Ancient Jewelry Inspiration into Textiles
It’s the end of August and I am cleaning up a few larger textiles that have been waiting to be finished. I’ve been contemplating the real root of where gold fiber comes into play into my work. The way I often translate gold is into the Sun God sphere, a bright, royal element that reflects the eternal light of the sun for radiance, warmth, and illumination. Much like the sun’s light, there is an element of growth that takes place under with, and life with would not be in existence without it. Inca’s, Aztec’s, Egyptians, Chimu people had a strong presence of larger gold chest plates for the higher echelons of society, and I can’t begin to fathom what an incredible experience that must have been to be adorned in such works.
After completing a new work, I intentionally placed the textile design in the center where in ancient times, a gold chest place would have sat. Chimu gold has mesmerized me for years and when I did my larger beaded chest pieces years back, there was an undercurrent noting my ancient artifact reference. So, in designing new works for the Fall Winter Collection, I’ve chosen to share a few of the old works so when collectors take a moment to appreciate the detailing of the upcoming series, they will know a little more about the ancient works are ever present in my mind. Although this piece is much more focused on the blocks of layered red tones & hues, I wanted to reference it as the placement was designed to inspire textiles as adornment.
Willow House Residency
Wrapping up my days here at my second artist residency in Terlingua, Texas. Years back, I had the pleasure of visiting this landscape with my partner at the time, and I recall falling in love with the landscape then. The heat, not so much but there is something so beautiful about summer eve in the quietude of the evening, when the starlight is twinkling and dancing at you like sirens in water. The beginning of June, I began reconnecting with the night and my relationship, during the warm months, has continued.
After settling into the gorgeous casita, framed with concrete and reflecting the grey strata found out in the land with a minimalistic design, I set too on my project. With all of the monsoon weather New Mexico has been benefiting from, and more importantly, the magic I find within the season, I wanted to convey something simplistic as a calling down of the rain & lightning. So, in an unusual fashion, I minimally packed 2 cotton yarns in turquoise & black. I began to weave the imprint lightning strikes have had in my sight the last month solid, empowering myself in my meditative practice to embrace that which I can also fear. When a lightning strike happens nearby, everything whites out. I’ve been in two of these so far: One took place the first summer I relocated to New Mexico after carrying groceries inside and the thunder just about inhaled every atom of me into it’s tumultuous roar meanwhile an eerie grey dappled with yellow seeped out my side eye sight. The second was a complete white out on a patio, 360 degrees around, while meeting my two dear friends for the first time at Bishops Lodge. It was electrifying and equally, terrifying. Since then, I have found myself both entranced and often paranoid by it’s presence. It’s like life, artistic life.. There are moments I am still afraid of the unknown future with this career and upon others, I feel like Captain Dan yelling at the helm of the ship in the middle of a hurricane beckoning for it all to come get me. Forest Gump reference for anyone reading. So, I figured I’d focus on this simple two toned work in my classic lightning pattern to be transformed into a Stevie Cape.
The heat sweltered by day, the starlight christened my experience here by night all along encountering the warmest of creatives here in process with me. Everyone clung to their casitas by day and we all ran into one another in the evenings or whenever the pangs of hunger called us to the main house. Having the opportunity to share space, be in my own space, reflect, listen, share has been exactly what I hoped for. I often miss the creative conversations of individuals pursuing their dreams through their hands in Santa Fe, and I can’t quite tell you why there isn’t enough of that. Perhaps everyone who is an actual artist pursuing a professional career is hustling the way I am, perhaps there are too many hermits healing. Whatever the reason be, the chance to be spread out, dreaming, exploring, painting, drawing, writing, shooting, weaving, sculpting has been the perfect fill me up before I head home.
I had the chance to connect and play shoot with Meredith Williams & Mackenzie Jones, both young creatives from Austin. Finally, a pathway to connecting with more like minds and playful spirits in Texas has taken shape. I’ve been desiring to expand and share more of the work in Texas so here it is. In short, I felt the creating of this work, titled “ Turquoise Lightning Bearing Down Upon the Land” reflects an offering to the Celestial Beings up above, an honoring of all that befalls during the monsoon time as the land waits to be quenched. Lightning reflects electricity, the radiance we find within ourselves and from around us as we open ourselves up to receive; Lightning is also that opportunity to confront the fears we face in our impermanence of all things in life, building our courage as we walk to the inevitable land of death and beyond.
This residency has proven to be just what I wanted, and needed. My mind is refreshed with new perspectives, my nose is tinted with the scent of Creosote, I’m holding a few new ideas for exploring natural dyes a bit more but on paper, and I’m itching to learn more about the history of Texas.
Summer Mornings, Vanille Lattes.
Today feels like the song “ Some Velvet Morning “ by Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood. I recommend you put that song on spotify if you’re reading this.
I’m attempting to write more of the blog so the audience, the collectors, the curious visitors to my website are welcomed into my mind. I’ve always been a writer, writing is how we communicated in my household when we weren’t able to find the right words to say growing up. I recall the moment my English teacher in highschool told me I should explore my gifts there after my grandfather passed and I wrote a piece about him. Typically, my written process is an expulsion of words & thoughts that ruminate far too long in my mind at times, upon others, caffeine fueled musings that barrel out in the mornings. I enjoy writing in my journal when I’m heartbroken as there is only so much we can say about the process in words to friends but I rarely write when I’m happy, so it’s a new trial for me here.
