I'm Back

Hi! I realize it has been many months since I last blogged, but I have been extremely busy, and unfortunately am unable survive on four hours of sleep a night, so the blogging (among other activities) has fallen by the wayside.

I felt compelled to blog anew because Holocaust Remembrance Day was this week and I have been bombarded by reminders that have gotten my brain cells churning. If your immediate reaction is to roll your eyes, say "Not that again", and prepare to exit, that is precisely why I am posting. I myself have had a similar reaction at times - yeah, yeah, sent to Auschwitz in a box car, blah, blah, blah. There are so many stories, similar in so many ways. It is impossible to understand the concept of six million-plus individuals dead, not to mention the many survivors, each with his or her own tale.

The documentary "Paperclips" is a brilliant attempt to grasp the concept of six million. So is a handmade book my friend Jody has. It is a thick volume covered in a prayer shawl, with pages upon pages that merely repeat "a Jew A Jew A Jew" six million times.

My 11 year old son came home from school on Monday and said "I need a piece of paper." On it he drew a picture of Hitler, a gas chamber, a Jew and a yellow star. He wrote on the picture, "Six million crushed dreams. Six million lost ideas. Six million lost lives. But this questions remains, why?" Crushed dreams, that brings it home somehow more than the concept of lost lives.

Growing up my father would tell the stories about "escaping from Europe" and remind us that many of our relatives were killed just because they were Jewish. It was only when my grandmother would pull out an envelope with the pictures of the "the children", her beautiful nieces and nephews who were murdered, that it would become real.

Last night I attended an "Am Yisrael Chai" program which annually airs the stories of Jewish survivors from different regions of the world. This year focused on Jews from Latin American countries. The stories were fascinating, but what really sticks with me are the stories from teenagers who have participated in the "March of the Living" program. What a brilliant way to accomplish several admirable goals at once: making the holocaust "real" to a new generation, honoring the dead, showing that Jews are thriving all over the world despite all attempts to wipe us out, and giving the kids an incredible understanding of, and connection to, the miracle that is the state of Israel.

The March of the Living takes about 10,000 Jewish high school age children from various countries and sends them to Poland, where they tour death camps and view the remaining vestiges of pre war Jewish life. Just when they can emotionally bear no more of the oppressive Poland experience, the group flies to Israel, in time for Israeli Independence day. They celebrate the birth of the state of Israel with fireworks, dancing, and vitality. These 10,000 children each year become ambassadors to the world, witnesses to the evils of the holocaust, bearers of the message to "never forget", and supporters of the necessity of Israel's existence.

My niece Malka attended the March of the Living in 1996 while in High School. Below is a poem she composed while sitting in a Jewish cemetery in Warsaw, Poland:

Row upon
row upon
row upon
row
Endless stones, countless graves
Hundreds of thousands of Jewish souls
Laid to rest in this desolate land
Their souls have departed
to never-never land
Yet their bodies remain
Buried in a country of hate
Neglected, trampled upon
Covered with rotting leaves and growing moss
Rav Soloveitchik
The Netziv
Esther Faige
Great rabbis, holy tzaddikim
Hardworking housewives next to their
Beloved husbands
Row upon
Row upon
Row upon
Row.

She also wrote of being at Masada in Israel, where a community of Jews committed suicide rather than submit to death by the Romans:

"....suddenly, the entire desert was filled with the echoing wave of our voices...."Shainit Mitzadah lo tipol" (Masada will not fall again.) And then we cried out "Am Yisrael Chai" (the nation of Israel lives.) After each word, we were greeted with the spectacular sound of our echoes reverberating through the peaks and valleys of the land of Israel. We knew that these echoes were not just the sounds of our voices repeating again and again the words we had shouted....They were the response of hundreds of Jews who had killed themselves at Masada, and they were the reply of the six million killed in the Holocaust. Because of them, and for them, we will make sure that "Shainit Mitzadah lo tipol." And for them we cry out in assurance that "Am Yisrael Chai!!!"

It is incumbent that we each make an effort to grasp the concept of the six million individuals whose lives were lost and whose dreams were crushed, and that we thrive, proudly, as Jews in a world where a state of Israel can exist and flourish.

Right Round

We fenced in the back yard, so I haven't been walking the dog much lately. No dog walking = no profound thoughts = no blogging. I will have to return to taking long showers, so I can access those "aha" moments again.

Maybe not so profound, but I am excited about my new Bloomin' Lumen tackable wall dots. They are 15" diameter circles made of mdf with 1/4" cork on the front, then covered with funky fabrics. The backs are covered in colorful soft felt to gently rest against the wall. Some are customized with felt cut outs, initials, etc., and others are just small dots on the big dots. They can be hung individually or in groups, in identical or coordinating fabrics, and they work with BL night lights, lamps, and pillows. I'm calling this my "Instant Pop" collection, and I envision it freshening up a kids' bedroom or playroom, kitchen, or college dorm room.

There is something about circles that makes me feel happy - they are so simple and clean. Maybe it's the lack of angles or sharp corners, the unbroken continuity of the shape. Polka dots or other circular fabric designs on top of the circular tackboards makes me feel exponentially happier. When the circles are grouped together it is reminiscent of the "Marshmallow Sofa" furniture piece (is it by George Nelson?), with a mod aesthetic. Circles remind me of bubbles, balloons, and balls, with connotations of childhood fun. Any one can be a "square", but not everyone can be a circle, the life of the party, or complete in oneself.

