A Slower and More Grounded 2013

Portable Field Study 01 by Abigail Doan, 2013

(recycled mixed media, wood flotsam, and NY Times Science illustration)

2013 will be about carving out more expansive pockets of time and space to tackle a variety of long overdue creative projects. Slowing down is ironically a better way for me to examine my ideas about what seems essential for making headway in the studio and beyond. 

I will also look for ways to be even more flexible about how work is made, documented, and transported – given all of the travel that I do. Make-shift spaces for hands-on projects will definitely be on the agenda during the year to come.

In a recent contribution to Ecouterre, I described some of my eco-fashion predictions for 2013 – with the root of my ideas being linked to slow design and fashion initiatives:

"Even with mobile devices and personal gadgets now coaxing us to journey to and document the far corners of the globe, a genuine desire for rootedness and connection to place continues to influence our fashion and style choices. Regionally chic offerings from local designers will inspire us to examine what makes shopping close to home both rewarding and ultimately sustainable.

Slow fashion, slow food, regional natural dye recipes, the conceptual crossover between food and fashion production methods, and the beauty of the gathering itself will help us to better understand the nature of community and modern harvesting."

Projects that I am following to inform my pace and process:

Alabama Chanin's Journal

Handful of Salt

Hunter Gatherer

slowLab

Slow Creations on Tumblr

Studio Balmaseda on Tumblr

 Permacouture Institute

Trend Tablet

More to come on this inspiring (community-based) topic.