my current musings on my fiction and how much to follow forms versus deviating from them. She also says, > Any method is right, every method is right, that expresses what we wish to express I find this is very true as relates to choosing a specific art medium (textile, video, photograph). This is something I often do intuitively. But it doesn’t always work on the first try. Sometimes I start with the wrong medium or I get stuck until I can find the right form. This is an invitation to do the same with fiction and not get boxed in by expected plot structures. Pretty much the opposite of the common writing advice to “learn and follow the rules before you break them.” ![[GIF-Supernatural-Shrug.webp]] Also new to the Compost Heap. A new artefact for [[Zines]]… _The Little Journal of Rejects_ is a fictional zine that “only accepted previously rejected submissions.” I was pretty enchanted by this concept before I realized it’s all fictionalized. But it’s still a fun piece even down to the shape and textured design. > Little magazines flourished in the United States between the mid-1890s and the turn of the century, with nearly 300 being launched between 1894 and 1903. > The small, usually short-lived journals that emerged shared certain properties: they were experimental, design-focused, aesthetically self-conscious, adopting distinctive fonts and idiosyncratic formats. via [Public Domain Review](https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/le-petit-journal-des-refusees/) ![[Public-Domain-Rejection.jpeg]] This is just a peek. You can see the whole document at [Archive.org](https://archive.org/details/le-petit-journal) ![[SS-Header-Thinking.png]] Forming some thoughts about TETRIS and [[Gestalt Cognitive Processing]], but I haven’t had time to fully formulate them. Also… Green Thumbs are LITERAL. I always garden with gloves, but I did a tiny bit of weeding with bare hands recently… and my thumb was stained green! This means having a “green thumb” really means doing the work. 🤯 ![[SS-Header-Reading.png]] Terry Pratchett's [Moving Pictures](https://bookshop.org/a/10261/9780062237347) has been a great lighthearted read to balance out hospital stress. I also read Manton Reece’s [Microblogging](https://book.micro.blog/) (online for free) and Ben Tarnoff's Internet for the People. I took a ton of notes at [[The Internet]] from both. I have more than enough research now I need to integrate that and write my piece. ![[SS-Header-Gardening.png]] ###### *Observations from my actual garden…* Bean shoots are twining up the Wendy House. And flowering! (Not pictured.) ![[2024-06-Pinto-Beans-Wendy-House.jpeg]] Also Rudbeckia (Black Eyed Susan) popped up from seeds we collected last year and scattered in the “no mow” part of the lawn. ![[2024-06-Rudbekia-Wildflower-Meadow.jpeg]] Nature is magic. ![[SS-Header-Digital-Foraging.png]] ###### *Delightful finds of the week…* The joy of recognizing an artist’s style. When I saw this illustration I knew right away it was [Pauline Baynes](https://www.paulinebaynes.com). But when I reverse image searched nothing came up. ![[Screenshot-Pauline-Baynes.png]] Non deterred I went through my Narnia books and found it in my copy of Prince Caspian. ![[2024-06-Pauline-Baynes-Doorway.jpeg]] This led me to wonder what she has illustrated beyond Narnia. Now I have a new book on my wishlist: The Adventures of Tom Bombadil [0048210196](https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Special:BookSources/0048210196 "Special:BookSources/0048210196") ![[Book-Bombadil-Pauline-Baynes-Wishlist.jpeg]] And More British Fairy Tales](https://archive.org/details/morebritishfairy0000will/page/n171/mode/2up) which you can borrow for free from Internet Archive. While I was there I found [Tolkien Text Adventures for Macintosh](https://archive.org/details/TolkienMacintosh). ![[Screenshot-LOTR-Game.png]] Also, in case you missed it Emma Mitchell identifies as neurodivergent now. It’s funny seeing all the people I’ve ever connected with come out as autistic or ADHD. We do find each other. Love what she has to say here. And wonderfully whimsical [Nonsense Botany](https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/edward-lears-nonsense-botany-1871-77/?utm_campaign=later-linkinbio-publicdomainrev&utm_content=later-43434557&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkin.bio) which feels very Wonderland. 🍄 ![[Public-Domain-Comb-Plant.jpeg]] ![[Public-Domain-Kettles.jpeg]] ![[Public-Domain-Clock-Plant.jpeg]] Also [Occult Chemistry](https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/occult-chemistry/) ![[Public-Domain-Gender.jpeg]] ![[SS-Header-Time-Travel.png]] ###### *This time last year…* My work was in [Anthropology of Motherhood](https://www.anthropologyofmotherhood.com/trafdyer) at Three River’s Festival in Pittburgh. > _The exhibition seeks to amplify the voices of these artists as a means to challenge ableist assumptions and design an equitable world for all mothers/caregivers/parents._ – _Amy Bowman-McElhone, PhD, Curator_ ![[SS-Anthropology-of-Motherhood.png]] --- This week has been very full. This update doubly so because I missed a few things last time. I’d love to hear what’s in your compost heap or any thoughts that bubble up in response to these links and images. Cheers,