Launch Yourself on Every Wave

This year I’ve been on a journey of sorts, trying to find what I should be doing with my life now that all my kids are in elementary school. This has led me in several different directions and has often made me feel directionless, goalless, clueless—basically, a whole lot of less.

One of the big lessons I’ve learned is that I have a tendency to overplan to delay the scary risk of actually acting. So I’ve been trying to counteract this by pushing through my fears and acting anyway, relying almost exclusively on my intuition.

Since I have started acting through the fear, many good things have happened to me, but all those less feelings? They’re still there. Not every day, but many. Still, I am determined to follow my intuition.

So last week, when my intuition pulled me in yet another direction, I followed. (With my brain running along behind telling me I’m crazy, embarrassing, and –less, –less, and –less.) So fears aside, here’s my big news.

I’m going to make a skirt. It’s going to be a really amazing skirt. It’s going to be on the short side, with box pleats and pockets (I think), and it will be lined. Best of all, it will be made of fabric that has been dyed using an ancient Japanese stenciling technique called katazome, using a stencil I’ve created.

Now, I know this is a bit random. The only sewing I’ve done is when I was in 7th grade home ec class (made some badass puffy letter pillows, yup) and a few months ago when I made curtains for my office. But if there’s one thing I am good at, it’s not worrying about a lack of experience or education. Maybe I have my parents to thank for this (thanks, Mom & Dad!), but I have a great deal of confidence in my ability to learn stuff.

So! Here’s the plan:

1. Get a job (check, today’s my first day as a seasonal worker at Anthropologie—awesome!!!) to make some money to buy a good camera (used), a sewing machine, and a serger.

2. Skip (so sad) all margaritas out with friends to save all my personal money to pay for fabric (and this killer zipper that’s in my head).

3. Make a pattern (check) and then practice making skirts until I can make a skirt that is PERFECT.

4. Figure out this whole katazome thing, and adapt the technique as necessary so I can get it done in my lifetime. No overplanning!

5. Make my first product to sell!!!

As to what comes after that, well, that’s an entirely new set of work, right? But I’ll think about that later . . .

So for now, wish me luck! I will need it!

© Amy Daniewicz

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.”
– Henry David Thoreau