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| Thread Stories | 2019 |
Embroidery? (Definition Source: Merriam-webster.com, dictionary.cambridge.com)
- the art or process of forming decorative designs with hand or machine needlework;
- the activity of decorating a piece of cloth with stitches sewn onto it;
- the way that someone makes a story more entertaining by imaginary details to it
And so think about it like this:
the universe/ space being the fabric in which each one of us is a strand of thread,
and if each of our individual thoughts, beliefs, and habits make up the strands that interconnect to form a unique thread reflected as our reality,
then when woven into this fabric, it all connects to form complex and beautiful patterns.
And yet at the same time, while forming these patterns some threads get entangled, as a result, they can either be cut short or untangled in order to continue forming patterns.
Thread Stories is a project that explores this interconnectedness, it's about opening up conversations to perceive, question and understand:
- The stories that have been taught/ formed (patterns)?
- Which of them really serve us (entangled threads)?
- How can we view them from a perspective that helps us grow and evolve better (untangle the threads/ cut them short)?
Thread Story 1: Acknowledgement, Acceptance and the Garden
In reflecting upon the similarity between our minds and gardens,
these words by William Wordsworth(an English author and poet),
I felt seemed to be a great starting point :
'Your mind is the garden, your thoughts are the seeds, the harvest can either be flowers or weeds'
Talking about similarities, here are some ways I thought of looking at it:
Brain matter ~ the soil particles that hold it all together,
Neural pathways ~Roots that absorb,carry all the nutrients for the plants to grow
Thoughts ~ Seeds that grow into flowers or weeds
on the need for acknowledgement and acceptance and tending to the mind garden? Think about it:
Let's say we're all born or start out with one seed called 'Enough'. As the learning process begins, we're taught to distinguish between things as good and bad, so then another seed gets planted known as 'Good'. And add to that the expectation, based on what has been categorized as good, another seed of 'Not' gets planted.
Now going back to the garden, the flowers and weeds may both seem beautiful many times, and both tend to grow when watered.
So if too many weeds are never good for the garden,
And unless we acknowledge the presence of the weed, we cannot really do anything about it,
then when it comes to our mind gardens, no matter who planted the seed, what if 'acceptance' like 'water' is often key to stopping that weed from growing any further?
Thread Story 2: Thought, Belief and the Box
'Think outside the box', I heard this phrase repeatedly in design school, and ever so often in reference to 'being Creative'
While it has varying definitions (Source: Wikipedia) from
' to think differently, unconventionally, or from a new perspective' or
'to think imaginatively using new ideas instead of traditional or expected ideas'
However, what one person categorizes as conventional or different varies from person to person, and so it made me wonder
'What does it really imply?
Here's What I came to understand and learn from it
Much of what thinking outside the box really requires us to do is to step outside the boxes we have been put in. Now, these boxes could be the ones that others have put us in, and sometimes it's the ones that we put ourselves in.
Come to think of it, a box is nothing but a container;
a container that has a limit to how much can be stored in it, and at the same time depending on how one chooses to use it can help in expanding only to a certain point. And so if we're to truly go beyond it, we must learn to understand
What limits are being placed on ourselves? and How can we expand beyond it?
Thread Story 3: Comparison, Competition and the Tree
There's this scene if you've ever watched the movie ' Kung Fu Panda ', where 'Master Oogway' says
' No matter what you do that seed of peach will grow to be a peach tree,
you may wish for an apple or an orange,
but you will get a peach '
All throughout schooling, we're constantly taught to compare and compete with each other,
trying to win and outdo the other person,
and we continue to do so all our life.
The more I observe, interact with others, and reflect upon it,
I find that we each have our own strengths and while there is something we can always learn from the strength of the other,
the more time I spend only looking at that, the less able I am to work on my own.
This brings me to the question and refer back to the scene mentioned above,
Why keep turning yourself into an apple or an orange when you're meant to be a peach?
Will it not serve us better when we start to find our own unique ways of showing up and evolving.
We all deserve to grow, so can we find and make ways to grow together?