100 Faces of Embroidery
For me, one of the most essential things in life is bringing people together and teaching them they can create and do anything they want. It gives a special meaning when I see people growing and feeling empowered.
With this project, I want to show that embroidery has a face, a maker has a face, behind every creation is a maker, a human, a person, a woman, a being. Each creator has their own personality, and even if they are similar, even if there are hundreds of similar creators, you always put a final touch to a creation.
It’s incredible to be a part of a project together with others. To see our joint creation in a gallery-like place serving other like-minded people or the ones striving for more but being a little scared to do it.
What's the story behind the idea?
One night in May 2020, it came to me when I was lying restless, thinking about how crazy this pandemic has hit us. I saw behind my eyes a big canvas created out of smaller squares with faces embroidered on them. I felt a need to create a community and bring women together in a unique way. Especially now, we are all at a distance, but we can be closer to each other, learning and making things together.
In my life, I believe I developed a good sense of empathy and empowering communication with people. I know how to listen and encourage people to try, learn and support them on the way to believing in themselves. Most of all, I want my work to bring people together, encourage them to be creative.
What is my goal with this project?
First of all, I dream of seeing all 100 Faces, sewn together as a quilt, hanging on a wall where other women can get inspired and imagine they could do the same one day. All of them different and rich in their variety. All of them done by a different woman, with a particular, unique style. The final size of the quilt will be 4 m wide and 2,5 m long.
Why do I invite you to join?
I believe that embroidery is a transformative experience, where the physical body meets the soul. I can feel my hands being guided not only by my mind but also by my heart. Embroidery is a fantastic way to express myself; it’s a slow, mindful, and grounding process that brings me back to my core being. Our ancestors from all around the world were doing it for centuries. For me, it is a way of connecting with them, with our collective feminine energy.
With every finished piece, I believe in myself more and more. With every decision about which color or technique to use, I make more conscious choices in my everyday life. I have let my hands be guided by my soul, and it reflects in my reality.
I want to share with you what I know, so you can feel the same way, be empowered and creative, and discover things about yourself that you didn’t know existed.
Why ME?
As children, we’re taught to not create or create something specific to the liking or not of people who decided it for us. This should not be the case here. You can determine if you can draw, and eventually, you WILL. Take a piece of paper, draw a face. If you want, erase something, correct it. But not too much; remember, the critic inside us makes us feel we’re not enough to draw and create, yet we are ABSOLUTELY enough.
In the end, embroidery has so many details! You won’t see all the single mistakes, tiny threads, etc.
I would like to show you that YOU CAN!
FAQ
IN A PILL
100 Women doing embroidery of their own faces in their own style.
Live & online classes with lessons on drawing, color composition, embroidery techniques. Motivation and mental support on the way to creativity.
Each woman creating a piece size A4.
After that, I collect the art from you and sew it into one piece.
Altogether we are creating a collaborative piece of art that is 4 x 2,5 m big.
The quilt will be displayed in a space that will hopefully inspire other women to do the same, to find their own style.
In exchange for your art, you will get two prints – one A3 of the quilt and one A4 of your own work.
COMPLEX PROGRAM
This is a complex program to teach you embroidery and discover your own creative style using basic drawing skills. We need o to create space in our life for the innovative change to happen. This is a complex program because it will teach you embroidery & how to look within and find your own colors to look for your own style. Maybe you’re minimalist at home, but your art will be super crazy and chaotic? Give yourself that chance to reveal what you love.
WHEN?
From September.
The first group of 25 women starts beginning of September, we will begin with drawing and color combinations exercises. Each group will be opened for three months.
Why three months? It takes that much time to soak in the change that is happening within us. It takes days of excitement and sometimes tears to feel the connection with any new craft. We will learn a new skill, something maybe our bodies and souls have longed for, and this time-space will create that opportunity for us.
I plan to finish collecting the work by the end of December. Of course, it all depends on how much time we all need to feel safe to do embroidery and show our own face!
Why Embroidery?
Doing embroidery is like writing your own story with thread.
Women have a creative force within them; my dream is to show them a small path. Embroidery teaches patience, delicacy, intimacy with yourself. It’s like a painted meeting with your thoughts and dreams threaded onto a fabric.
What am I offering?
I share with you my embroidery knowledge, communication, and motivation to follow your creative calling. I will guide you through the process of drawing, composing, choosing colors, and embroidery itself. I will accompany you in 1:1 sessions as well as through live group meetings.
What will happen with the final art piece?
Depending on how long this process will last and what exactly will be the outcome (maybe ONE THOUSAND faces?), the art piece will either hang in a space belonging to an organization that supports women or another creative spot like a library or co-working community. Any income that will come from displaying the quilt will go into other projects supportive to women.
How to apply?
Send an e-mail to 100faces@plantsonpeople.art. You will receive details with payment, and after you’ve completed that, I will invite you to a private Facebook group where I will share the materials. If you don’t use Facebook, contact me, and I will see how many people are interested in joining outside of that platform, and I will try to find another solution.