Collaborationship

from circuitous fires

The air is so incredibly saturated with warmth that the act of whooshing open the sliding door and facing it feels like entering a different dimension.

Once outside, the depth of the atmosphere comes into focus on the flesh, meeting an undercurrent of sleepiness. The body may feel fit to toil, even under the most blaring midday sun, but there is a tipping point of tolerance.

Keeping one’s head bobbing above the proverbial water may be buoyed by glimpses of dragonflies traveling on invisible, light as air, threads. Those erratic pathways illuminate the web that bridges sky to earth, and everything in between, cutting through even the most sweltering atmosphere with an interconnected grace.

We’re all stewing in this season together.

A basket of berries, steamy and saturated, finds itself in our kitchen at the end of each day. I deliver a frozen fate to most of the fruit, and dream of the other, subzero side of the year. Summer’s freshness in February is always a treat, but so are blueberry muffins in July.

Turning the oven to 400° in order to alchemize the already electric ingredients may seem silly, but ratcheting up intensity is an inherent aspect of creation.

Dan and I are preparing to teach our next set of workshops at the end of this month, which always brings us together in a sort of collaborative think tank. He weaves as I act as witness, both in dictation and documentation. Together we work out the translation of how sticks become a basket, both logistically and through story.

Weaving often feels like materializing matter out of thin air, as baskets become another bridge between the earth and sky. Any finished product that first begins tethered to the ground carries a supernatural element into its second life. These ethereal stories are invisible, but once experienced they stay ever-present.

As the heat is forecasted to continue, so will these thoughts of being steeped in the circuitous fires of collaborative creation, and the web that connects us all. Summer casts a clarity on the high definition of this relationship, but it is always present.

May we keep as light a head as possible as we continue to pass through the portal between cool, conditioned air and the sweltering spaces beyond. The intermingling of the two is fertile, imaginative ground.

Originally published on July 7, 2024

Get Ready With Us

9 Steps to Prep for a Show

Yesterday we had a trunk show at FDP Studio, which is a lovely shop located about an hour outside of Pittsburgh.

They hosted us last summer and we were thrilled to return for a day of sharing baskets.

The very first time we ever sold baskets publicly was back in the fall of 2020, and since then we’ve set up shop at a number of indoor and outdoor events. Depending on the show we’ve spent anywhere from several hours to several days at our table or booth, and have learned a lot of things along the way.

Below are the 9 steps we take each time we prepare for a show.

1. Check & Update Inventory

We currently have about 40 baskets fit for sale, all of which were woven throughout the past 3 years. Since we haven’t done a proper show since last fall, each one got a close-up inspection to make sure it was still in great shape and ready for a new home.

Willow baskets are notoriously built to last, so they all looked wonderful, but some of the oldest ones got a leather or hardware update to match Dan’s current skill level.

*Dan upgrading the straps on a backpack*

2. Photograph & Archive All Baskets

After the baskets pass inspection, we photograph, tag, and chronologically number any that haven’t yet been entered into our archives. Everything that Dan weaves gets documented in this way, and the number that’s assigned to each piece ends up becoming its SKU# when it’s ready to be sold. This keeps the records very clear across every platform we use.

We recently upgraded our photo setup to include an OrangeMonkie Foldio3, which is an easy to assemble, pop-up light box. It’s perfect for smaller items, like these Tatzas.

The goal for each inventory photo is clean, simple consistency. Mission accomplished.

3. Assign Pricing & Update Square

Once every item is properly archived, it’s time to decide on pricing. A lot of factors affect those decisions, but we always begin by looking at our history. This is easily done in Square, which is the inventory system we use for mobile selling and checkout.

When final numbers have been determined, we’ll use our pricing gun (purchased via Amazon) to apply a little sticker to the back of each Foggy Blossom tag (designed by us and printed via Jukebox Print), where the SKU# has already been written.

We also print out a spreadsheet of every basket we bring to a show, which we check off throughout the day as things sell, marking the payment methods in order to keep a clear record of sales.

*A hand drawn chalkboard by me for one of our first shows, and the more finessed tags we use now.*

4. Design & Print New Promos

With new workshops and classes always on the horizon, it’s helpful to have custom promotional flyers and material to get the word out. We rarely come home with any extras, but we often hear from students that seeing us at a show was how they found out about the class.

5. Prep Demo Material

A lot of events will request a live demo by Dan, which adds an extra element of complexity to our prep, and also on the day of the event, but folks are always enchanted by watching him work.

We’ve learned, however, to stick with smaller projects that can be worked on more passively, rather than the ones with huge wingspans and time sensitive material.

*Dan doing a weaving demo at the Frick Museum in November 2022*

6. Get the Brand Out There

Over the years we’ve invested in custom Foggy Blossom stickers, business cards, apparel, pins, a tablecloth, and more. In the beginning no one knew who we were, so brand recognition felt important, and these investments have certainly paid off.

On the table we also have an iPad that plays a long, looping video of all the steps leading up to the basket: harvesting and processing willow, soaking and mellowing, and weaving. Folks seem to appreciate, and are fascinated by, this behind the scenes look at all that goes into a basket.

We also always make sure to have an email signup sheet so that we can stay in touch with visitors who want to continue following our work, and QR codes that direct folks to our social accounts are always accessible.

7. Change & Charge

This one’s simple, but mustn't be forgotten!

Fill the cash box with change, and charge all the tech.

8. Go Over the List

At this point we have an extensive document that details everything we’ll need for any sort of show. This gets printed and marked up extensively as we double check everything. A few personal must-haves include:

Snacks, Caffeine & Water
Cough Drops, Advil & Band-aids
Sharpies & Pens
Scissors, Tape, Zip Ties & Binder Clips
Layers or Sun Protection*

9. Pack Ahead & Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Often we need to be up and ready early in the morning for a show, so we always try to pack the truck the night before. This allows for peace of mind so we can rest without a laundry list ahead of us.

