With the end of January fast approaching, I’ve made my final charm for ‘Peatland Charm Bracelet‘. When this project was still in its infancy I imagined a total of eight and now that I’ve finish the eighth one – ‘Hourglass‘, my memento mori – I feel like I’ve created an object that brings that series to completion.
I’ve mounted the first four charms in frames, together with their companion pieces of writing, ready for display at Gibson Mill. Next I need to turn my attention to the others, all destined for an upcoming exhibition at Hebden Bridge Town Hall. I have some work still to do on the words, but I’m nearly there. Good job bringing it all in on time, I think to myself.
As it turns out, I have another think coming.
The words for my penultimate charm, ‘Compass’, are not being respectful of my deadline. What began as an exploration of ‘finding my way’ is suddenly morphing into a new piece of writing. I’m now heading deep into the transformational, restorative qualities of my relationship with the upper moorland.
It’s a compelling creative trajectory that I’m curious to follow, but the further I progress down this route the more involved I become with sensibilities that don’t belong with my compass (the irony of this is not lost on me).
The inconvenient truth slowly sinks in. The words taking shape on this page are clearly meant for a different object. I need to make another charm.
This is how ‘Teapot‘ arrived on the scene at the eleventh hour and usurped ‘Compass’ as charm number seven.
A few days later my final four are complete and it’s time to clear up so I can finally dig out the audio equipment I promised myself I’d return to next. As I’m wiping the remnants of this week’s unexpected charm-making flurry off my desk, I find myself wondering what to do with my compass.
I’d been so sure of its place in the series but now its status is irritatingly ambiguous. Every time it catches my eye I have a sense of unfinished business. If I’m going to achieve closure for this creative chapter I need to determine its fate.
Looking at it now, I remember how careful I was to position the tip of its pointer correctly, mindful of its symbolic significance. This charm represents gaining the confidence to learn my way through unfamiliar terrain. It speaks to my ability to navigate, explore uncharted territories and hone my skills along the way. And yet it seems destined to remain on the shelf, wordless and redundant.
It doesn’t seem right that I should have ousted such a potent symbol from the mix, but equally I don’t regret my decision to pursue the thread of ideas that broke new ground and led me to ‘Teapot’.
Thinking again about how this work progressed, it occurs to me that my creative process mirrored the very qualities I intended my compass charm to symbolise.
I realise that although it may not have found a place in the series of eight, my ninth charm still has an important job to do.
And here it is, hard at work in my workspace, reminding me to stay curious, have faith in myself and trust the process.