In my late teens, I used to chat on AOL, lipstick & cigarettes & make out club, a platform comparable facebook or myspace for those in the alternative music sphere. We used to write quirky profiles and list all the bands we liked, chatting about our favorite songs & era’s of music that moved us. It reminds me how important music is to my life, to my creative walk in this lifetime. Silence is teaching me new songs these days but it is music, the way it tantalizes my ears to open up minds eye visions that moves me the most beyond all visual arts. I also say that as a visual artist. I will forever be in awe of the way a Rothko can steal one’s breath the way Nils Frahm can steal my heart or the way The Rachels will remind me of the time I was 23 in the summer season of my life in Ashland, Oregon, balancing myself on the railroad tracks as the album played in my headphones and I popped Rainer cherries in my mouth fresh from the farmers market. I remember that moment because all I wanted to do was to plant fruit seeds everywhere I traveled in the world without fully understanding the relationship behind planting seeds, water, soil and season. I was whimsical to say the least with my desires to bring more beauty and watch trees sprout everywhere tho! There is such a metaphor for care of the planet in wanting to plant seeds everywhere and watch trees grow. Am I the only person that wants to hug redwoods that have been there for centuries and listen to the steadfast wisdom they speak of only when you grow close to their bark? The impact of humans on the landscape has meant the removal of forests and trees, of the shade & strength we seek in a blazing hot summer and we need to ground ourselves against something firm so we don’t melt. Am I the only person who drifts back into time before Westward Expansion brought about the demise of small communities in traditional housing and wishes I could have seen it? Before asphalt was a thing, before 5g towers killed birds and made the landscape metallic? This is why I often label myself as Gil from Midnight in Paris, a nostalgic time traveler who feels grateful for the opportunity to share my thoughts world wide in hopes of finding like minding kin, and who equally curses the way species continue to go extinct because of our modern imprint. I digress…
Someone from my previous era of online chatting found me two days ago and I sent off a long email explaining my personal lore with New Mexico. Sometimes, I forget, how magical my unfolding into this state was. A long time of 13 years in the making before I moved here. Now, four years in, it’s began feeling magical again perhaps because I feel unattached. Attachment, I am learning as this stage of my life, is a thief of joy much like comparison. So, I am practising non attachment to happiness, to the constant flow state, to the steadiness because all of that is impermanent. But right now, in comparison to my last blog post the beginning of June, I am happy. Really happy. Life is flowing and my creativity abounds. I am proud of the work I’m creating, I am proud of who I am and I am proud of myself for always trying to let go, let be, live and keep my heart open to new surprises around the corner. In recounting the magical tale of my story to New Mexico to this person, I’m feeling the enchantment with it all again. Right up to the point I have been staying up till 2am weaving this new work the last two weeks every night, stepping outside around midnight to feel the temperature on my skin at that time, to inhale the quietude aside from the few street racers slamming on the gas and wasting a tank in a matter of seconds. I’m reconnecting with the night, something I often race to avoid in the dead of winter for coziness. It’s like a starlight blanket of summer that wraps you in with warmth, playfulness and a siren’s song that sings you to the water’s edge for a mid day bathe.
Whenever someone asks you what makes you happy, what would you say? In this moment of life, I would share the happiness I’m presently feeling is the connection to friends, connection to myself, my heart as it feels appreciated by those in my life. Without our mirrors, without friends, life really feels dull. I’ve always been surrounded by an eccentric & eclectic group of friends so in this moment of abundance, the happiness shines out of my eyes. My life is always an ebb and flow here in New Mexico, the state of consistency being one that I have struggled with strongly so now it is swinging high with beautiful company, I love to share it.
Here is the piece in agave fiber, horsehair, churro wool, jute & wool I have been engaged in, hand combing every thread, experiencing a tension the higher I rise towards the top of the weaving, which honestly makes me squirm like nails on a chalkboard. I never knew I’d feel a visceral reaction to tension this way on a loom but I don’t like it being so thick I have to actively use my left middle finger to hold it taught just to weave the weft in.
My house. When I wrote my manifestation list for my home in New Mexico, I was specific about the patio as lounging with my stereo beaconing loud music in summer heat is good living. There is after all, that old Spanish flavor of siesta time here and a hammock speaks loudly to that on the patio.
Life as of Late.
June 8, 2024.
I can smell a storm coming my way on the patio at present. The hammock has begun to ripple it’s tassels in the rising winds that speak of change above my head. Rotund crevices between clouds run a deep gray as they allude to a thunderstorm about to drumbeat atop of me, reminding me, change is inevitable. The sunshine of the afternoon swung into a monsoon. Change, is consistent.
I will never quite understand how we artists, the nutty enough ones who make the decision to embrace the full complexity of this path, in light, dark, ebb, flow, abundance & drought, mental wellness & illness, hold the gift of being able to transmute the pain we experience into something profound beautiful, but, we do. Across the board, the artists whose work has been most impressionable to me have lived lives of scarcity: Vices & addictions, emotional unrest, depression or darkness as I call it these days, schizophrenia, low self worth, survival of physical, sexual abuse and violence, take the torture that was impressed on them and transform it into art collectors pay thousands, if not millions for. I have been in a spell of dark depression as of late and it prompted my removal from social media for sometime to embrace it, as if it’s a tunnel I am forced to travel through, until I can transmute my inner struggle and shout back at the light at the other end: You didn’t destroy me and you won’t. Sometimes, that is what the battle is: It’s a surrender and allowance of the darkness to fully invade oneself and allow it to teach you something, like a dark spirit that pops up in the canyon’s where very few human’s wander. It always has something to teach you, to warn you about and perhaps, teach you to confront another layer of fear within yourself before it will permit you to pass. I know the last few weeks have left me feeling timid in moments, and upon others, the confidence of strong, powerful recognition that depression is another sliver in the spectrum of life that can only further encourage to embrace this short, precious life we are given.
