In today's world, there is a prevailing need for instant gratification. This manifests itself in many forms, such as routinely consuming fast food, excessively connecting to our cell phones instead of each other, and buying things without considering whom and what our dollars are supporting. These knee-jerk habits are the result of living in a faster-paced world, where we're constantly overstimulated with information from every angle, yet left with little time to unplug from it. why they opened up the ceilings and exposed the brick within the restaurant.
It is only when we unplug from this non-stop chaos that we can appreciate the present, instead of dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. In other words, we can achieve a state of mindfulness, which is diametrically opposed to the idea of engaging in instant gratification and letting life pass us by in a colorful blur. Being mindful means slowing down and observing more, fully experiencing and enjoying the moment, and contemplating life's mysteries. It allows us to look at the big picture and examine our role within it.
Are you content with the way things are going in your life? Or could you be making a meaningful difference in the world simply by changing some of your everyday habits?
A few years ago, I began my own journey of mindfulness by challenging myself to find and appreciate the beauty in common household items I encountered, such as dryer sheets or bicycle tires. This new habit quickly became a quest to breathe new life into some of these materials that were headed for the trash can. I began incorporating these materials, as well as leather scraps, blocks of pink Himalayan salt and old magazine pages into wearable art pieces. These one-of-a-kind skirts and chokers were transformed so dramatically that people were shocked to discover they were once dryer sheets or rubber tires. My quirky pieces caught the eye of Tracee Dundas who spearheads Fashion Week New Orleans, and I was offered the wonderful opportunity to showcase my Shady Lady line on the runway at her show for two consecutive years. I realized I was on to something by upcycling all of these materials and items, which would have ended up in landfills anyway.
For example, rubber is one of my favorite materials to work with because of how organic it looks in my pieces. Yet when rubber is disposed of, it biodegrades slowly and builds up quickly in landfills due to the high occurrence of discarded tires. These pose a significant threat as fire hazards, which are difficult to extinguish, and pollute our environment. They also breed disease when stagnant water becomes trapped inside the tires. Old leather jackets, lace sweaters and magazine pages are also great materials to work with, because it's possible to make several unique pieces out of them. Even if these garments aren't suitable to be donated to Goodwill, they could still be upcycled into interesting wearable art in many cases.