Don’t worry, this one will be a quick one.
I’ve been contemplating what to wear for a Winter Solstice Party for 6 entire weeks and I was starting to get awfully tired of being unsure what to make. I found myself incredibly excited by the wide possibilities and eccentric theme. The stoic masks people have created are full of so much life and charm and got me really excited at the prospect of making my own.
Beautiful work by Diana Renzhina
But, as I contemplated my available free time, the more I recognised that this was not a costume I should go ‘all out’ for. Additionally, my strengths do not lie within simple sculpting mediums, (i.e. clay, papermache or epoxy) rendering most simple ideas outside of my skillset.
Until, 6 days before the party, I came across these costumes.
Even more beautiful work by Diana Renzhina
My growing interest in bird watching fuelled honest to god excitement for this project and quickly my mind clambered some thoughts together. I felt very capable of trying wood carving for the first time, and I had ideas for fun features that I could leave out if I ran out of time quite easily.
I kicked off carving that night. It was a really fun process that left me deeply wishing I had my woodworking workbench finished (but thats ongoing and I’ve been a good boy and worked hard on it).
Once he was carved, I wasn’t in love with him. He still just looked like wood on a stick. Once I got paint on him however…
I still didn’t love him. I had a very stressful week at work and was feeling the lowest I’ve felt in about a year, so I was struggling feeling much of anything, little own love for this stupid wooden bird I’m going to have to lift up all night at a party.
Everyone around me said how much they liked it and found it charming but I simply felt nothing. I was also very intimidated at the prospect of operating him throughout the night.
With the small drive generated by others loving him, I pushed through and added a very cute puppet feature to imitate feathers. It came out good enough for how much time I spent on it.
I did really enjoy the process of real creativity, of getting to create just for the sake of expression. This project made me recognise how little I stretch that muscle these days. And I think I'd like to more often.
I still don’t feel much for him, maybe because I was so low when I made it that I really wish to put that behind me. But I still feel he is worth documenting.