Have you ever wondered why women create? More and more, I find myself yearning to create more. My life as a shepherd revolves around caring for my sheep. The demands of the farm and running a small business tend to overtake me and dictate how each day must be spent. I have recognized, however, a strong need to spend more time and energy creating.
Why Women Create
I have always been surrounded by women that create with their hands. Their creative work bonds them together and becomes an expression of who they are and what is important to them. I have fond memories of watching my mother, her sisters, and her own mother work with their hands. They created things of beauty, things to be admired, longed for, and treasured. Through their work, they loved, grieved, nurtured, and provided for loved ones. They have taught me the value of process, of taking raw materials in your hands and changing them into something of beauty and purpose. They have taught me how to express and process my deepest emotions through the work of my hands. From a very young age, I have sewn, baked, felted, crocheted, grown, painted, stitched, and molded. I have spilled tears of joy and tears of sorrow over my work. I have lovingly passed my work on to those in need to help them celebrate, mourn, or rejoice. Throughout my life, I have joined this community of women. Coming into a new year, I look forward to spending more time working with the wool from my own sheep, fulfilling that great need to create.
I have now added a section to our online store where you will find some of my handmade, one-of-a-kind felted garments for sale. Each piece is an expression of all that I do within my interconnected community of shepherds, sheep shearers, veterinarians, farmers, and fiber artists. Within this community, I am driven by the love of shepherding and the creative flow which comes from people sharing the same passion.
