Hello wonderful creative community. No material or human being is "just junk". All materials and humans have potential, value and beauty. Let me give you a little back story on why we're here and what we're doing.
First, me... I'm Eileen (@e_mcgarvey on Instagram) and I have always been a maker and a collector of "junk". I love and appreciate all materials; I love art; and I love the creative process and its power to transform. I am nourished by helping others, (especially people who don't believe in their own innate, imaginal power), discover, or rediscover, this in themselves.
I believe creativity and community are essential to our most healthy inner part of ourselves and to sustained happiness. They will be the key to holding on to our resilience and power in an increasingly isolating, throw-away world. We can save the planet and each other.
Creative community can be hard to come by, especially if we don't have a lot of time and money to spare or if our ability to socialize has become impaired. We may have told ourselves (or been told by others) that we are not creative, don't need it or can't do it. We may have convinced ourselves we are not really creative, or not creative anymore. We may tell ourselves we need more tools, materials, knowledge, etc... to be able to do what we want. Maybe we think we are "too" introverted, neurodivergent, unskilled, _______ (feel free to fill in the blank with any word your inner naysayer provides you with).
Learn... or relearn...
how to do what you can,
where you are,
with what you have
and do it with others who support you.
This vision of creative community can be realized, with your help, starting in our SE Portland neighborhood and growing outward. We are always open to all people, sharing our spaces, knowledge, materials and tools as communal makers and fixers; creative beings without regard to categories like class, race, gender, age and anything else that divides us.
We can help each other, teach each other and provide for each other in a way that raises us all up together. This is my vision and I hope it will become yours.