– Jane
· · · Jane’s Thread · · ·
The Place of Not Knowing. Do You Know It?
An actress/playwright I knew in the 90’s described a pop-up tent she’d erected in herbackyard in rural Connecticut. What intrigued me most was the handmade sign she’d hung atits entrance. She labeled it The Place of Not Knowing. She explained that she would sit in...
The Cost of Holding On
Lilli Weisz, organizer extraordinaire, worked with me last month to carve out a larger and more streamlined area for my textile work. She started our session examining the contents of each desk drawer and inquiring about every item within. She pointed to a...
Where Does My Inspiration Come From? A Reflection
Raise your hand, Fellow Creatives, if you’ve ever been visually inspired while on Zoom. I’m not seeing any hands up out there. It may surprise you that while I was on a Zoom conference one day (total transparency – I’ve re-enacted the shot for this article) I got...
Make Room for What’s Next
Have you heard of Rent the Chicken? It’s an entrepreneurial venture, an all-inclusive chicken-rental service. Are you still with me? This would surely have piqued my interest in my egg decorating days, but what caught my attention about the New Yorker piece (July...
Go! You Might Meet Somebody!
It was the 1990’s at the Flaming Festival, a craft show in New Canaan, CT. I was exhibiting my decorated eggs and eggshell jewelry, when a woman entered my booth and spent more time examining the backs of the jewelry pieces than the elaborately decorated front...
And the Award Goes To…
It was late August of my first season at Camp Chinqueka. The entire community of girls, counselors and staff, sat on army benches in the wood-paneled rec hall. We were there for Awards Night. All summer-long campers earned gold stars for accomplishments in sports,...
Action – Outcome – NEXT!
Fifty years ago - it was the summer of 1973. I put my decorated eggs on display at the Pink Tent Festival in Stamford, CT. Prior to exhibiting, I had brought a carton of completed pysanky (aka Ukrainian Easter eggs) to be approved by a member of the...
The Confidence to Go Public
On Sunday, May 14, I will be exhibiting my Penny Rug Pillows and wall hangings for the first time! In New York City – at West Elm in Chelsea! I am beyond thrilled to be showing in a venue where, not only will there be great traffic, but also at a place where I’ll...
How’s Your Follow-Through Muscle?
I recently signed up with a personal trainer at my gym. Her job is to awaken and strengthen inactive muscle groups, which I’m not motivated to do on my own. My abdominal core shouts “I don’t want to!” My heart core responds, “You’ll be happy when it’s over!” My...
What to Expect When You’re… Expecting A Response?
Have you ever had a fallow period in your business? Is ‘their’ response time delaying your agenda? Do you wish you were busier? Or is it just me? It feels like all the balls in my career are on the other side of the court. Great press about my art came out in late...
What It Takes to Get Press
I’m gobsmacked, tickled, stunned by the Where Women Create feature article on my business. It’s in the Spring 2023 edition now available online and at bookstores nationwide. I shouldn’t be so surprised. After all, I sent in an application, submitted writing and...
You Have to Be There!
“I need people’s energy,” said Michelle Obama during her recent interview on Conan O’Brien’s podcast. I sat up straighter when I heard that declaration. “Me too!” I nodded. Her words exemplified what stood out for me in 2022. My most memorable experiences were in...
Spending and Restoring Creative Energy
If I asked you to use a word or a phrase to describe my aesthetic, I have no doubt that an adjective like ‘intricate’ or an expression such as ‘detail-oriented’ would pop up. Once interviewed for a TV segment, I was asked by the host if I knew the Latin phrase...
We Creatives ALL Wear Two Hats
This past month has been devoted to BTS efforts as I prepare to approach the media with my rebranding. BTS - an acronym for Behind the Scenes - reveal what’s beneath the surface, like icebergs, or inside the perfect-looking toe shoes of the Bolshoi ballerinas. In...
My Dyeing Days & Others on Whidbey Island
It all started in April with a Facebook message from a friend, Patti King, whom I hadn’t seen in 30 years. I’ve known Patti since our kids were in elementary school together in Connecticut. She wove rag rugs the same way I decorated eggs – at a museum quality...