fanciful devices: SUBTLE

A Stone Is Nobody's

A man ambushed a stone. Caught it.
Made it a prisoner.
Put it in a dark room and stood guard over it for the rest of his life.

His mother asked why.

He said, because it's held captive, because it is captured.

Look, the stone is asleep, she said, it does not know whether it's in a garden or not. Eternity and the stone
are mother and daughter; it is you who are getting old. The stone is only sleeping.

But I caught it, mother, it is mine by conquest, he said.

A stone is nobody's, not even its own. It is you who are conquered; you are minding the prisoner, which is yourself,
because you are afraid to go out, she said.

Yes yes, I am afraid, because you have never loved me, he said.

Which is true, because you have always been to me as the stone is to you, she said.

Russell Edson

FAQs

1. Are you a Southeast Asian dancing girl from the 1800s?

No, sorry to disappoint. My avatar and banner images are from an ancient book I found in the depths of my grandmother's cabinets. More on that here.

2. How do you make everything look so old?

First, you need a good oxidizer to brush on every bit of metal you can reach. I'll tell you all about it here.

Then there's this wax. I first mentioned it here. You'll have to scroll down a lot.

3. How can you be so productive?

I'm insanely obsessed and I have no offspring. I do nothing else- I don't have a day job, I don't clean my house or cook, I spend all day in pjs, often completely abandoning personal hygiene... I only interact with other humans when I walk my dog. And I like people! But I prefer dogs.

And I'm sloppy- but I make that sloppiness work for me.

4. Any tips you'd like to share?

No! Except for these 16 posts about techniques and this one about how to find your aesthetic.

5. Would you be offended if I took some inspiration from your designs?

Well, I'd be happier if you outright copied them.

No really, imitation is how we learn. I have enough ideas to go around. And even if I don't- please. No one's going to do this obsessively enough to threaten my business. (Probably.) I learned by copying others and I've seen others copy me as a step toward developing their own voice. So feel free. (I'd love if you tossed me a link in my comments, so I can feel like a proud momma.)

6. What do you look like?

Why, what have you heard? Really? Wow.

12/27/09

SUBTLE

I'm in this lovely treasury by kid giddy. My item is called I Died Then Rose Again, Mini Funeral Bouquet. I reduced the price to $25 recently.

Sales have been so-so. In part b/c my shop isn't very Christmas-y and I didn't do any Christmas specials. I'm thinking of doing a giveaway for the buyer of the 300th item, since that's coming up pretty soon. Can't think of what to give, though. Maybe just a gift certificate for my shop. Or refund, if preferred. Hmm... how much, though?

Since I'm on xmas break, I've been working away, though I still feel like I'm going in slo-mo... so many projects!!! I just have to stop buying supplies. I say that so many times every day, it's ridunkulous. At the end February, I'm off to Uruguay w/husband for 2 wks, and I know I'll come back LOADED w/awesome bits you can't get here, and that's OK. I plan on that. Plus, things there are cheap and no one ever throws anything away, so you can find super cheap bits.... But so, no more bits.

OH! Plus my buddy sparrow salvage sent me a box of bits I can't even begin to describe. I'm just trying to soak it in, it's amazing. I haven't written to thank her b/c I can't even begin to put it into words. And it smells just like this one incense from my past. High school, when I was just starting to let my freak flag fly, as they say of late. You know how smells can make it all rush back? So that was crazy. It was a time I wasn't super depressed and the joy I find now in making things, I found then in constructing a persona using outfits and bedroom decor. There were some "new-wave" (as we used to say) witchy girls that really inspired me. Well, more like 2. I looked at them like "WOW"... like they were from another world. Like now I feel w/good art/craft jewelry! And now the bits, that are so sparrow salvage, are coming together in my mind w/those times and that feeling... Weird. Gotta try to write her now and put my gratitude/awe in words.

3 comments:

glimmering prize said...: just stumbled upon your etsy shop and your blog. have spent the last hour taking it all in. how wonderful and lovely. best wishes for you and youe shop in the new year!; 12/27/09, 8:19 PM
fanciful devices said...: Wow, thanks so much. I haven't been checking for comments since this blog is mostly for myself and hadn't thought anyone else was looking- what a sweet surprise.; 12/29/09, 3:59 AM
fanciful devices said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 10/12/11, 5:01 PM