Mylonite

Over the weekend it has become quite clear to me that I am going to have to scale back on my blog posts. Even once a week is starting to feel difficult. I am sure this is because I find it very difficult to just post a picture, a small thought, when I sit down to write. That just isn’t how my brain operates. I like to tell a story, get into the heart of the experience and that just doesn’t fall into place in a quick post.

The other reason is I have uncovered a passion for buttons over this past holiday break. It started innocently enough, making ornaments for friends and family. It quickly turned into an unexpected explosion of creativity and opportunity. In the span of about two weeks I experimented with ideas and made 6 original art pieces (paintings adorned with buttons) and two unique trees topped with a heart or blue bird.

My first piece. Of course it is a tree!

I also, started my own Etsy shop complete with photographs, shop policies, logo and now 15 items for sale and adding more every few days. I started this shop with the understanding that I love this and I don’t want to stop this incredible creative energy that I have tapped into. I have longed to start an Etsy shop since I first found Etsy at least 5 years ago. I have friends who are successful shop owners and I have learned from them the passion for your craft must come first. I heard what they were saying but I didn’t get it until recently.

I love this craft for so many reasons, I feel like the possibilities are endless, I get to paint what I love, nature, I love running my fingers through my buttons searching for the perfect one to add that extra touch to my paintings. I get to express my happiness with bright colors, I am learning as I go, I can sketch while the boys are playing, I can paint and my boys join me. I feel like my new-found creativity is sparking new creativity for my boys. They make their own interpretations of my paintings right next to me and I haven’t had to guard my paints and buttons like I thought I would, it is like they know how important they are to me just by watching me work.

And so, Mylonite is my dream work. I love the name of my shop. I can’t take credit for the name, my husband has an incredible knack for names and titles. I asked him to help me and when he said this word I didn’t forget it, I looked up the definition and it really resonated with me.

My original interpretation of Mylonite.

Mylonite is a metamorphic rock. There are a few versions of the definition on-line this one is the most complete in my opinion:

a metamorphic rock formed by ductile deformation during intense shearing encountered during folding and faulting, a process termed cataclastic or dynamic metamorphism. This process involves nearly complete pulverisation of the parent rock so the original minerals are almost completely broken down and recrystallise as smaller grains which are tightly intergrown, forming a dense, hard rock. As a result of the shearing encountered during formation, recrystallised minerals grow preferentially along planes of foliation parallel to the direction of shear. Mylonite may also be characterised by the smearing, flattening or rotation of any porphyroblasts formed during metamorphism. Not surprisingly, the word mylonite is derived from the Greek word for mill.

It resonated for a number of reasons, I love geology and the extreme complexity of our great Earth’s processes, I have always thought metamorphic rocks are interesting and finally this particular rocks transformation reminded me of becoming a parent. The idea that the parent rock (original rock) and its minerals are almost completely broken down and then tightly inter-grown (like the strongest aspects of the original rock are small but still there) and after this process the rock is harder/stronger (in many cases) than what it started as.

This is how I feel in my parenting journey, ground down, only small parts of my original self are still here and yet I am stronger because of it. I love this connection.

So, I wanted to introduce my new-found enjoyment, I am documenting my creative process on Facebook under Mylonite you are welcome to join me if you like and I am so thrilled about this unexpected experience of starting a small business. So far, I am learning so much and enjoying all aspects of it.

At least for now, I am going to scale back on my posts and see how that feels. I am always conscious of keeping balance in my family and now I am contributing to our family feeling out of balance. This is a huge transition and learning experience, I know I will figure it out. So, this is not good-bye it is just a hopeful explanation of where my heart is now.

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