Wool Room Music - Bowerbirds

This week I wanted to feature an amazing band called the Bowerbirds. They're a trio from North Carolina, made up of Beth Tacular, Phil Moore and Mark Paulson. They're considered "nu-folk", a genre which I'm loving at the moment. I found them on YouTube originally - I'll share the first video I saw of theirs here. Their sound is warm and so rich, with beautiful vocal harmonies and a gorgeous instrumental combination of guitar, bass drum and accordian. Other songs I particularly like are "My Oldest Memory" and "Bur Oak", both of which are from their debut album "Hymns for a Dark Horse."  Here's "In Our Talons" - enjoy!

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Happy 2009!

I'm not big on New Years resolutions, but I do feel like now is a good time to set some goals to work toward in 2009. Something about the air of completion and creation that comes with this time of year compels me to take stock of what I've been doing for the past little while and lay out some things I'd like to accomplish in the coming months. Of course a lot of these will be related to fiber and my Etsy shop, but there are a few other improvements I'd like to make as well. As for my blog, I'd like to expand the scope of it to include a some of what goes on in my life outside of Etsy, to share a bit more of what fills my days with all you lovely people. So, here are my main goals, in no particular order:

My main priority for Black Mustard Fiber Arts is to polish my branding, logo, etc. I've got a couple of ideas and I'm hoping to have my artistic boyfriend help me finalize them. From there I can get all my packaging, tags, labels and business cards unified and done up properly. I also plan to take stock of all the online tools I use (Twitter, Flickr, PW, etc) and see how I can maximize their effectiveness while cutting down on some of the time I usually spend surfing once I get started. There are a couple new things I'd like to look into as well, such as starting a YouTube channel and a mailing list. There's also a big development on the horizon in the way of a second Etsy shop... I hope to have that ready to lauch by the end of January! I'd also love to take part in at least one craft fair in 2009.

For myself I've got a lot of your standard fitness goals... I want to get back into taking regular yoga classes and I plan to run 3-4 times per week. I'd also like to research nutrition a bit more. Since I've gone vegetarian I've been feeling great, and I think I'm getting everything I need in the way of protein, iron and such. But I'd like to be sure. Also, now that I'm getting close to the point where children could be a real possibility in the next couple of years, I'd like to kick any unhealthy habits I have so I can lead by example to help them develop a really good relationship with nutrition and exercise. Once the weather gets a little nicer I'm going to start riding my bike and taking the bus to work. I can't wait!

Another big area of interest for me is finding more ways to live in harmony with the world and the universe at large. In the Spring I'm going to build a compost bin in the back yard and get serious about recycling at home. I also plan to find at least one volunteer opportunity this year - to contribute my time and energy to helping someone other than myself or my immediate circle of people. This last year I've been a bit on the isolated side - spending so much time at home working on crafting and building my Etsy business. Although I've enjoyed it immensely, these last few weeks I've really felt a push to get back out into the world and interact with people more. I want to be more open to connecting with others again.

I've got 3 guitar students starting up in January, and I can't wait! My music has been another thing that's been put to the side so I could focus on knitting, spinning, etc. And that's fine, but I do miss it as well. Getting lessons going again will be a great way for me to remember to practice and play on a regular basis, and from there I'd love to schedule a few shows or hit some open mics and maybe write some new songs. I think I may start a YouTube channel for my singing and playing as well. If I do I'll be sure to share the link here.

You mean I'm not the only one?

For the past few weeks the pressure has been building... I've been re-reading the Ishmael trilogy by Daniel Quinn, which is always an eye-opening experience for me. I got the latest of the three, My Ishmael, for Christmas and I guess that's what started this most recent bout of restlessness for me. This book really gets into the origins of our culture of working our whole lives for food, money, security. It turned my attention to my life, to the last 10 years or so that have flown by while I worked one meaningless but tolerable job after another.

After a short panicky period during which my boyfriend had to convince me that it's not realistic for me to run away from "society" and live off the land, I calmed down and set out some plans that were do-able for me. These include: cutting back my day job to 3 days a week for now (hopefully altogether down the road), working on my passions, music, guitar lessons, crafts. I've decided to start cooking for myself instead of eating out, and this includes buying free-range chicken and eggs, and supporting local farming operations instead of the huge corporations that are ravaging the planet. These are the small things I can do for now.

I have been inspired by the artists on Etsy, the supportive community there, and the hand-made movement that is taking place. I have bought quite a few items on Etsy, for myself and for others. This was definitely an "Etsy Christmas" for me, and it was so calm and wholesome. I think I spent a total of about 1 hour in the mall this year. One of my favorite indulgences so far were these beautiful hand-forged silver lotus flower earrings, from Stone Soup Jewelry. I wear them pretty much every day.



For my mother, who has been spinning yarn for the last year or so, I got some gorgeous batts from Loop. I couldn't believe how stunning this fibre was. I can't wait to see the yarn she spins from this, and also to learn to spin myself.


And today I read a post on Suze Adams' blog, 2am, which echoed the thoughts I've been having. Suze also has an Etsy shop, Coffee Cup Quilting, and has taken the plunge - doing what she loves full-time. It's so nice to know that there are others out there who are not content to work their days away for someone else. I think this "work ethic" is so engrained in us that any thoughts we have that this is not the way we want to live amount to cultural blasphemy. So many people in my life who I've shared these sentiments with immediately write me off as lazy or idealistic. But the reality is, supporting yourself is probably a lot more "work". It's just so much more rewarding that it doesn't feel that way. I am so grateful to have found a group of people who share these values. It has given me the strength to admit that I want more out of life, and to go for it!