I’ve spent the last week immersed in something new, something inspired by the Hopi Artist Dan Namingha’s paintings. Upon my early arrival into Santa Fe, I recall walking into his gallery and I found a painting that has been imbedded in my memories since then. It was predominately black with a Kachina face in the darkness, or at least that is what my mind recalls. Our minds have a way of fibbin’ things into reality or distorting the memory at times. The intentional usage of fluorescent strokes is what also contrasted in a way that caused me to remember it. So, as I chose to stay inside my bubble of darkness of this last week, I made a decision to try something new. With podcasts about hypnotherapy, and lectures about the ancient Minoans of Crete, I began to weave. 4 panels later, all I could think about it…
Is how any of this beauty come come through the utter darkness I’ve been feeling. It’s a silent astonishment and testament to why I have not given up on my art. It’s that additional thread that interlocked itself to my DNA when I was born so instead of a double helix, I hold 3 strands. Something uniquely so beautiful about my soul, intrinsic with a level of devotion to the path of beauty in this lifetime that no matter how ugly the emotions I feel inside can fan themselves out, I will always hold a voice that knows how to translate the inner light into something even better.
Dan Namingha
Dan Namingha
Interview with Urth Magazine
Life as Art with Rhiannon Griego
Click here to read the interview.
Woman with Pampa
An interview with the marvelous brand Pampa based out of Byron Bay, Australia. I absolutely love, love love everything about this company. Designed in Australia, woven in Argentina, this company aligns with my ethics across the board for producing high quality textile goods with the indigenous Mapuche weavers.
Featured Interview with Bed Threads
What an amazing day this was shooting with Jenna Peffley & the team to showcase BedThreads beautiful linens in my sanctuary. Click below to read the interview! You can also shop their products here
Warp & Weft Artist Interview
Here is my interview with the Warp & Weft Publication. I was delighted to partake in this incredible series focused on textile artists & weavers.
Vogue Knitting SS2022
As the issue has been out for a month +, I feel it’s appropriate to share with all who wander here now. What a sweet opportunity this was to mode, and style knitwear designed by Vogue and their adjacent designers. Shot by my dear friend Ashley Hafstead here in New Mexico.
Rhiannon Griego designs textiles for 20 Ace Hotel Brooklyn Rooms
Publication promoting the opening of Ace Hotel Brooklyn.
This feature on TL Magazine includes a few of the textile artists who designed artworks for the rooms. If you happen to be in Brooklyn, NY, do stop by and inquire about peeking into the rooms. I designed 20 works.
Rhiannon Griego in Spring Issue American Craft Council Magazine
Celebrating this wonderful feature in the Spring Issue of American Craft Magazine 2022.
Included in the article are two images of my Rainbow Cape & the Tobacco Drape Cape in merino featured on my handsome boyfriend.
You may read about my work in the issue here.
Rhiannon Griego Woven Wearables on Made for Love HBO
I love it when clients send me snapshots of my work on tv shows as I don’t own a tv myself. Here are a few rough screenshots of the Adobe Kimono on a character in the latest HBO SHOW “ Made for Love “ 2021.
Free Thinkers Edition 2021 with Caravana →
Several years back when visiting Tulum, I walked into one of my favorite bouqiues I’ve yet to experience and it was the portal to the brand Caravana from Mexico. I have been following their exquisite work, all handwoven by artisans in Mexico in the Yucutan. It was with joy I participated in their Free Thinkers Interview Series. Please have a read below.
Shot by Matthew Gamelan.
Rhiannon Griego joins CARAVANA Freethinkers 2021 Edition as a creative medium whose hands have found inspiration in weaving and jewelry designing. A native to the connection felt between humans and nature, the natural world is what she’s tapped into through her exploration of fiber, art, and expression of the soul.
Rhiannon has utilized the Wabi-Sabi techniques of Saori weaving, and her own innate creative force to make sense of the universe through art and textiles. She weaves a world that echoes the times of indigenous artistry, spirituality, and worship of our planet; this is felt and seen through her creations and speaks to the soul of CARAVANA. For this, we welcome her as a beloved sister to the Freethinkers Program.
What elements of Saori weaving first inspired you to explore this textile art form?
What coaxed me into Saori so easily is one of its principles: There are no mistakes and everything that happens on the loom is intended to be. It’s in alignment with the perspective I hold in my life and for the vision of my artwork.
How do you incorporate the art of Saori freeform weaving or elements of Japanese traditions into your personal spiritual practice? Or, what other spiritual cultures are you drawn to?
Touching back in on the philosophies of Saori, they are quite relatable to the way I walk in the world. “There are no mistakes, everything is intended to be.” “Consider the difference between machine-made and hand-made.” There is a significant difference between objects that are mass-produced and objects of art that are made with the hand; there is a transference of energy, of spirit that is woven into each one of my textiles. Like everything in my life, I hold an intention, an arrow if you will towards that intention and move with grace towards it. The Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi is rooted in my being and I abide by it as a spiritual principle. I find beauty in the perfectly imperfect this life offers and that in essence is what allows me to be fluid, flexible, and open to the magic of this life. My spiritual and art practice are one and the same; they are not separate from one another so the process of creating beauty in this lifetime is hand in hand with walking in a beautiful way on this Earth, aware, mindful, respectful, and acknowledging each and every thread that connects to the web from a different direction is sacred.
What has been a part of your journey of bringing awareness of Saori weaving, and the other mediums of your artistic expression, to our Western society, that you’d like to share? Challenges, or inspirations that have come to you.
I work in different mediums every few years and the main focus of what is to encourage my audience is to remember how we used to do things, what our relationship to the natural world used to be in accordance with harmony and reciprocity. Through the process of handmade, handwoven, I am articulating the story of origin, myth, and respect for the Earth in the way that I understand it. If we could all slow down, breathe, respect time instead of feeling as if we are always running out of it, the more enhancement and pleasure we can experience. I want my clients and collectors to take an interest in the regenerative hemp movement, I want them to hold curiosity when they are outside and admire the natural sources of fiber in a new way.
“There are no mistakes, everything is intended to be.”
What we wear is an expression of our soul, of its vibrancy and I treat clothing like everyday art.
In a culture where fast fashion is so predominant, what are some of the most beautiful things to you about creating wearable art that has roots in culture and in spirituality?