Whatever a circle might mean to you, I hope my new "Instant Pop" wall dots will make you smile. Spread the happiness to your kids, friends, and family. They will soon be available in my etsy shop, and are currently on the shelf at Beehive Co-op in Atlanta. I will also have a few pieces at the Purple Hippo Artist's Market in Dunwoody tomorrow night, and I am always available to do custom pieces.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo :)

Living vs. Existing

Last night I attended a very spiritual class about our souls. The subject of existing vs. living came up, as we discussed that each soul has a purpose or mission in this world. That concept of "existing" was gnawing at me...I had just seen something else that mentioned that term. It came to me while walking the dog this morning. (Btw, dog walking has replaced showering as the source of my "aha" moments.) I had seen a blurb by Tim Adams of www.handmadeology.com on Facebook advetising a new app for etsy shop owners called Handmade Compete. The tag line was "don't just exist....compete". Well, I'm not sure I would have chosen the word "compete" because that implies that it's you vs. someone else. I think we can each succeed without it being to someone else's detriment.

But this did get me thinking. Just as I have a mission and purpose in my personal life to (in my own small way) do good, help others, bring light where there is darkness, so too should Bloomin' Lumen have a mission. Now, I did create a business plan that started out with a mission statement. But it occurs to me that I was focusing on writing a business-oriented mission statement, composed mostly of business type jargon. What if Bloomin' Lumen had another mission statement that was more about literally "bringing light where there is darkness"?

I decided my new mission for Bloomin' Lumen would be to uplift people with good, colorful, fun design, to not take life or themselves too seriously, to add a little whimsy to their lives. To add light even to life's faintest shadows.

Shine on!

Blurring the Boundaries

I am a big fan of Surface magazine (www.surfacemag.com)! Instead of being just a fashion publication or an architecture and design publication, it is a "Design" magazine, covering fashion, architecture, industrial design, graphic design, etc. as equivalent and related disciplines. It's great that we have reached an era where a designer can cross over and design jewelry and furniture, fashion and interiors. Everything comes down to color, pattern, texture, form. Materials cross over too. As a weaver/ collagist/designer, I practically drool over the incredible range, use, and production methods of materials these days, from urethane, plastic, metals, corian, wood, glass, textiles, polycarbonate, to concrete. I love mixing the old - scavenged items - with the new, especially in unexpected ways. I love weaving together bits and pieces from here and there to form something new and beautiful.

Another great thing about Surface magazine is that the parts add up to greater than the whole. It's possible to see the spectrum of design disciplines at one time, learning more at one time about our current cultural climate, than would be possible from fashion or architecture alone.

Maybe we've reached a cultural era where we can reinvent ourselves, be more than one thing, not be easily defined. Maybe there are aspects of who we are that are constantly changing and evolving. It seems that we no longer define people by their day jobs, recognizing that we all have much more to us than how we choose to earn our daily bread. It's actually pretty inspirational - no one has to hide their creative pursuits. Go out and write music, like my brother the real estate developer (www.gregderby.com)! Try your hand at stand-up comedy, like a psychiatrist I know! Become a water color artist, like my father the chemist! Reunite with your high school band, as my friend Lisa the marketer has!

We are all an accumulation of parts and pieces, old and new, and everchanging. We are collages of our own creation, and like Surface magazine, our parts add up to greater than the whole.

Dogs & Design

My family recently adopted a dog, after years of begging by my son. Neither my husband nor I have ever had a dog before, and I don't really consider myself a "dog person". I'm probably more of a "cat person", independent and aloof. Of course I am now greatly attached to the dog - an oleo (sorry, I do too many crossward puzzles) of miscellaneous breeds. I like to think of him as "Everydog", since we've heard speculation that he is part corgi/bernese mountain dog/shepard/bassett hound/beagle/rottweiler. He is a strangely proportioned but very sweet, mellow dog from a rescue shelter. Well, what I am beginning to appreciate most about my dog in particular, and therefore dogs in general, is the incredible zest for life they exhibit: every inch of ground has a new scent to discover, around every corner there is something to see, smell, hear, touch, or taste. Walking the dog reminds me to savor each moment, to look for the positive in life.

Today while walking Bennett (the name he came with), I realized that zest for life is exactly what I want to reflect in my Bloomin' Lumen products. I want them to be fun, joyous, colorful, and textural. Especially my children's products! In the next month Bloomin' Lumen will be introducing "POP" packs for kids' rooms, containing a zesty trio of nightlight, pillow, and magnetic bulletin board in fabulous colors and patterns. They will provide instant "pop" to any kid's room, combining good thoughtful design with a sense of whimsy.

Maybe I'm a dog person after all. To life!

Debbie

The art / design community

I have to say I become increasingly energized and excited the more time I spend talking with other artists and designers. My creativity seems to be exponentially increasing as thoughts ricochet between us. I met with my friend Jay Wiggins last week to discuss his awesome new handmade furniture line (previously Spaghetti Western) under the name of J.M. Wiggins. The more recommendations I gave to him, the more ideas I came up with for my own business. It seems that in every aspect of life, the more you share, the more you gain.

This reminds of a book called "The Chesed Boomerang" written by Jack Doueck. I had the priviledge of having Jack stay at my home while delivering some talks at our synagogue. Chesed is a Hebrew word for acts of lovingkindness. His book and his message are about this very subject. The more you give and reach out to others, the more you get in return. Not just that it makes you "feel good", but you get a real return.

Note to self: Remember sharing advice, ideas, an ear, your time, doesn't diminish you, it makes you greater. Synergy is a powerful creative tool.