Dear Reader,

Recently, I watched my children face a difficult decision in their peer group, which they both navigated in such a mature way, the likes of which most middle-aged adults couldn’t have pulled off. When you’re a parent, you hope that your kids are listening to you when you talk, even when they’re otherwise engaged and/or rolling their eyes at you. My dad always told me that actions speak louder than words, and when I was a kid, I just chalked this up to another lecture that I wasn’t going to listen to. But, as an adult, I see how true it is. Children mirror their parents’ behaviors and it’s how they navigate the world. In our house, we always taught our kids to stand up for what was right, but the important thing is that we showed them that as well. When you think your kids aren’t listening or paying attention, trust me, they are.

My kids were part of a situation where one of the friends in their group was emotionally abusing two of their other friends and their mother. They were unaware of this behavior, because they hadn’t been present to experience it, and this friend wasn’t abusive to them. At some point, they saw the behavior happening to their friends in real time, and learned that it had been going on for far too long. They confronted the friend who was being abusive and asked for an apology. When this we met with further abuse and a lack of accountability, they decided to end the friendship. This was a very difficult and emotional experience for them both, which encompassed more than I will discuss here. But, as a result of their refusal to tolerate this treatment of their friends, and the confrontation that ensued, they gave their other friends and their mother who had been the victims of this abuse for so long, the strength to walk away from this abusive relationship. To say that I’m proud of them is an understatement. Not only did they face a difficult situation and stand up for what was right, but they helped their friends and their mom do the same.

I’m no stranger to standing up for what’s right. It’s who I’ve always been. My money has never gone to support those who don’t align with my values. And as this becomes more and more important, I support less and less businesses and organizations. May we all stand up for what’s right, even if we’re the only person in the room. May we protect the weak and the vulnerable and foster community. If you make art, keep making it and sharing, because I want to see it and buy it. I don’t want artists (including myself), feeling like they can’t share and market their work and offerings. Most of us don’t have the privilege to stop working. This is what we do.

This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.

-Toni Morisson

But may we also realize that everyone shows up in whatever way they can. Social media is NOT reality.

I truly appreciate all of you who choose to be here and read my newsletter.

xo,

Christa

This week at a glance

• I painted and sealed a couple of paper clay objects.

  

• My husband put up peg board in my studio, so I can get more merchandise on the walls and have more floor space.

• I made a lot of progress on the crochet dress I’m making for myself.

• I started rewatching Absolutely Fabulous. It’s just as ridiculous as I remembered, sweetie, darling.

• Shrinking is back for season three. If you haven’t watched it, you should. In my opinion, I think it’s Harrison Ford’s best role yet.

• I listened to Amy Poehler’s podcast, Good Hang.

• My family and I participated in the National Shutdown on January 30.

• Did you know that every time you watch an ad on instagram Meta gets paid? I didn’t until my kids told me. Moving forward, I will only be on the app to check messages and post if I feel compelled to share my work. I will interact if someone comments on my post and I will respond to dms. If I enjoy someone’s work, or discover a new artist, I will check out those pages directly. I’m assuming the same goes for Facebook, but I only go on there for marketplace, and thankfully there are no ads there.

• I discovered that the elastic I use costs 70% more since the last time I bought it, which was probably a year ago. So far, I haven’t bought it in the hopes that it may go down in price.

• My family and I went sledding again. It was very bumpy, and not a lot of fun. I’m thinking that we might try using the tubes.

• When I went was leaving to walk Albus I noticed at least thirty robins in our juniper tree feasting on the berries.

  

• I was so sad to hear that Catherine O’Hara had passed away. I loved her work.

• I listed some one-of-a-kind earrings in my online shop.

  

• I decided that anyone who shops at my studio or at art shows and pays cash will receive 10% off their total purchase. I’m still trying to figure out how I can work something out for folks who shop online.

  Upcoming Events

• February 6- 5-8pm-First Friday

• February 14- 10am-2-pm-Art and Coffee Crawl

  Both events are located at Urban Arts House

  430 West Orange Street. Visit their instagram page for more details.

  Links

  Email: wildchildfibers@gmail.com

  Website: https://www.wildchildfibers.com

  If you’re in Marietta, you can find my work at

  River Pearl Studio.

  Book a shopping appointment: here

  Anytime 20% off discount in the online store for subscribers