Saori arose from a broken thread in an obi (Japanese belt) and a new legacy of free-form weaving was born. Consumers have the opportunity to reconsider how they want to shop, which objects of art they would like to invest in, and reconsider the power in handmade artwork. Saori has gifted me the skill, moving meditation and philosophies to fundamentally create something out of nothing with an empowered direction. Weaving is one of the oldest art forms and I have the opportunity to reinvigorate the collective memory on what it is like to wear something handmade by someone’s hands, in countless hours, imbued with good energy. The fashion industry has spawned decades of fantastical design and spectacles of fabulous visual art that I will always find meaningful and instrumental in the expression of the self through clothing; to that, I am grateful. Saori teaches me to slow, to weave with mindfulness, to find curiosity within the Japanese culture and its precision of design that carries much elegance. What we wear is an expression of our soul, of its vibrancy and I treat clothing like everyday art.
What was your most fulfilling or memorable collaboration with other creatives, and why?
There have been many but the most recent one is with a photographer friend of mine who visited from New York. After spending some uncomfortable moments transitioning to my new home in New Mexico, a warm, familiar heart was quite welcomed. We spent days adventuring into the diverse landscapes to shoot a film together, to climb sand dunes with a pink sunset setting above us, and relish in good company in majestic lands. New Mexico has always been home for my soul and to have made the transition to be here permanently emanates sunshine from the heart of my being; to share this with kindred spirits is a good life. As an artist, I love the opportunity to be amongst creatives at all turns, allowing the fluidity and joy of connection to unfold into something that reflects the play.
Imagine you’re speaking to an individual who knows little about mindful, conscious art and fashion: how would you express to them why supporting creatives and honest brands like yours is a step in the right direction?
Supporting creatives who are actively outpouring meaningful and mindful artwork is a positive step in caring for our Earth. It’s a small step but it’s comparable to the shift in nurturing the body with organic food in comparison to GMO. What we chose to put into our bodies, cloak them with, and visually stimulate our minds helps amplify a higher vibration for our world. As a small designer, artist and businesswoman, I recognize the power I have to inspire this shift in consumer habits. There is a difference in value between excessively consuming garments made by unhappy people in poor work conditions that are mass-produced and working with brands that are empowering communities with high living wages, natural dyes, and recycled materials. The cost may be higher but it elevates the spirit of the artisans, their own livelihoods, and through sustainable practices, the environment around them. We are in a time where everyone needs to do their part so finding voices that keep a larger ripple effect in mind is an empowering one.
Landscapes with Tony Farfalla of Madre Mezcal →
A visual artist interview with photographer and talented mezcal maker Tony Farfalla. We spent a winters day lost in White Sands, New Mexico filming this piece. The story behind this communion with Tony was quite special; He and I met 10 years ago and ventured to New Mexico together for our first time. A decade ago, I fell in love with this land and I could feel stories of past lifetimes pulling me here, murmuring a sense of home into my ears as my eyes were so overwhelmed by the magnificent beauty. Whenever I’ve imagined myself living here and welcoming in the kindred spirits that have been meaningful to my life, I have always envisioned myself welcoming Tony in my adobe walled home. As a dear friend, fellow creative and soulful human, the exchange of creative seeds has been continous for the last decade. Now that I am home, it was so heart warming to me, especially after not having any close friends upon landing here during a pandemic.
White Sands itself holds a very personal story to me. When I was 13, my grandfather passed and I was heart-broken as my grandfather held such a prominent place in my life. He was a story-teller, adventurer, lively and passionate spirit so rooted in family. I used to wander amongst his books in his library and it was my initial intro to the American Southwest; his library was full top to bottom with books on the settling of New Mexican Territory, it’s catalogues of histories of Indigenous peoples, it’s navy hardback books dusty with legacies of wars made by men all across the globe and I would time travel while my little fingers ran across the titles. Upon his passing, I found a brochure for White Sands tucked between the books and the my curiosity was piqued. For 25 years, I waited to greet this place my grandfather has visited and felt some impact from by scribbling words on the brochure in response to it’s breath-taking beauty. I had every intention of sitting down around sunset, smoking a tobacco and honoring my grandfather’s impression on me upon arriving. Alas, sometimes, the creative rush takes a hold and with a sunset beginning to settle over the cool sands of winter and a rose filled sky dappled with baby pink clouds, I couldn’t resist the urge to go with the flow in front of the camera. Here is what we captured in a place, in a time I will always cherish. I’m grateful to Madre Mezcal for this Woven Landscapes portrait.
You may find Madre Mezcal here and read about it’s fascinating collection of artist interviews.
Minimal peek into 2021.
Hopped a fence for a quiet place to be for a moment. The chill bit me solid and yet, I couldn’t help but forget the circulating sensations in my body as the sun began to set and the spectacle of colors debuted. I plan to shoot here sometime soon and this is the unadulterated beauty, free from human form, I call home.
Somewhere off the highway
Here is the fall lookbook I shot a few weeks back with fellow artist Aaron Westerberg. Shot in the images are: The Jolie Jumper, The Drape Cape in Camel Wool, The Cognac Poncho, Woven Cocoon Dress, Modern Scarf 1& The Gold Dust Stevie Cape.
Part of what I love the most about being an artist is drawing in and collaborating with other artists of like mind. After galavanting around Spain and Mexico this summer, I began to crave the wild yonder and glamping of California. There were fires around Ojai so it felt like a necessity to get out of the general vicinity. With a Jeep overflowing with paint supplies, yarn balls, camping cuisine and woven artwork, the team ventured out towards the Sierra’s. My word, shooting at sunset here was unreal. I could have easily woven all day staring at these mounds of deep red volcanic Earth with that light dancing the way it did. We had plans to shoot around dawn as well but the 50+ mph winds had something else in mind. A giant dust storm rolled through before dawn and literally blew us out of the tent. Stakes, bedding, even my own weight couldn’t keep half of the tent down so we packed it up in the haze and departed. I inhaled so much dust and dirt it left me very ill for about a week + but… “All for the sake of art “ is what I like to say and live for.
