The Joy of Dreaming

When I weave a design into the center of a wreath with hemp cord, I feel connected to both myself and others. I feel like I'm dreaming with and for a loved one when I design a wreath. Moreover, I feel like I'm bringing forth all the goodness that I see in myself and someone else into a visible, tangible form. It brings me immense joy to work on a wreath, behold the finished product, and then see my loved ones' reactions when I gift a wreath to them.

I start by choosing a wreath. Is it a grapevine, willow, or birch wreath? How sturdy is it? Can it withstand the incessant weaving around its circular or oblong shape? What are the inherent qualities of the wreath? What am I drawn to about this wreath and what design including the colors of the hemp cord, beads, and other natural materials do I foresee?

Next, I begin to weave with natural or dyed hemp cord. It is critical to use hemp cord because of its stiffness. When I first started learning to weave dreamcatcher-like designs from online tutorials, I tried using twine, craft string, and even embroidery floss. These materials could not hold the design because there was too much slack. Hemp cord, however, is taut. It holds the design and can withstand being placed outside.

I also choose beads to include throughout the design. Glass and wooden beads are my favorite to incorporate. As someone who strives to make and attribute meaning, I think of the process of creating glass-blown beads. From my limited knowledge of glass-blowing, the glass itself has to be fired, molded, re-fired, molded some more, and allowed to cool. When I think about it, this process is a refining one. That is to say: it is only through fire that a beautiful bead can be created. I believe that life experiences can be refining insofar as they offer us opportunities to grow in strength and resilience. I am reminded of my recovery from an eating disorder. While I would never have wished to have an eating disorder or endure the pain and havoc that it has wrecked in my life, I’m grateful that it has unveiled in me my strength that I was once too blind to see, and my resilience that I didn’t believe that I possessed. All this to say that I love glass-blown beads because of the process that goes into forging them in fire. On the other hand, wooden beads possess a natural allure. There is shaping that they must undergo, but they do not change in consistency or texture. They represent constancy and nature's beauty in my designs.

I don’t always know where the colors of the hemp cord or the material and color of the beads will take me in a design, but it’s nearly always somewhere different than where I imagined. I have to say that I’ve learned that this isn’t a negative thing. It, like so many things in life, is a process that requires patience, time, persistence, and an attitude of willingness to see it through to fruition.

Rarely, do I continue with a single color throughout a design. For this, I have to use scissors to cut new hemp cord and remove extra cord from what I’ve woven. Cutting away what is no longer needed to ultimately add what is reminds me of personal growth in life. Sometimes, we have to be willing to let go of things (habits, people, jobs, etc.) that no longer serve us, "cutting them away," so as to grow in maturity and resilience. It's imperative when we let go of such things, that we do so fully and completely in the same way that I make clean cuts of the hemp cord. In the instance of my wreath designs, sharp scissors are a necessity! If the scissors are dull, then the cord will not cut as cleanly and it will be more difficult to add on beads.

Once I have the center design woven for a wreath, then I consider adding charms to the hemp cord and other interesting elements to the surrounding wreath such as shells. I like to add flowers and/or greenery to the wreath, hot-gluing them into place (See image 4 for an example of flowers). I’ve even added driftwood that I’ve collected from the beach to the wreath itself (See image 2).

Over the years, I’ve created wreaths for family and friends. I always take into account the individual that I’m making the wreath for, incorporating things that they like and that I associate with them. When a friend moved away from the beach, I created a wreath for her that included driftwood and shells from the beach that she was leaving; a beach that she called home for many years (See images 2 and 3). On a thin, bark-like piece of driftwood, I wrote the word, “home,” to symbolize and remind her that that particular beach would always be home for her and hold a sacred space in her heart (See image 3). For my mother, I added beads shaped like giraffes (See image 1). I chose giraffe beads because they are my favorite animal and the first time that I saw a giraffe was with my mother. It was a special moment that I got to share with her. (She mentions the look of awe and excitement on my face to this day.) Overall, thinking and focusing on the person that I’m creating a wreath for makes the process of creating incredibly meaningful and joyous.

You see, when I create what I like to call “dreamcatcher wreaths,” I’m doing more than haphazardly throwing a design together, cutting hemp cord, and randomly choosing beads, I’m considering the recipient and all the things that they love and that make them unique. I’d like to think that I’m dreaming when creating these designs. I know it may sound cliché and a bit odd, but it’s true. I feel like I’m channeling all the love and hopes that I have for people into a tangible product that they can see. My loved ones have hung their wreaths inside their homes and on their front doors. When I see their wreaths displayed, I feel pure, unadulterated joy. It's a joy that says, "I created that by pulling materials together in a way that now holds meaning for both myself and someone else! Wow!"

Perhaps, dreaming is more than looking to the future, but reflecting on all that we are, whether it be through actual dreams or creating tangible works of art. I have to say: there is joy not only in creating but in this kind of dreaming.