Full of Christmas Cheer (and Hope and Advice)

I had banned the dreaded "C" word in my house until the 1st of December, but I am actually feeling full of Christmas Cheer at the moment, so I'm declaring it Christmas now.

After my weekend in Kilkenny, I feel hope, something I have not felt in a while. Hope in the work I want to do, that I will find the right people to work with, and hope in the salvation of the world. OK, this seems a bit extreme, but, on returning from my travels, I did 2 things that restored my faith and salvation in the world. I finally finished 1421 by Gavin Menzies. This book changed the way I look at history, and the whole bloody Eurocentric thing. If you are into history, maps, navigation, anthropology, botany, and numerous other fields, read it.

I also watched a film The Economics of Happiness. This film, is the most inspiring documentary I have seen recently. It’s very depressing at the start, but ends up very hopeful; it actually ties in with everything I believe in, the way I like to work, the way I believe communities should work, the future of mankind... It really is that deep! It all ties in together, and wow, I haven't felt this positive in a long, long time.

So, that’s just a bit of Christmas Cheer and now here’s the Christmas Advice. I don’t usually offer advice on my blog, well apart from advice of a crafty nature, what glue or stitches to use, but I am feeling so full of cheer, and chat, and reality of the overhypness of Christmas, I want to help you all cope with this coming Christmas. (Obliviously I'm not religious. If I was religious I would actually take affront at my religion and icons being used to encourage several of the deadly sins, which my religion is supposed to be safeguarding me from. I am always surprised the Church has not come out and actually renounced any and all association with the excesses of Christmas. Is it because theres no such thing as bad press?).

Advice for buying presents for kids: 

• BLAME SANTA!!  If Santa does not give them the presents they asked for, you are not to blame, Santa is. So if your kids are unhappy, tell them a story about the North Pole getting flooded due to the polar caps melting and all the presents were destroyed. So, Santa did the best he could under the circumstances. (Get them to watch The Economics of Happiness film)
• YOUR KIDS WILL NOT HATE YOU FOREVER if they do not get the presents they wanted, they will just hate you for a little while. Giving them what they want just gives them unreal expectations of their doomed future (get them to watch The Economics of Happiness film)
• KNOW YOUR CHILD, Put some thought into it. Do you really know your child? I mean really? We're all so busy these days; it’s easy to not notice the small things. Buying them something they want is the easy way out, buy them something surprising, something they don’t realise they want, but they will remember forever. (Get them to watch The Economics of Happiness film)

Advice for buying presents for loved ones: 

 

• FOR THE PERSON WHO HAS/WANTS EVERYTHING buy them the The Economics of Happiness. They definitely need to watch this film, so they can see how their excesses are destroying the world.
• FOR THE PERSON WHO DOESN'T WANT ANYTHING buy them The Economics of Happiness.They will really appreciate this film. It might make them a bit smug, because they are already on the right track with regards to possessions.
• FOR ANYONE WITH ANY SENSE OF ENVIROMENT buy them the The Economics of Happiness. This film might make them cry because they have been following the destruction of the earth with great detail. It says everything they have been saying, but more intelligently with great visuals and in 68 minutes. It will also give them hope.
• FOR ANYONE IN ANY POSITION OF POWER OF DESICISION MAKING (Real or imagined e.g. bank managers/CEOs/politicians etc) buy them the The Economics of Happiness. They are the people who really, REALLY need to see this film. They are destroying the world.

 http://www.theeconomicsofhappiness.org/

The Economics of Happiness - Official Trailer from The Economics of Happiness on Vimeo.

Curation Masterclass

I'm just back from a few days in Kilkenny, the nerve centre of the CCOI. I've been attending a series of Curation Master classes, the first time the CCOI have run workshops on the craft of curation. (And believe me it is a craft; an elusive, time-consuming, art-form that, I believe, involves a huge amount of craftiness in order to succeed).

Well, I only actually attended a couple of the series, because I couldn't make it to all of them. But I was very, VERY, lucky to have attended both of the classes that were facilitated by Freddie Robins and David Littler. Two incredibly inspiring people. Its impossible to really describe what actually went on in these sessions, which were a 2 day conversation about curating contemporary craft. But here’s is some of the key words... well, an awful lot of key words...(I do like a good word cloud...)

Textile Madness in Munster

I used to moan about the lack of textile events/exhibitions, etc, happening down South, compared to the East Coast. However, this time I am moaning about how much is going on!! I just cant keep up. I had a feeling this year was going to be exciting (sanguine according to this post...), but man, slow down, or we'll be burned out before the summer...

Heres a few things going on, I'll be posting in more detail both here and on The Woolly Way

The Sewing Shed!
We're all excit'd and deligh'd for Nikki, who is moving to a bigger premises this weekend. If you are in Keel on Friday 4th March, her official opening is from 10am - 4pm.

Cork Textiles Network Conference!
The annual CTN conference kicks off this weekend.

Tread Softly!
this exhibition opens in the Cork Museum on Friday also at 6pm. Lots of CTN members in this.

Seamless; Off the Body, On the Wall!
Textile Exhibition at Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa, Cork

The Irish Coral Reef is coming to Cork!
to Farranferris College and Green Works and the opening is to coincide with the Environ 2011 conference in UCC . It'll be on display for 3 months

and finally, lastly, The Pan Celtic Lace Seminar!!!
Details of which will hopefully be announced tomorrow, (when I finally get all the blurb written up...). Keep April 27th - 1st May 2011 free in your diaries!!

So between all this, I'm trying to get my project designed and done for the International Freeform Fibre Art Guild, something interesting for the CTN photoshoot, something big for the Electric Picnic, (...and despite a suggestion on Twitter, I will not be knitting the entire Irish Cricket Team jumpers after their amazing defeat of England...)

Phew, and thats just March!

Ramblings 2011

It has just occurred to me I haven't started a Ramblings 2011. 23 days into January, and I haven't rambled once! Aren't you lucky.... ( I mean weren't you)...

I have much to ramble about. Especially after a few weeks of sickness and quarantine, after this weekend, where I drove for many hours through thick fog, across the country, to attend the first Curation Masterclass session in Kilkenny, put on by CCOI. Lots of hours of thinking, about the coming year, the projects, the plans. Indeed I have much to ramble about...

This is just a warning of the rambling to come, and it might be a little bit posher (practising my curation oration), a little bit more Irish (practising my native tongue, which remains firmly at the tip), and believe it or not, a lot more textile...