Woven Woman Wednesday with Sonya & Steph from Aula Artesana
Introducing the ladies of Aula Artesana, a company with the mission to establish more of a connection between consumers and artisans of Peru as well as creating workshops to teach natural dye techniques and weaving with travelers. The artisans they work with are both from the highlands and the jungles of Peru, indigenous and carrying traditions that have been passed down through multiple generations. As masters of their craft, they teach people of all different backgrounds to weave, work with natural dyes from the local plants and infuse a deeper knowledge of the Peruvian textile tradition through their handmade goods sold in the Aula Artesana store. Sonya and I had the pleasure of connecting by phone and I was delighted to come to learn more about this wonderful organization. All the way around me, Peruvian textiles have ensconced my life with their beauty, their story-telling and notable precision in design. I’ve being wanting to travel to Peru for years, not only to explore the legendary Machu-Picchu, but to sit and weave with the weavers there. Whenever I peruse images of Peru, it’s vast Andean range speaks to me as do the fluffy alpaca’s, the rainbow colored garments, the smiles I’ve noted in the eyes of the people there. Many in my community have traveled there so it’s been wonderful to learn more about an organization that is aligning itself with strong moral and intention to work with the community, to share their talented traditions and provide the curious with an opportunity to learn the backstrap loom. In a world with business ethnics of all sorts, I am much more inclined to not only purchase from a company that directly supports its artisans in fair trade practice, but one that also provides an opportunity to learn it right there, on site. As a weaving facilitator myself and artist, the ethos resonate deeply. I’m thrilled to share I will be joining in and participating for their December workshop so I’d say, if you feel the call, that’s a fantastic time to join me! Have a read below.
What are your names and your astrological signs?
Stephanie (Steph) Guthridge, Sagittarius
Sonya Radetsky, stubborn Capricorn :)
Please tell me what makes your organization special and was there any significant moment
between both of you, and individually, that inspired you to start the organization?
Steph: Aula has been a collaborative project from the very beginning by deciding that we would co-found the business. It is important to us that we work as a partnership and combine our different experience and skill sets to achieve our goals. Collaboration, then, is at the core of all of our artisan partnerships and also how we work with employees and clients.
Our artisan partners. We partner with communities and individuals who are looking for opportunities to sell their artisan goods and teach people about the process, and Aula offers one avenue for our partners to do that.
Aula is a values-based business, so when making decisions, we will always check in with those values to ensure that they align. The business element is key for sustainability. If everyone involved is benefitting and able to sustain themselves, Aula can continue to thrive and grow.
Sonya: I could talk your ear off about what makes Aula special, but there’s one that comes to mind above the others. One of my biggest challenges as a traveler and as a foreigner living in such a culturally rich country is how many layers and obstacles there are between visitors to a place and the place itself. Time, language, cultural divides, history - the list is endless. And on the other side, I think it’s really tough for locals to show who they are and share their culture and their art, for many of the same reason - language, time constraints, access. So as basic as it sounds, Aula’s role as the go-between is one of the things that makes it the most special because all of a sudden both sides of the interaction can actually have an experience that feels open and authentic and intimate.
Steph: No single, significant moment, rather a build up of small ones: when I was doing a lot of visioning for Aula in the beginning stages and getting so inspired that I forgot to eat, realizing that it was a way to bring together my experience, skills, and some ideas that I had been mulling around for a while in a way that benefits everyone involved: working alongside Indigenous communities, bringing people of different backgrounds together, providing creative learning spaces, alternative business models. The more we delved into it, the more I realized that I wanted to be a part of it. Even the first time Sonya mentioned working together to me, it was casually dropped into conversation… a conversation that we picked up again a few days later. The decision to work with Sonya was easy - I knew that we could do it together; share the celebratory moments as well as have those tricky conversations. We had great timing, too.
Sonya: Before starting Aula, I had been rolling ideas around and around in my head, losing sleep because I couldn’t quite land on the idea that felt right. But when the opportunity arose to take over our store space, all of a sudden it all clicked into place, I quit my job the next day. I’ve always loved handmade goods and the symbolism and importance they hold in so many cultures (you should see my house - embarrassing!). But as a consumer, you can only go so far when it comes to learning about what you’re buying. So why not take people to the source, where they can learn first-hand about the incredible artisan traditions here in Peru, and where the artisans can fully explore what it means to share their culture and teach what they know. In the end, Aula’s retreats are actually my dream trips, and I know I’m not the only one. When it came to working with Steph, that was as easy a decision as deciding to start the business itself. Our passions and values are in line, and our strengths complement one another. She’s one of the most honorable people I’ve ever known. And when we first talked about it, she whipped out a pen and a napkin and we started brainstorming right there. So if that’s not a great sign, I don’t know what is.
Where are you both from, your background and what inspired you to relocate to Peru to
start to work with indigenous communities?
Steph: I am from the UK - a town in Sussex, in the South-East of the country. An amalgamation of different things drew me towards working with Indigenous communities: learning more about the details and effects of colonization (something that is not taught or discussed widely in the UK) when studying at university, studying with people from all over the world and experiencing how much it enhanced my education - I thrived off of listening to different viewpoints, whilst also finding university to be too far removed from reality at times, as well as a whole load of idealism and eagerness to learn. I had become interested in social movements in Latin America through my studies and had always wanted to learn Spanish, so it all came together and I decided to move here. Since then, I’ve lived in Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru and worked with several nonprofits and businesses in a range of areas - it hasn’t been the most linear of paths!
