I’ve been a busy bee…some of it pretty creativity-oriented too!
I played the Poet and Patriot Irish Pub’s open mike this afternoon. Being there is always a treat for me – it’s just such a fun, mellow environment. A dear friend came from Alameda to see me play – not the first time he’s made the trek for me – and we chatted about getting *him* playing guitar at long last too. I’ve also really enjoyed having Ted, who does the sound setup at the pub, jam along with me on a bass the last two times I’ve been there…he’s got some serious chops, and more importantly, a soul that just cries out for and through the music. Wonderful to play with him.
The weighed-down feelings I’ve had the last few months seem like they’re starting to lift but I still really have to work to keep myself productive in general sometimes. I found a surprisingly effective way to do that is to offer myself small bribes – er, incentives – to get things done. So every now and then when I find myself in a royal case of the I-Don’t-Wannas, I offer myself a little incentive [meh, bribe] to get a small group of tasks done. I’m not the sort of person who has – or even wants – a ton of stuff, so eBaying for something just because is a very rare treat, even if it’s very small…which means that I can convince myself to do a lot if it means I’ll get permission to raise my maximum bid on something interesting by fifty cents…the fact that it has to do with my music just makes the creative edge that much better!
I finished the marotte itself two nights ago by tying the silk scarves under its collar. Outside of determining how to maintain the shape of the mouth, this was the hardest thing. I wanted to have a floaty, billowy feeling…but it needed to be something that could be removed in case the marotte or scarves ever needed to be cleaned; either would require very gentle care, and silk and calico require very different care to begin with. That meant it had to be something the recipient could reattach easily…finally I realized it was simple. I tied the largest scarf around and tucked the smaller ones into the largest one. (I determined the traffic cone-orange scarf, difficult as it was to track down in the first place, was just too obnoxiously bright to be included after all.) Last night I produced a story card for it since the recipient will no doubt need some help understanding what this unusual thing is that I’m giving him.
The result of this painstaking ten-month project is one with which I’m well pleased. My fledgling effort in sacred toymaking produced a very unique piece of folk art; it definitely looks rough-hewn but I like that effect. Look at that face – I fully imagine the little Fool proudly announcing from his mouthful of monarchs, “my mama was a voodoo doll – ha ha!!!”
You can also see some interesting facets of the marotte from the back view. Unlike the classic Fool’s hat with three points, this marotte has a five-pointed hat and a five-pointed collar. There’s one point for each of the five elements – water (blue waves), fire (suns), earth (forest), air (butterflies), and spirit (light gold). Each point also has a charm on it – included are a magen david for my friend’s Jewish heritage, a heart of gold which is self-explanatory, a yogi for contemplation, a sun for joy, and a cross…he’s let the Son-light in for me many times, though he himself is not Christian. You can also see a glimpse of the dragon fabric I used for the handle…it’s subtle, but I think the Wise Fool’s companion needs to embrace his shadow somehow. After all, the shadow is not bad…simply hidden.
