SAVE THE DATE: DECEMBER 13, 2010

SAVE THE DATE: DECEMBER 13, 2010

HOLIDAY CELEBRATION IN NYC

CLICK HERE for our email announcement

Celebrating Atistry @ FIFA

While many eyes are focused on the fields of play, others are reveling in the incredible artistry of South African women. ATASA Trust is hosting an exhibition of artisans' work. Stop by 54 Jeppe St, Mary Fitzgerald Square, Johannesburg to see the artistry of Ndebele artists, Lesotho handcrafts, fabulous beadwork and wooden products from the Wild Coast, Pondoland and work from northern KwaZulu Natal. Craft and art shown is predominantly made by women.

We are particularly fond of the traditional beaded necklaces. And if, like us , you are following the football from afar and can't get to the exhibition, do stop by our gallery for our selection of South African artistry.

Conscious consumption

A while back, we read a blog post by Seth Godin, where he commented on conspicuous consumption. He notes (emphasis is mine)

"Rich people will always indulge the desire to stand out, but I wonder if there's a new version:

Spending on and investing in time, not stuff.

And it's not so wasteful, this focus on craftsmen.

The new trend in spending money is to buy things that are painstakingly handbuilt instead of efficiently mass produced. It might not be a better price than what you could buy at Target, but the very fact that you can pay for an artisan to create it, an artist to design it, a talented worker to bring it to life--that act makes a powerful statement about what you can afford and what's important to you. Instead of a bigger house, it's a house that's built from scratch by craftsmen. Instead of a bigger steak, it's a handmade dish of local poached vegetables."

Thanks for expressing what is important to us. For us artistry is not a way to impress or show off; we believe in the inherent value of something hand crafted. It is conscious, thoughtful consumption.


Original Women celebrates the artistry of human nature -- all the creativity, thought, skill, effort, imagination, time and heart that goes into handcrafted creations. Artistry changes lives and communities, connects people and expresses the cultural richness of our planet. 

MORE HARMONIOUS, HAPPY AND BEAUTIFUL

We met Shaune at the MORE Reinvention Convention in Washington D.C.

Shaune is a very talented professional makeup artist and has a wonderful perspective on beauty. She did the makeup for the speakers and presenters at the event. They all looked terrific. (I'm hoping she'll do our makeup next time we meet ...)

And she has a great blog, Blended Beaute filled with interesting tips, comments and thoughts and fablous visuals!

Shaune returned home and bought another recycled billboard bag.

She just emailed us:
"I just received the cosmetic bag and it is too cuuuuuuuuuuuute!!! OMG! Talk about one of kind and gorgeous. I can't wait to feature it on the blog since it's Earth Month too .... You all are truly my latest favorite online stop. I look forward to trying more unique pieces from your company."

THANKS Shaune!
We strive to make the world more harmonious, happy and beautiful! We know you do too!
And your enthusiasm and beauty keep us all Celebrating the Artistry of Human Nature!

ARTISTRY OF FABRIC: LEGACY IN CLOTH

Recently we met Sandra Niessen, a freelance anthropologist who just published a book on the Batak textiles of Indonesia. At 568 pages and the culmination of 30 years of work, all we can say is WOW! Of course I carried the very heavy book with me all day long and spent hours into the dawn reading and studying the beautiful images.

Our conversation was wide ranging and generated so many ideas of ways to collaborate. Our most ambitious: plan a conference on preserving living weaving traditions. So all my weaving friends in India, Guatemala, Peru, Laos and Borneo: Save some room on your calendar for 2011!

And with all the reinvention we've been thinking about, we talked about how traditional weavers can keep their art alive and evolving ...
Any thoughts?

Earthquakes and REinvention

Earthquakes are shaking our planet and people in two countries are faced with literally rebuilding their foundations.

We are getting ready to go Washington DC to participate with CARE in the expo @ the More Magazine Reinvention Convention. There, women will gain new perspectives and be inspired to re-invent some aspect of their lives -- health, finances, career, family ....

Which is why we've been thinking a lot about REINVENTION again.

It requires us to look at aspects of our lives and our world that seem reliable and solid in a new way. The ground can literally disappear from under our feet.

It takes courage, flexibility and sometimes tenacity and resiliency.
It takes dedication and it is much easier with optimism and a sense of humor.

Reinvention is an ever-ongoing process.
Maybe it happens daily, in small ways.
Maybe it is evolution?

Maybe that is why when we look at the artistry of many of our artisans we are deeply inpsired. They create beauty out of discards, remnants and leftovers. And in each piece, we see the transformation. Their artistry presents us with a new of seeing.

And that is a beautiful gift that helps us to reinvent our world.

POWER OF THE PURSE

THE POWER OF THE PURSE

I just went to a delightful and insightful presentation by David Wolfe, Creative Director of the The Donegar Group.

He quoted some amazing statistics:

Women in the US, aged over 50 make or control over $19 Trillion (just how many zeros is that???) and spent over $19 Billion on apparel in one year!

So this year, let's get those insightful, caring and dedicated over 50 year olds to spend and direct a bigger portion of that Purse Power towards artisans and sustainable, artisan products that make the world more Happy, Harmonious and Beautiful!

HAITI - ANOTHER LINK

WATCH THIS. ANOTHER LINK TO CARE.

HAITI

We are so saddened by the news of the earthquake in Haiti. This country, the poorest in the western hemisphere, has been struggling to get a firm footing. Now the ground has literally been pulled out from under their feet and survival is the immediate concern. As we have seen from the all the haunting images of the destruction and human suffering - water, food, medical care and sanitation are critical needs that will help the survivors and prevent the situation from deteriorating.

We are helping by donating to CARE and so can you. Just go to: CARE.org and click on the Donate Now button.

They have been in Haiti since 1954, have a team of over 130 people there and are expert in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

We've been following updates on their website and on their fan page.

A number of our friends in the crafts/design field have worked with organizations in Haiti. We will be posting additional links to those organizations that will help with income generation as the immediate crisis subsides ...

STAY WARM

The New Year has started with a deep freeze blanketing the US and we've just seen this wonderful article in the WSJ about one of favorite groups, Kala Raksha.

In fact, Original Women launched our first in-person Celebration with Kala Raksha.

The design school for working, traditional artisans is having a real, positive impact: preserving traditions in a way that allows them to evolve and artisans to innovate,
artisans are proud of their skills and talents, and communities are earning more income!

One of our favorite Kala Raksha products are these beautiful and warm shawls. Based on traditional Rabari wedding veils, they are resist dyed on a ground of finely woven wool (which is made by another artisan group in another part of India). The vibrant embroidery is enhanced with mirror work, all very skillfully and artfully positioned on the shawl.


Click HERE to view and purchase ....