Sonya: I’m from the US and grew up in New Mexico, another haven for Indigenous art and handmade goods. Although I’m not an artist myself, growing up around those traditions and knowing how deep that knowledge runs, it’s always been part of my worldview. I went to college and grad school at NYU in New York City and lived there for several years after, where I worked in market research. But I had always wanted to live abroad, always saw myself that way, and I happened to have a dear friend from high school who had been living and working in Cusco for a few years. When she jokingly offered me a short-term position in her NGO working with a fair trade textiles program, I laughed it off at first and then quit my job the following week (seems to be a theme for me). That experience in the textile program was my first time working with Indigenous communities, and it was very clear that after my six months with the organization, I hadn’t even scratched the surface when it came to living and working here in Cusco. So six months turned into a year, turned into two years, and now here we are. After a couple of years working in sustainable tourism, I was really happy to have a way to combine that passion for travel with the artisan partnerships that I was missing.
What is one of the more valuable lessons you’ve learned from living outside of your home country? UK and US?
What is one of the most valuable lessons you’ve learned from working with indigenous
communities?
Steph: This was one of the hardest questions for me to answer; trying to remember some of the most valuable lessons that I’ve learnt over the last few years because once you learn them and adapt, they don’t stand out to you as much - another reminder that I should keep a journal! One that’s been important for everyday life is the difference in rules around time-keeping between here and the UK; British culture having a strict set of time-keeping rules, in contrast to Peruvian culture, where time is much more fluid. Whilst it’s something that I have grown to love, I still struggle with it when I want to have an overly efficient day. Then, from working with Indigenous communities: there’s so much to be learnt in the process. For example, in a community meeting where everyone has the right to speak for as long as they want, there’s a lot to learn, not just about the specific issue that is being discussed, but how that relates to other issues within the community and the person who is talking, giving you a more well-rounded understanding. Taking time over the process, therefore, is so important for building trust, getting to know each other, as well as discussing specific topics.
Sonya: For me, living outside of my home country is an ever-unfolding tightrope walk. On the one hand, it’s so important to set aside my biases about how things should be and open myself up to other ways of living and thinking. In a way, being a good guest in my host country. But on the other hand, I live here full time, and I can’t set aside who I am and what my values are because they sometimes clash with the place that I’m in. So it’s a constant back and forth, when to voice what I think, when am I justified in feeling offended or frustrated, and when do I need to set aside my ego. It’s a total grey area, and most times there’s not an obvious right answer. I can really only speak to working with Indigenous communities here in Peru. For me, the word “communities” says it all in terms of what I’ve learned. The US is a notoriously individualistic society, and I’m a notoriously individualistic person. But many of the communities we work with organize themselves based on what’s best for the group or the association or the community as a whole. Weavers work in cooperatives and associations, and when we meet with our partners, we’re often meeting with a group of 10 or 20 or more. And group consensus and agreement is so important to the well-being of the community. That’s something I’ve never experienced before, and there’s so much that I’ve been able to take from that model and apply to my own life and the business as a whole.
What is an observation you make as an American and Brit that could better help those traveling
learn to respect the local culture, traditions, and way of life?
Steph: As a Brit, I would advocate for educating yourself on the UK’s impact on the world both historically and today, colonization, as well as researching the country you are visiting. It will provide very useful context for when you are adapting to a new place.
Sonya: As travel becomes more accessible to more people, I’ve found that there’s a lot of openness from travelers to ask questions and be respectful in the places they’re visiting. But there’s always the risk of slipping into the “tourist mentality,” where you think of everyone and everything as being there for your experience. Going to the market, for example, you see the gorgeous fruits piled high and it’s incredibly photogenic. But those fruit stands are actually peoples livelihood - they sell that fruit to make a living. So before you take a photo of a person or something that belongs to someone, make sure to ask. Find out their name. Humanize the experience so that it can be satisfying for both sides. I’m the first to say that I’ve been guilty of this, but it’s something I’m always trying to be more aware of.
Is there a particular food you absolutely love that travelers must try when visiting Peru?
Anything specific to Cusco?
Steph: I am a vegetarian which limits how many dishes I can try as Peruvian cuisine is heavy on the meat. A couple that I love are locro de zapallo - a pumpkin-based stew usually served with rice, and quinoto - quinoa-based risotto. There are so many delicious vegetarian dishes you can make with the produce grown in Peru: 100s of varieties of potatoes, quinoa, grains, sweet potato or camote, corn, yuca, beans, large variety of vegetables and fruit… the list goes on. I would also recommend trying chicha morada - a sweet, non-alcoholic drink made from fermented purple corn - maiz morado.
Sonya: Ceviche ceviche ceviche! When it’s good, it’s reeeally good. While Lima and coastal cities generally have better access to fresh fish, there are a couple of places in Cusco where you can get seriously delicious ceviche. Besides ceviche, one of my favorite traditions that’s specific to Cusco and other parts of the Andean highlands is the Pachamanca, which translated from Quechua literally means “earth oven.” In a subterranean oven dug out of the ground, you heat up stones until they’re really, really hot and then place all your food inside. Cover it with herbs, cloth, and earth on top to keep in the heat, and in 20-ish minutes your food is fully cooked and so tasty. Obviously we had to work that into our Tintes; Textiles itinerary with our weaving partners - it really is not to be missed.
Within your organization, you both work closely with the weavers. What part of the
mythology of weaving has changed your life or how do you feel the process of
weaving/offering weaving workshops has changed your life/shifted your perception in the
tradition of textile making?
Steph: There’s so much meaning and purpose behind weaving and textiles that has evolved over time. As Sonya mentions, traditionally they have been a form of communication, but they are also made to be worn and sold at markets. Through workshops, textiles provide another way for communities to share elements of their culture and knowledge with people who are keen to learn.
Sonya: There’s so, so much to say about the tradition of weaving in Peru that I won’t really be able to do it justice here. But one of the things that I’ve always been fascinated by is how textiles here were traditionally used as communication devices. Quechua, the local Indigenous language, was never a written language. So the symbology of the textiles functioned as a “written” form of communication, representing the community and its history, or the weaver and her experience. It’s a totally different conception of non-verbal communication, one that’s also so beautiful and intricate.
