The Beginning of a Collection

A look inside the ideation phase of my Senior Collection in the Fibers Department at the Savannah College of Art & Design

The main idea of my senior collection is the idea of how temporary life is here on earth & how important it is for us to maximize every second that we’re blessed with. As a Christian, I know that this life is not the end for me & one day, I will see my Maker in Heaven & I want Him to look at me & say “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23). So, the content of what I create throughout my senior year will focus on glorifying God in the best way possible. And as an environmentally-conscious artist, I am also strictly limiting myself to only using materials that I already have or to repurpose materials obtained from second-hand sources. This has brought me to the title of "To Be Made New." Just as I have been made new through Christ, I will take pre-loved materials & transform completely into God-glorifying pieces.

My main influence is the Christian Bible, specifically the New Living Translation. This living Word of God will influence every aspect of my life. In this collection specifically, I am looking at God's call on man to be stewards of the earth, which leads me to believe that we should not be wasteful & the use every bit of what God has given us to the utmost capacity. I also refer to 1 Peter 1:17, as the Apostle Peter writes that we "must live in reverent fear of him during [our] time here as "temporary residents." That means that for me, as an artist, all that I make must reflect the love God has for me & the return of love I have for Him.

My current artistic style recalls a lot of inspiration from the quilts & blankets I grew up seeing in my Northwest Georgia hometown & through the Smokey Mountains when we would vacation to various cabins or go to the homes of relatives. Some were quilted while some were crocheting, but all were intricate, well-loved, and almost falling apart. The fabric quilts were patchy & exhibited the highest skill-level, as they were made by women who had spent their lives perfecting the craft by hand. I am constantly inspired by Lindsey Faith & Zak Foster on Instagram. Both have such different styles, but use the classic quilting that we've all seen & transforms them into something beautiful & contemporary. Linsey's quilts are extremely clean & polished, while Zak's are very rough & fraying. I hope to achieve something in the middle of both.

Two crochet artist's that are consistent sources of inspiration go by @loosends & @crochetaccs on Instagram. Both of these artists tackle a patchy style of crochet in different ways. @Crocetaccs uses brightly-colored yarns to create checkers & stripes in her garments & home decor, while @Loosends uses t-shirt yarn to create handbags with loose ends that aren't woven in like you would normally expect (hence the name).