When I set up my blog a couple of years ago the woman guiding me, (actually doing the technical work), Lin, was pretty insistent that I also secure the domain of my yet to be realised artisan company, Made by Mann. I wanted Mann Made but that was already taken, and Lin came up with Made by Mann. So you can get to my blog site, A Meandering Mann by madebymann.ca. The idea being that at some point in the future the two things, my blog and my artisan site would work together. For the life of me I couldn’t see how that would work, they seemed so separate. How could my thoughts about life and all its quirks, and my experiences meld with what essentially would be the sale of the things that I created. Now I realize that they are intertwined. So how does that work you may well ask?
In my mind, here’s how.
All my life (and this does not just apply to only me by any stretch of the imagination) I have collected stones. And beach glass. It was a bit of a tradition that we went to Seaham Harbour on Boxing day, a shore on the north east coast of England on the North Sea. As soon as we hit the beach down went the heads and we started to pick things up. Mom loved to pick up glass, always looking for the illusive red pieces. At the end of the day we carted our beach finds home. And I have been carting stones home ever since then. From Italy, from Iceland, from France, from all over England and Canada. Some of them quite sizeable. To do what with them? That was always a pretty unanswered question. At my last house I made a small waterfall and stream bed so that was a place to deposit many of my collection, and an excuse to find many more.
And then I took a course in drilling holes in stones and making them into things, like earrings, and pendants. A whole new world opened up for me. I could transform my finds into something else, something I would enjoy wearing, and something I hoped other people would enjoy wearing. And where I found the stones added to the story for me.
This was my first offering, and it could have said, Great Lakes Collection, Shores of Lake Ontario. My friend sold all of these in her studio in Prince Edward County while I was traveling. And I made the stones I collected on Seaham Harbour beach into another collection which were eagerly purchased by my sisters friends.
The stones have different characteristics depending on where they come from. The ones from Seaham Harbour, above, are very hard, and vary greatly in colour. I wish I had the knowledge to identify what kinds of stones they are, but I know some others are concretions, solidified mud or sedimentary rock and some are igneous, cooled lava, such as granite and basalt.
Essentially, where the stones come from is as important to me as transforming them into something else and I think it will be for other people as well. It makes the pieces personal.
So my experiences are entwined with what I create on a fundamental level and it is important to me to express that.
I have also had to work through another issue. I like to do many things. I was quite surprised that it took a while to get my dremel back out and begin drilling things. I bought a dremel drill press in England and shipped it back to Canada. I don’t know how many lovely stones I drilled at an angle so that they were unusable, and the drill press gives me more control. But instead of drilling, I pursued other interests, and went down other creative alleys.
So part of my dilemma was, what am I going to focus on. And I realize I am not going to focus, because I don’t have to. Or not totally. I am interested in doing too many things. So I am not going to push myself to do just one thing over and over. That sounds an awful lot like work, and not creativity, and not fun. So who knows what else will pop up on these pages!
And talk about luck. The Southampton Arts Centre is presenting a series of workshops called Business of Art. It is very timely as the previous course I was going to take at Georgian Bay Centre for the Arts did not happen. By the end of the course I know I will feel more confident to take the next steps in the process of getting my work out into the world. Or my little world at least. I can’t wait.
Sara Anne Campbell
Great news Maggie, The only limit is your imagination and resources… reminds me I forgot to bring the stones we picked up on a Cinqa Terre beach last time we dropped in. Hopefully you haven’t moved on to artisnal kayak building or earthenware kimchi fermenters by our next visit. Look forward to it.
Maggie
Thanks Sara. Now don’t go giving me any ideas, I have enough on my plate.
Meg
Hi Maggie, I miss you. Sophie and I recently went to St. Johns Norway for a walk. She enjoyed herself so much when she wrnt there with you and Zoey. It sure sounds like you have been keeping yourself busy and sane through the lockdowns. It’s been an odd time. We added heat to the garage so we have an extra room. Perfect for when Connor was taking music class “at school”.
Maggie
Hi Meg,
Been thinking about you and wondering if you still do the ice rink, or are the kids too big for it now?
I love that cemetery walk so am happy to think of you and Sophie having a tour around it. Great news about the heat in the garage. It must be a sanity saver to get at least one of the kids out there, they must be so big by now.
What a time!
Big hugs to you
Maggie
Daniel
Interesting how there is a long link between time and continents in what you do, at the same as you keep re-inventing yourself. You are yin yang personified. Hugs from Hastings St!
Maggie
Hi Daniel,
Good to hear from you. I feel very complimented by your writing. It is hard to know what impression you make on people so always interesting to get feed back.
I often see pictures of you and Martin on my computer screen, pictures from my narrowboat trip are my screen saver and it is always a pleasure and great memories. Makes me want to do it again!
Hugs
Maggie
Linn
I’m so glad that advice (which feels like it was given a lifetime ago) is working out for you! And very glad that you’re still using this space to keep us all updated 🙂
Maggie
Oh dear, I spelled your name incorrectly. I am sorry. Yes, it does feel like a long time ago, but such a good decision. I am taking a course on using social media today as part of the Business of Art course. It has been a slow process to get here but that is OK.
Hope you are doing well. Still doing the same work?
Linn
Oh no worries, you were close! No in-person workshops or client meetings but otherwise very much the same (thankfully!).