In relation to Peru, what is the one aspect of the culture you’d like for people to understand
a bit more, and, or which area of Peru has taken your breath away from the most?
Steph: Generally, the Andes themselves - the mountains will always fill me with awe. Wakra Pukara, a rocky ruin site in the shape of horns in the Acomayo Province of the Cusco region, is a breath-taking site that stands in the middle of some very dramatic mountains.
Sonya: I’m sure I sound like a broken record, but the thing I would most like for visitors to have a really quality interaction with here in Peru are Peruvians themselves. It’s so easy to move through Peru as a tourist without having the chance to really talk to and get to know locals, because of all the reasons I mentioned before - time, language, culture divide. So if Aula can be helpful in facilitating that, for me that would be one of best things we can give to visitors and Peruvians alike, as it’s one of the biggest and most inaccessible parts of visiting Peru. As for an area of Peru that has taken my breath away, there are sooo many awe-inspiring places that it’s hard to choose! I agree with Steph, the Andes mountains are just mind-bogglingly huge and majestic. In Andean spirituality, the biggest mountains are the “Apus,” their sacred gods. And when you look at these peaks, it makes perfect sense that the people who live here would look to them for guidance.
As the world begins to shift with more of a focus on sustainable textiles, what is your hope
for the local communities producing many of these? Is there something specific you’d feel
comfortable directly sharing with global consumers to be more mindful of when
consuming/purchasing during travels?
Steph: Mainly, I hope that through this shift, local communities are able to achieve some of their specific goals and wishes. I also hope that the sustainable textile movement recognizes the need for communities to have agency over if and how they participate, and take steps to ensure that there is true consultation and collaboration. Global consumers: as there still isn’t much information readily available, if you do want to buy sustainably-made goods and are looking to support local initiatives and/or communities, you will most likely have to do your own research beforehand about where to buy them.
Sonya: There’s so much focus and conversation around handmaid and sustainable art on “our” side, the consumer side, which is awesome. I hope that conversation and those values continue to grow and spread, so that the artisans and communities who make those goods realize how valuable their work and art is. As more people become genuinely interested in looking for handmade, sustainably created goods that tell the story of the place and the person who made them, I hope more artisans feel proud to create their art and preserve their culture and heritage and knowledge.
How can we, the readers, be of support to your mission and organization?
Steph:
Spread the word about Aula, our artisan partners and how we work
Shop our store and/or join us on a workshop in Peru
Reach out to us if you have any ideas to share, or for collaboration
Sonya: Come join us for a workshop! :) We do our very best to tell the stories and show the people behind the products, but truly the most rewarding part of our whole mission is when we get to bring people together for a true exchange of knowledge and culture. If you can’t come to Peru just yet, we would still love to have you as part of our community - drop us a note, leave us a comment, ask questions, tell us what you think. The more conversation, the better for us and our partners.
If you are interested in learning more about the upcoming workshops in Peru with Aula Artesana, please have a visit https://www.aulaartesana.com/. You may also find them on IG: aulaartesana
Woven Woman Wednesday featuring Daren Hope of : Earth Tonic
As summer is here, I believe it’s always time to introduce a new skincare regime for the warmer weather and daily sun exposure. The earth provides season food changes, in Ayurvedic practice, we are encouraged to eat seasonally so why would we not introduce new luxuries to our skin as well?!
I am absolutely smitten with the skincare line by holistic esthetician Daren Hope. Her last name is Hope and that sings sound sweetly as the perfect vocal harmony to her line, Earth Tonic. I had the pleasure of saturating myself in a tantalizing facial with her last fall at her spa, located here in Ojai. A year later, I’m still entranced and able to recall the extreme relaxation and pleasure. “The works” her facial which includes includes her famous Kansa massage alongside the micro-current frequencies, douses the skin in the nectar-like products and the glow from the two hour procedure. Click here for her spa and here for her delicious products.
This woman truly has a knack for presence with her clients, charisma when she talks about the products and is a complete magician with skin. There are few things in this world I’d recommend everyone must experience and it’s her products and her services. My sweetheart yet has to make it in the Spa but he knows I’ve been raving about Daren’s products and her spa’s offerings since my facial. As our skin is the largest organ, it’s imperative to saturate it from the top to the bottom with products that are loaded with the most beneficial ingredients, highest quality and made with love as energy transfers. Read below for her interview and my recommendations on my favorite products( you need them all!) I’m a client for life! You can follow Daren on IG here
Zodiac Sign:
My birthday is September 22nd. Technically a Virgo but verrrry cusp-y. I’m also a 2:4 Projector with Splenic Authority for anyone who knows what that means.
What is the most common skincare problem you've been able to alleviate for your clients/community with your products?
I think what I’ve been able to help people with most is the underlying cause of most “skin problems” which is inflammation. Inflammation happens for any number of reasons. Usually the perfect storm of stress, aggravating (often chemically-laden) skincare, hormones, poor diet, dehydration, or neglect. And it can manifest in all kinds of different ways that I call “imbalances”— redness, breakouts, discoloration, loss of elasticity. Our bodies spend time repairing rather than building. My products and rituals revolve around this idea of bringing balance to body, mind and spirit, through the healing magic of plants, to calm inflammation, provide deep nourishment and create an environment for the skin to fully express it’s health in the form of radiant beauty.
What is the most inspiring part of your job?
Honestly, it’s seeing what I just described over and over and over again. Folks beginning to recognize to the ebb and flow of life that requires them to surrender/receive with the same intention that they create/express. It fosters incredible health and beauty to oscillate between those opposing energetics. (I’m a Taoist, can you tell?)
What was the ah-ha moment that compelled you to start your own business?
