It's funny to think that every object in our lives was made by someone, using their hands.
I make all my ear wires out of 14k gold wire.
Even the techiest of technologies has been assembled or cleaned or packed by human beings. And some of our things were made from start to finish by one person.
What do you make with your hands? Even if you don't sew or paint or build bookshelves, I bet you bake the best banana muffins, or you write lovely thank you notes longhand, or you keep the tidiest sock drawer in town.
I love knowing the energy and attention that has gone into an object or environment. The sense of the person behind it.
I spend a lot of my days making jewelry. And most of the time the necklaces and earrings and bracelets go out into the world and I never get to see who takes them home and wears them. But I hope the care and attention that I put into each piece is felt by the wearer.
Here's what I make with my hands. I'd love to hear what you make with yours.
What inspires me
There are so many ways to make useful and beautiful things:
The man who keeps Paris dry,
painting at the age of 105,
or embroidering Madrid.
I love to read
I've been revisiting one of my favorite books — Rajasthan by Pauline van Lynden — which is saturated with the state's colors and textures and more than a lifetime's worth of inspiration.
And I loved A Wild Swan by Michael Cunningham. Classic fairytales as you've never heard them, with excellent twists.
What have you been reading? Let me know. I always need suggestions.