February

just a little bit of this and that

Hi all,

I am surrounded with snow and ice. But the days are getting longer, and the sun actually warms me when I’m on walks lately. I have absolutely no new dolls to tell you about. This is my first “no new dolls, but I’m writing anyway”posts, and I hope that’s ok with you.

(mountains, rooftops and snow, as seen from my window)

The Forgotten Saints have all been sent to their new homes, and they are missed. Not just their presence in my workshop watching over me, but also the drive to make them all. I am happiest when I’m consumed with a project, the bigger the better. So, this in-between time is always a little unsettling… it’s hard to put my finger on exactly the right word. It just feels like I’m missing something…I feel a little exposed to the rest of the world… don’t like it.

I am however taking advantage of this time and am currently finishing up my 2025 commissions, baking a lot of bread, tending to some long-overdue house projects… and letting my brain wander. A couple of folks have asked me where I find inspiration… I think it’s different for all of us. Mostly, I think it finds me. Sometimes, it’s when I’m very busy creating, and sometimes it hits during these in-between times. It can happen when I’m looking through my sketchbooks… or sometimes it’s a piece of music I hear, or a book I’m reading, or a film I’ve watched. I generally try not to find it in other doll-makers work- I am extremely paranoid that I will inadvertently copy what they’re doing. Currently, I’m more than a little freaked out at what’s going on in the world… so escaping into other forms of art is my favorite form of therapy.

Here are some of the places I’ve been escaping to lately.

Books
The Sea, The Sea- Irish Murdoch (this was just kind of delightful)
North Woods- Daniel Mason (the first book in a while that I loved so much, I re-read as soon as I finished)
The Ruin of all Witches- Malcolm Gaskill (non-fiction, beautifully written history of one group of early settlers in Massachusetts that got hit with Witch Fever)

Films
Arcadia (documentary/ UK and it's relationship with the  countryside) dir: Paul Wright
The Image You Missed (documentary/ Northern Ireland) dir: Arthur MacCaig
Girl With a Needle, (favorite film I've seen in such a long time, it makes me feel a little sad at the passing of David Lynch) dir: Magnus von Horn
Tale of Tales, (beautiful 1979 Russian animation. So beautiful, I just keep watching it)) dir: Yuri Norstein
Crossing (Georgian film about an auntie trying to find her trans niece) dir: Levin Akin

Music

I listen to music most of the time I’m in my workshop. I gravitate to artists that can take me to another place. Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time listening to these on repeat:

Colin Riley, In Place

Gori Women’s Choir, Archaica

ØXN, CYRM

If you’re interested, you can find my workshop playlists here & here.

So… I’ll be finishing up the 2025 commissions and my house project soon… and then hopefully some news about upcoming projects. There are little sparkling things starting to happen in my brain and I’m very excited to have some time to soon pay attention to them.

I hope you’re all finding your own ways of coping with our turbulent world.

x

jana