Show days should be fun, not chaotic!

9. Pack Ahead & Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Often we need to be up and ready early in the morning for a show, so we always try to pack the truck the night before. This allows for peace of mind so we can rest without a laundry list ahead of us.

Show days should be fun, not chaotic!

Originally published on July 14, 2024

Dry Spell

Reaching Deep

July has been an intermission of sorts amidst an incredibly busy season, but the lack of rain, and copious heat, have added an edge of angst to the stillness.

This past Wednesday an overdue spell of rain finally passed through, but it was hardly enough to make a difference across the stiffening landscape. We’ve dealt with a drought before, and our decision years ago to never irrigate has propelled our plants to adapt, which they have. Everything looks pretty good, albeit a little thirsty.

Unlike them, we always struggle with extremes.

*A fig leaf savoring a sprinkling of rain.*

Underneath my sun visor, dripping with sweat, I walk through the nursery and imagine long taproots stretching far from the scorched surface in search of nourishment from the deep, dark depths. The ability of plants to grow in both directions seems like a superpower, and is perhaps most profoundly showcased in trees - whatever you see of them above ground is mirrored by the same volume below.

If only our own spectrum of robustness could be measured so palpably.

*A frog lounging in our still packed pond, June Bug looking lovely at 14 years young, and a visiting Monarch in the lavender.*

Having far fewer commitments brought an initial wave of relief into our atmosphere, but that same reality soon ushered in an inevitable panic. Days filled with travel, teaching, or time sensitive tasks keep the body in purposeful motion, moving the mind to the back burner. When activity slows, wandering thoughts grow, and slinking through a summer day with luxurious laziness can feel like a forgotten art.

Despite the discomfort of a “dry spell,” it is, of course, only a gift.

The heat has finally broken, and we’re feeling some parallel, interior relief ourselves. A rhythm is rising up wherein we’re each finding more joyful explorations and creative expressions. There’s room to play, muse over new ideas, and get back to nourishing our own basic needs across daylight that feels opulent, rather than endless.

There was also time to spend an entire day animating a basket together - a project that was just for fun, and likely wouldn’t have happened with a fuller schedule.

*Blackberry & Elderberry booms this year!*

So, as we continue to acclimate to the annual film of perspiration across our skin, we’re also reconnecting with a more childlike welcoming of summer’s empty moments. Decades ago we would have relished a few weeks of nothing, hot temperatures and all, and perhaps that primary source of who we were long ago is our own version of a taproot, still accessible in the depths.

Even after growing up, may we continue to grow in every possible direction.

*Hands up for not needing to mow the grass for a while - one of the few perks of no rain!*

Originally published on July 21, 2024

Upon Encountering

For so much of the year, there’s little evidence of life to be found around the land.

I remember wintry Field Notes that featured scant captures of skeletal trees, or icy ponds, and my behind the scenes wishing for more lively times.

Here in the heart of summer, encounters with energy abound.

From the chorus of the outside world awakening through the screen door at dawn, to the mechanical droning of insects at dusk, we are absolutely engulfed in an atmosphere of animation.

As with all activity, it will fade into an apparition before we know it.

Despite the scarceness of the off season, there are enviable privileges. Walking through the vacated acreage means that crossing paths with a wasp, or snake, or other frightening fauna, is no longer a concern.

Moving freely conditions one to comfort.

At the moment, however, any meeting is possible, and all encounters come with an element of hazard, even the cute ones.

There are three fawns around the farm right now - one that stays close to its mother’s side, and two that spend their days together in the sanctity of the food forest (they can slip right in under the electric fence, much to our frustration).

Given that their worlds overlap so closely with ours, we all run into each other multiple times a day, and have for weeks. While we’re not fairy tale level friendly, there’s an understanding among us that safety is more or less guaranteed.

When the fawns were younger we’d often hear them bleating, like sheep, as they faced what was frightening, which seemed to be almost everything. It was a startling, new sound to us, but one that endeared us to these beings that tend to cause trouble.

We’ve given up trying to shoo the younglings out of the fenced in areas, hoping that our long ago intention to plant more than enough to support the needs of all appetites will stand up to their growing hunger.

If you plant it they will come, but so will all their friends and enemies.

In addition to the familiar faces is an ever-increasing roster of new ones. With technology equipped to identify anything in a split second, we have logged nearly 1,000 images of entities ranging from minuscule to mammoth, leggy to leafy.

Putting a name to flora or fauna means nothing to them, but in our minds it’s a method for becoming fast friends.

Our current cameras are prohibitive when it comes to capturing birds closely, but they are the most pervasive population, and our most intimate, experiential encounters. Their songs are the soundtrack of our lives, often overlapping into an indiscernible symphony that washes over us in whimsical white noise.

In the morning many wake up among the willow, bending the elastic branches and slingshotting them around. In the evening a pair of hummingbirds often tussle at turbo speed just above our heads.

Even when we’re not in their realm, birds tap dance on our metal roof in scampering sounds that scale them far beyond their weightlessness, bringing their energy into our environment. It’s easy to push all these actions from our avian companions to the backburner, but they are in fact the backdrop that energizes the rest of summer’s stage.

This season can so often feel like a fever dream, literally and figuratively, with fiery days that swing past in a flash, but unlike the manic flits of butterflies, or the spastic sprints of rabbits, certain species move so slow it’s imperceptible. These more subtle beings, like some spiders, can tether one to patient timelessness.

Upon encountering, the full scope of life’s spectrum from growth to ghost emerges.

Field Notes Archive - July 2024

Collaborationship