On the Meaning of Independence

Voie de Vie designs from the multi-designer curated Women & Water 

summer collection, clockwise from top left: Stars Align bracelet, So Much 

Shine necklace, It's About Time Watches, Lake Ontario Shimmer, and When 

Coco Met Elsa bags, all available for purchase (along with over 60 other 

original designs), in my Ravelry pattern store.

As everyone here in the U.S. prepares for various July 4^th events, I thought it appropriate to take stock of what independence actually means to me.

There is no doubt to anyone who reads this blog regularly that independence is one of my running themes. I have, also, marked past Independence days in 2012, 2013, 2014, and just briefly in 2016. It is, nevertheless, difficult to pin down with any specificity how to define independence. I am an indie designer who also designs for third party publications when the design spirit moves me and those publishers smile favorably. I have my own small independent creative business, yet throughout this time I have held a day job. So is this independence, or just following many masters?

While I definitely would like to cut down on the masters, I have never had any illusion that my small creative business would ever be my sole means of income, so the multiple people to whom I must answer was pretty much a foregone conclusion. No, what independence means to me is an evolving ethos in my creative business - only working on those designs and projects that truly move me. As a result, you will note all the jewelry and bag designs above (and there is still one more design I am so close, albeit late, to finishing for the collection). I genuinely love both, even though they are not usually the cash cows that most shawls and cowl designs tend to be. I have things in the pipeline for later in the year (both from me and from third party publishers) that truly mean something to me - either the subject matter, or the concept, or the design. I cannot know whether or not they will be popular, but each of them will exercise my own flavor of independence. 

As a certain portion of the world has already or will mark an independence holiday this month, I hope each of you find your own independence sweet spot. 

Oh, and don't forget to include all the tasty food.