Aliso Viejo, CA

I originally intended my Origin Story, to convey the struggle of a chaotic misfit who has learned to focus her creative energy and become a successful entrepreneur. The components for this assemblage would be found in the box that I keep in my studio labeled “Bits & Pieces.”  This is a magpie stash, accumulated over four decades. It is full of antique buttons, charms, vintage beaded trim, hand dyed fibers, intriguing whimsical objects and salvaged scraps from many past projects. When I had the contents of this box spread out on my worktable, I realized the “Square Peg” analogy was just part of the story I wanted to tell.

The first decade of my career was spent working for a major retailer in a position that allowed for some creativity, but I was frustrated because my enthusiastic ideas were often rejected. One morning, during this unhappy period, my husband asked me “Why are you giving your creativity to others? Why not do it for yourself?” That very day I quit my job and began my journey as an entrepreneur. I was finally free to produce anything I could imagine and to my surprise, people wanted to buy them. However, it soon became apparent that with complete creative freedom comes chaos. There is a balance to be learned and a certain order from the universe that must be accepted. My life became a constant balancing act between family, health and career, until death came and tipped the scales. The passings of my siblings, mother and dearest friend in rapid succession were followed by the final blow, a terminal cancer diagnosis for me. I questioned the core of my existence. Why should I continue to create anything if I'm going to be dead soon?  

During the process of working on this project, I discovered the answer to the essential question of why I maintain the desire to create against all odds, was right in front of me. These bits and pieces are not random, each item contributed to ‘my story’ in some significant way. They are pieces of me that I must put back together because creating is what I do, what I will always do, what I was meant to do, what I must do as long as I can.