It was over 10 years ago now! Two things happened at the same time— I had major success balancing my own skin with handmade herbal remedies I’d concocted (I had suffered chronic breakouts and very irritated skin for years) AND I had just moved home to Ojai after living in NYC for the better part of a year. I was yearning to commune with Nature, and I was also wanting to empower myself with a meaningful, love-filled career that I could grow to support what I value most— freedom, kindness, compassion and health. Skin was always how my body spoke to me, for better or worse, so that was the portal I worked through.
Tell me about your favorite botanical? ( describe some scientific details on the plant, your energetic relationship to it and it's healing power) How has working with this plant changed your life? How do this plant enhance the overall product?
Oh my goodness, where to begin?? Each product has a whole complex of ingredients that I could go off about…. Right now I’m having a love affair with medicinal mushrooms. For me, and for so many of my clients, they’ve worked complete magic both topically and internally. They’re an incredible source of antioxidants, and hard-to-find nutrients like Kojic Acid and Beta Glucans. Topically they’re amazing at honing in on damaged areas and healing that inflammation I was talking about earlier that’s so detrimental to skin health (they’re in products like our Mushroom Mylk, Botanical Toning Mist and Honey & Bamboo Facial Scrub). Internally they’re incredible brain and immunity boosters... Reishi is like nature’s Xanax, and psilocybin mushrooms can be used consciously for incredible inner-transformation in both macro- and micro-doses.
What are 3 pieces of wisdom that have been either taught to you or learnt through your life that you'd like to share.
1) Over the years, I’ve learned the importance of rest. For a long time I thought that if I wasn’t “doing something” that I wasn’t being a productive or effective human. Now I realize that some things happen under the radar. In those relaxed, easy moments we’re actually processing our past experiences, returning to our bodies, and on a micro-level repairing and growing (and also hopefully in times experiencing joy, peace, and contentedness which is what being a human is all about, IMO!)
2) I’ve also learned the importance of identifying my values, and aligning myself to them. Through my daily actions, my speech, my life choices. As a friend. As a human on planet Earth. As a business owner. What is my vision for a happy life? What is my highest vision for planet Earth? I try to be accountable to myself.
3) Lastly just learning to go with the flow. Acknowledging what I’m being met with in life and assuming there is something to be learned in it. Because why not, right?
What has the biggest challenge been in running a business?
Certainly it was figuring out how create more help for myself before I could afford it or even knew how to do it. I did a lot by myself for a long time mostly out of this false belief that the right help didn’t exist or I didn’t have my shit together enough. On a certain level it was important to the foundation of my business to grapple with those feelings and lay a foundation. But two hands can only do so much, and I want to make these tonics and experiences available to as many people who want them. It’s been so fulfilling to have the support of a small, growing team of alchemists and healers.
What are the common misconceptions about skin as an esthetician you'd kindly like to de-bunk..
The idea of “No pain, no gain” needs to just go away. In my experience, things like chemical peels create a wound-response in the body, and while in the short term they may increase things like collagen production (in the form of scar tissue), they ultimately degrade the integrity of the skin for the long-term, and make the skin extremely sensitive to the sun. Harsh products and treatments like that seem so antiquated when with the advent of technology like micro-current and light therapy— which are non-invasive ways to illicit a healing response without causing harm— in essence bio-hacking the skin. Combined with the infinite wisdom of plants, it becomes a holistic healing experience for the entire body.
If someone dropped you on an island with an unlimited stash of your favorite product, which one would it be?
That is like asking me to choose a child… probably the Honey and Bamboo Facial Scrub— it’s basically a facial in a jar, and would taste great if you got hungry.
Who has been a mentor for you in your creative career?
Last year I worked on a major redesign of my packaging, and with the help of my friend Rachel Garahan, was able to create a beautiful, meaningful asthetic that mirrored the pure plant magic in these products. Rachel really helped me get clear on the heart and soul of EarthTonics. Her eye for great design, combined with her love of magic and earthly wisdom was inspiring to be around. She’s busy now being a mama, but I hear speak that she may be creating a course or ebook or something that distills her magic into a program— and I would advise any creative entrepreneur to keep an eye out for it. @onepartgypsy
If there was one wish that could be granted to you for your personal life, what would it be? And, one for your business life…
Honestly I am so grateful for my life right now, I’m having trouble thinking of any thing I wish I had. I guess I just wish to keep living this beautiful life, and keep falling deeper and deeper in love with it. When it comes to my business, I suppose I am calling in a new expanded Botanical Kitchen in Ojai. A beautiful, private workspace where my team and I can formulate and keep blending our handmade tonics. Our current workspace at the EarthTonics Spa is getting a wee bit small. :-)
I hope you all have enjoyed the interview with Daren. Click here for all her botanical offerings and… as stated up above, the products I’d swear by are:Repair Creme Concentrate: I haven’t quite found a product like this prior. It nourishes my skin ( I run on the dry side and I’m a pitta pitta in Ayurveda so I’ve got a FIREY constitution which requires me to lather and stay moist ) and leaves a nice balanced glow. I know products sometimes can also get a little too greasy but this one is perfect, a little goes a long ways. Your skin will drink it up.
Frankincense Blossom Butter: This is perfect for all seasons but especially after you’re swimming in rivers and the ocean. Lavish yourself up in this divinely smelling butter!
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Calm & Replenish Face Oil. I use this daily, in both the mornings and evenings. A little drop goes a long ways but why skimp on this as it’s so delicious. Click below.
Healthy Breast Tonic: I’ve steadily introduced the breast massage regime into my life to help with swollen lymph nodes on the sides and to keep the circulation moving so my chest feels nice and happy.
Hey ladies.. Ever get up too quickly in the morning without enough rest and your eyes are puffy? This one is a staple as sometimes, when work demands my full all day attention, I use this morning and night. It de-puffs those eyes and is cooling to the skin, another staple for summer!
805 Living Magazine Article: Artists passing down traditions including Rhiannon Griego
Article by Joan Tapper, Photographers by Gary Moss. Issue May 2018