I Weave
Why do I weave baskets? People keep asking me this. Their first look is one of incredulity; they think I am joking. Once they realize I'm not joking, their look changes to a quizzical why?
When my sabbatical started (AY2016-17) I knew I was going to do some weaving, but I was also making other things too. And I have. Some things out of wood, others in clay, some using metal, and of course some baskets. My sabbatical was and is all about making. I wanted to get back to making, to producing with my hands, to expressing my creativity through the objects I make. The making and made objects are a manifestation of me and my creativity.
I'd be the first to admit one of the reasons for the basketry focus is that I am an enthusiastic person. When I get "into" something I do it enthusiastically, with a lot of energy and a lot of excitement. There is a feeling that it's the right thing to be doing, so do it. (As we used to say at MassSTAR: to be enthusiastic you must act enthusiastic to act enthusiastic you must be you must be enthusiastic oh boy! Are we enthusiastic!)
But that personality trait side, the fact that I have focused so much on basketry requires some thought, and thereby some explanation. Not so much for those who give me the 'say what?!?' stare when they learn what I have been doing, but in large part for me. I think if I can delve a little, and reach a some understanding as to why I weave, it can only better support the work as I move forward. I am a great believer in creating understanding and that only with understanding can there be dialogue. Dialogue is required to bring about consideration and thereby change or growth. So understanding is necessary to bring about growth. As a a basket maker one of my goals is to grow, to learn, and to become better at my craft. I LOVE LOVE LOVE being good at something, and so want to get better. That takes practice, and effort, and focus, and good teachers. But it also takes some basic understanding of why I am drawn to weaving baskets. I think that by understanding why, I can better create a solid foundation upon which I can build my skills and improve my craft.
Working on a rib basket in the Up on the Porch Roof studio photo by Christina Wnek
Here are some reasons why I think I am drawn to basket making:
Creativity - Weaving baskets is a great outlet for my creativity. The process of making and finishing a basket brings about a flood of new ideas. Some of them connected to the basket at hand, and others seemingly less so. But the process seems to be self-perpetuating: make one thing which leads to another which leads to another, etc. The wealth of creative thought is spurred on by the creative process itself.
Design - The design aspect of thinking about a basket is a great challenge. Each basket to date attempts to address some function, need, or desire. There is a purpose underlying each basket that needs to be solved. This is the essence of design: solving problems. And since the creative impulse seems to be growing (see above) then the design problems/solutions should also continue.
Engagement - Baskets are inherently interactive. You can't make a basket without putting your two hands on the materials and working. The engagement is real, encompassing, and total. There seems to be little that distracts me when I am weaving and so I'm am fully engaged with the work at hand. That sort of full engagement is meditative, and allows for a mindfulness that is very fulfilling. And is something I have not found in any other recent practice.
Function - Baskets may satisfy a function and some would argue that function is essential. I believe in basket weaving as an artistic endeavor so wouldn't go so far as to call function essential but it does give the design process focus. Function also gives me a clear intention to follow through the design process. Perhaps one day, when I am ready to call myself 'artist', I will let go of function in my craft (and have already done so on occasion but not too successfully). But for now, function plays an essential role as it gives the work purpose, and so gives me purpose as well.
Structure - Baskets require some sort of underlying structure made out of uprights or ribs. This structure connects basket weaving to my architectural practice and teaching.
Form - The form is closely tied to the function of each basket. If the basket's design attempts to solve a problem, then its resultant form is often known once the problem is known. Historical forms are what they are for very good reasons (see EGG for an example of this). Weavers were concerned with use, long before baskets were considered things of beauty. Baskets were tools made to aid with certain jobs. However, the consideration of form also allows for considerable experimentation for the flexibility of weaving materials puts interesting and specific limits on one’s imagination.
Space - The inside of the basket is a space. A space created to support a function. The basket holds; that is often its primary purpose. We carry or store things in our baskets. As such, the space of the basket is closely tied to its function and form. The space (that which is not there) allows the basket to realize its purpose.
Beauty - Making something beautiful is long-held human endeavor. Creating beauty is, at some level, an attempt to demonstrate the best in our world. By trying to capture that beauty through craft, I am trying to put the best out into our collective world.
Wow! - And of course there is part of me that simply wants to amaze people. I have always loved when people have seen something I have made and give it a, "wow!" I love it when I feel that about other's work as well. There is a sense of joy in making others stop and reconsider what is possible because it expands their worlds. :”If this is possible (a well-crafted basket for example) then other amazing, beautiful things, not yet imagined, are also possible.” The 'wow' of a made object implies that we as humans have not reached our full potential and that there is more to do and explore. The 'wow' expresses the recognition of greater possibility.
Accomplishment - It feels good to get things done. To put in time and effort and consideration, and to realize first-hand the results, gives me a sense of having made a difference. My creative work changes the world, hopefully for the better.
Looking at this list its seems to me that many of these bulleted points could be found through other types of making and not only basket weaving. Certainly creativity, design, and engagement can be found in many kinds of making. Beauty, wow!, and accomplishment can also be found in making in general. That leaves function, structure, form, and space as ideas that separate basket making from other (not all) types of making. Or at least when all four of these attributes found in basket making are considered together, it seems to me to make basket weaving a unique endeavor. Looking at these four attributes it seems to me (today) that basket making allows me to put hand-made objects out into the world that serve some purpose, that contribute to life in some positive way while simultaneously allowing me, as the craftsperson, to shape form and hold space. Of these two, the holding of space is what really triggers me. I found a wonderful sense of power (?) in being able to 'hold space;' to capture that which is always there yet never there, and to put it to some use. I wonder why I am so attracted to this 'holding of space'...hmm.