hypnagogic

adjective

hyp·​na·​go·​gic ˌhip-nə-ˈgä-jik  -ˈgō- 

variants or less commonly hypnogogic

: of, relating to, or occurring in the period of drowsiness immediately preceding sleep

hypnagogic hallucinations

*Merriam-Webster

Why hello there again! Although most of you don’t interact, it has been great to watch readership of this blog grow and blossom, with many of you coming back every time I post. I see it and I love it 🙂

I have been drafting a quick post for many months about where my inspiration comes from. I think this mini collection works well to illustrate my approach.

My body of work is very personal. The materials, techniques and presentation map my unique journey as an artist. One of the most important aspects of my work is the reflection of my signature touch, imbued with my unique point of view and path, and the many stops and side quests along the way.

You are invited to join me on this path through viewing and experiencing my creations, as I light the way into abyss. As a leader, the path is dark, lonely, and sometimes a bit scary. Luckily, that’s my jam. Like the Hermit tarot card, I delve into the dark to search for gems and accept the associated risks humbly.

This can never be forced or faked. I do not follow fads or trends, I do not follow at all- I leave that for others. I make myself available, and I dedicate myself to being worthy of the task of bringing into reality the gifts I receive.

As I have progressed in my work, my design process has evolved. You have to start somewhere: In the beginning, my process relied heavily on identifying items which did not exist- either in form or function- which would streamline or enhance my life. At some point though, years ago, things started to take on a life of their own. Ideas started simply APPEARING in my mind’s eye, fully formed, as I was falling asleep or trying to. This can honestly be a little bit annoying sometimes!! Maybe I’m truly exhausted, maybe the collection is almost done. Whatever the case, it usually shocks me awake. I rarely write down or sketch out these ideas. The good ones will be front and center in my mind as soon as I wake up. Like a muscle, the more I “use” this approach, the stronger it gets.

Occasionally, I will get a comment from someone who is mad at me for making something as a One Of A Kind. I am truly sorry. I always joke that I wish I could clone and hire myself, so I could make more. But I hope this explanation helps some of you understand why some of my most exciting pieces show up -without warning- as OOAKs. I didn’t get a warning either!!

It is true that I also pull from historical garments and have a large catalog of books and antiques. But as the years pass, I am inspired less and less from other clothing, and lean in more to the internal source. And I think this really shows.

There’s lots more I could write about this, but I’ll leave it for another post- the muses are calling!

Please be sure to set an alarm if you pan to shop the mini collection tomorrow, some of the pre-order items have a hard limit. And let me know which OOAK items you’d like to see brought back!

Thanks for reading,

Emilie