Welcome to Spines and Stitches
Where we leave it at the door
Back in high school, I had a studio art teacher with whom I was lucky to cross paths. He had a small cloud of curly grey hair to match his mustache. He wore black jeans daily to get around the “no jeans” dress code for teachers, adamantly refusing to go about his days in anything other than what he pleased. He was the kind of teacher to allow you to find your way through your process while guiding and giving feedback but never stifling.
As part of his lecture one day, he sat on the front of his desk and looked at us in silence for a few moments. He enjoyed letting the silence hang in the air when he taught like he was watching the information soak into our teenage sponge-brains. He told us about his ceramic’s studio at home and how he had a sign mounted on the door. It read “Leave it at the door” —cue another heavy silence.
“Leave it at the door” meant exactly that. Take all the baggage you carry around with you, all the stresses of your day, and leave it at the door. When you enter your studio, that time is for you to work, to flow, to create. Everything that weighs you down throughout your day, you have to put it down. It will gorge on your attention, leaving nothing for your craft, whatever that may be.
I have this phrase in my mind whenever I approach my creative mediums. Whether it’s writing, painting, ceramics, or any of the other crafting hobbies I’ve adopted. I make an effort to reclaim my attention and my time for my creative flow. When you create, it’s your time to be brave, to be your most authentic self, and to let go.
Who I am
I am a writer, a reader, and an artist. I’ve found myself unable to stop doing all three of those activities, most of the time all at once. I’ve wanted to be an author since the fourth grade and could not tell you how many notebooks I’ve filled with every little thing that sprouted in my mind. Some of those things have grown and developed, just as I have. Most of it is hidden in the back of a closet somewhere, never to see the light of day again. I am a queer artist who recently moved to Chicago in search of community and fellow artists.
I started this blog because I have a lot to say about the things I love. In the hopes of finding others who also love things passionately, I’ve put my own devotion out there.
Why this blog
This blog will have multiple facets to it. I will be including book reviews for all different kinds of readers. I am a mood reader myself, so there will be plenty of variety. While I worked full-time in a public library, I had infinite access to reading materials, all day, every day. So, I have extensive experience and opinions about what I read. I hope you can find your next read through some of my recommendations. I lean towards literary fiction, fantasy, and the macabre. And anything LGBTQ+, fiction and nonfiction.
This blog will also act as a portfolio, my personal website. I have an Art Gallery page that will house sketchbook pages, larger works, fiber arts, and ceramics. I will be updating it often with new pieces and projects. I will also be writing about the projects I’m working on, showing my process and in-the-works pieces. I adopt any and all crafting hobbies that step into my path, as you will find. I am primarily self-taught with a smattering of studio art courses from college. I have found a variety of creative mediums over the years, and I love them all about as much as a parent will claim they love all their children equally.
I have dedicated years of my life to reading, writing, and art. This website is my attempt at gathering as much of it as I can in one place, where I can share it with people.
Thank you for being here. Let’s get started.
