A little more than a year and a half ago, I opened up a little space on FB for fellow fiberistas to gather and share inspirations and ideas. The past year and a half have filled me with so much awe. I am humbled by the courage and willingness of those who shared what they have been working on, no matter what the discipline or skill level.

For me this was not just about creating a gallery of ideas or another place for the fiber community. For me it has always been about giving artists a voice in the medium of their choice. It has always been about helping knitters and crocheters, spinners, weavers filters of any skill level to understand that their work matters even in its perceived failures or skill limits. Skill is just craft, idea and creative choice is heart and visual language.

There are so many different cultures represented in our little corner of FB. Seriously, we are worldwide. When I scroll through the collective feed, I see not just great work. I see people and their voice. And whether they know it or not, their work is a reflection of everyday life experience that brought them to the very moment when they created that piece of fiber art. I find it absolutely amazing. I find myself curious about the variety of cultures, and lifestyles behind that work. How did they learn to knit? What are yarn shops like where they live? What kinds of fiber art exist where they live and how does it compare to what I see everyday? What does finding time to knit look like in their everyday life? Be it the next county or across the globe…I. Am. Fascinated. Did I mention how humbling this all is?

If you ever wonder if art really has an impact, remember back to the horrific Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris where commercial artists were murdered because of the political drawings they published. This tragic spot in history is proof that visual language has power. Visual language is the artifacts uncovered in ancient lands, recounting religious beliefs or sharing a glimpse of what life is like centers ago.

I am not saying your chemo caps will bring about social justice. And if they are unearthed centuries from now, I doubt archeologists will have better knowledge of our culture because of them. When you share your work, it marks a place and time in your life. The choices you made were influenced but what you live and know.

So, share your work no matter how mundane you think it is. Your work matters and just know that I see you.