All dolls have sweet beginnings. Some days things turn terribly wrong, other days things go more smoothly. But all in all, the doll progresses, grows, becomes a person of cloth and wool, held together by mere stitches yet containing so much life within. I have been slowly watching Little Zane grow.
Little Zane is made in the likeness of a very beautiful boy, full of joy, mischief and tender moments. Snippets of his life have been shared with me, and I have dived so deeply into his persona, that I was incredibly inspired to create a few more boys (exhibit A and B: Solomon Lion Heart, Ethan the Gentle Giant…and one more who will come and grace us with his presence soon). Now, if these two other boys were an indication of the fabulous hair that was to become Mr Zane's, well…I think you can tell where I am headed: a full mane of soft alpaca will be sported by that round and precious head.
As it is with me, time runs through my fingers. I "ran" out of time to work in the studio! You might not know this, but my husband and I are taking turns: when he is in the workshop or designing in our makeshift office, I am not to work. Maybe take some photos, or start writing a blog, but no sewing machine can be turned on, and no knitting needles or crochet hooks should touch my hands. I have been working, every day (with a random day off for Christmas or a family birthday) non-stop for about two years. And while I do not work straight 8 or 9 hour days, the fact that you are always working, started to get to me. So, in order to keep fuelling our creative fires, we decided to work four-days-Dad, three-days-Mom. These four days are meant to be spend doing the very things that nurture your life: eating, cooking, taking walks, playing, reading ( and reading, and reading…there has been so much reading going on! ), researching, dreaming. The rest is allowing me to be most efficient in those three days I do work, and it is starting to become such a nice rhythm. In and out of the studio. In and out of the house. In and out of the creative passion that drives you to make dolls.
So my poor Little Zane, albeit very well dressed now, waits patiently for the studio time, for my hands to finish him up, and for those wonderful adventures I promised him around town. While real-life Zane is learning to fish, Little Zane is figuring out how to build trucks with cardboard. All in good time I keep telling myself, in good time. Patience and time: all doll makers have to learn to be quiet.
