There I sit, my glass art laying out in the open… each breastfeeding necklace, each babywearing pendant, each little glass vulva… all of them little pieces of my soul on display. An exhibition of raw emotion and personal experience, of blood sweat and tears, years of design trials and artistic experiments, all laying out on the table, under the lights, waiting for your scrutiny. And there I sit, feeling completely vulnerable, naked and exposed.
Fortunately, while my Goddess-inspired artwork may get some weird looks, sometimes even a few snickers at your typical farmer’s market type event, I have been very blessed to have found an audience of women who get it. Who get me. They are the midwives, the mamas, the matriarchs… and my art is constantly inspired by these women who embody the divine feminine. I finally feel safe enough to relax and enjoy this exposition… I am in good company, indeed.
When we first started our line of birth and family jewelry, I would scour the internet for upcoming pregnancy and breastfeeding conferences, and then we’d pack the whole family (dogs included!) into the caravan for a road trip. I would always return to my studio both exhausted and exhilarated by the experience. I have had the honor of meeting so many amazing women during these trips: Ina May Gaskin, Peggy O’Mara, Penny Simkin, Mayim Bialik, and Susan Weed to name a few off the top of my head, not to mention countless women and mothers from all over the world with whom I have enjoyed making friends.
Despite this, my inner hermit loves the concept of just having an online business. It really caters to that brooding artist within that tends to prefer solitude. Sure, I connect with people every day… but it is done virtually, from a distance, on my terms, and with a calculated response. Even an introvert like myself needs to step out of those parameters once in a while. But make no mistake, putting myself out there for all to see does not come naturally to me at all.
Last week I packed up all of my glass birth art and mama jewelry and headed out the door before the sun came up. I drove up to Burlington VT for the Pregnancy and Birth Expo. After a long winter of email correspondence and online sales, it felt great to get out into the public eye again, meet some fun people, get great new ideas to try in the studio, and to just reconnect with other people who share a passion for pregnancy, birth, attachment parenting, and a holistic lifestyle.
I returned to my family rejuvenated, and I returned to my studio with fresh new inspiration. Did I have to deal with a couple folks who just didn’t seem to understand my art? Sure. Did I have to explain to some people why anyone would ever choose to wear a placenta pendant? Of course. But I suppose exposure, for better or worse, is just part of this little niche I have carved out for myself. It is quite a comfy little niche… nevertheless, it feels good to crawl out of it once in a while.
