Creative Energy

A stole for Lent

When you need to stir up creative energy where do you turn? Occasionally we need to step outside the studio to find inspiration. Here are a few of the places we've been stirred in the past. 

I shop my local farmer's market weekly partly because I believe in buying as much local produce as I can. The bonus is that the colors and textures never fail to motivate me! When in season the deep purple of an eggplant always captures my attention. It has so much depth and mystery. This is probably why I feel compelled to use this purple for Lenten stoles . 

A peace stole inspired by the city

City streets have a wonderful pulse of energy. In contradiction to that this drums up a type of peace within me. Part of what draws me to the city is the architecture and the order. This may be one of the reasons why stoles like this peace stole can to be with its blocked, pieced architectural sense. 

Garden centers and nurseries are also a source of creative inspiration.  Awakenings from the many hues of green and a multitude of shapes and lines often translates into new ideas particularly for stoles for Ordinary Time.

A recent commission

Judging by your inquiries regarding commissions we know YOU have creative energy also! Do you have inspiration for a stole design that you can't find in the commercial market? For example, at left is the border of a stole we created for a pastor who's church strives to be a beacon of light and peace in the midst of her city. Because of the church location she is involved in many events/situations within the community. We created this stole for her to wear as a symbol of her ministry within a city that is surrounded by the ocean with a backdrop of the mountains. We might be able to help you also. Email us your thoughts and we'll be glad to converse about the possibilities. Commissions are never given the green light until both parties are in agreement regarding the design, the estimate and the amount of time it will take to complete the work.

What Do They Look Like?

An angel previously designed by Carrot Top Studio

Who? What? Angels of course! I'm working on a project for a client that will include angels. Artistically there are several themes that consistently challenge me. The first is Easter. How does an artist do this marvelous celebration the justice and magnificence that it deserves? Another is angels. Angels are spirits.The Bible tells us they sometimes appear as men, sometimes with wings, sometimes with blazing glory and are as white as snow. When I become "blocked" I often turn to master artworks for inspiration. Thought you might enjoy a little bit of the variety that artists have portrayed when depicting angels....

Byzantine image of Michael, 1000 AD

Angel Acabucero, 17th c. Peru

Yoshitoshi Taiso, late 1800's

Herbert Draper, The Lament to Icarus, 19th c.

Do these images connect you with any particular pieces of scripture? It's interesting to note that all of these artworks have angels with wings on them. This is not always mandated in scripture. Thinking about this makes me particularly wonder what the angel looks like that is referred to in Hebrews 13:2--Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Now what did THAT angel look like? So now it's to the drawing board for me....we'll see what I can conjure up!

Book Review

Have you read anything recently that makes you want to tell others about it? Well, we've just stumbled upon Bead One, Pray Too by Kimberly Winston and thought you might like to know about it. At Carrot Top Studio we often reach to history to find just the right symbol or color for our stoles. So we could relate to, Winston opening her delightful book with a bit of history regarding prayer beads. For example I learned that the word "bead" comes from the Anglo-Saxon word bede, which means "prayer" and how counting beads for each prayer in ones pocket led to prayer beads on a string as we know them today. 

Secondly, practical instruction is shared for using prayer beads. The author touches upon contemplative praying, memorized prayers, praying the psalms, to praying hymns and much more. 

And lastly if you enjoy crafting you'll appreciate the instructions for making your own prayer beads including the traditions of certain colors and particular symbols. This is an activity that could be adapted for many ages and could be done individually or incorporated into a bible study, retreat, and much more!

I'd recommend this unique book. I learned a lot and because I tend to be a tactile learner I'm looking forward to adding prayer beads to my prayer life. Prayer beads will be a new tool that I'm guessing will help me focus during prayer and meditation.

The bonus of this book are the quotes sprinkled throughout. I'll sign off with this one that touched me:

As it is the business of tailors to make clothes,

and the business of cobblers to mend shoes, 

so it is the business of Christians to pray!

-Martin Luther

Is Your Stole a Yoke?

Riding for Ride Solar

Did you ever have one of those weeks when you came across something repeatedly but in different formats? That happened to me lately with the word 'yoke'. First, I had the pleasure of attending a benefit ride that my son and his college roommate were in to raise funds for solar panels to be installed in a village in Haiti. The event was an hour from campus so it was a treat to have the time to get caught up while in the car taking the boys back to school. I don't know how we got talking about it, but my son started explaining Carrot Top Studio to his roommate. The roommate is a fine man of God who worships faithfully but in a setting where the ministry leaders do not wear stoles. So I added that those in ministry wear stoles as a symbol of leadership and the yoke of Christ that is taken on at ordination. This points back to the scripture:

Come unto me,

all ye that labor and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me;

for I am meek and lowly in heart: 

and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Matthew 11: 28-30

And this fine young man quickly wondered, "then why don't they just wear yokes?" We all got a chuckle out of this as we individually conjured up Far Side cartoon images of pastors wearing the type of yoke that an animal does.

Find this on eBay this week!

Then, my yogi, before last week's practice, was sharing that the word yoga derives from sanskrit which literally means yoking or he yokes. This is akin to the Latin word jungere to join. There it is again....to join. Leaders in worship have joined in by saying that they will be slaves to Christ. In this thought string it is also interesting to note that the stole is reportedly the work-cloth that slaves wore around their necks.

Lastly, a recent devotional reading referenced Matthew 11:28. In the inspirational commentary the author told of seeing a farmer and his yoked oxen walking together....harmoniously. This was likened to God fitting us with a yoke equal only to our tasks and that he will always be walking alongside us.

When you go to 'stole up' for your next worship service maybe you will pause and think about why you wear the stole. In the studio as we design, stitch and ship we will be praying for you as you have answered the call to wear the yoke.