Team Blog Post – Jaelyn Jones for Swallowing Clouds

BLOG # 1

Working with children in various capacities over the past few months has given me a desire to reconnect with my childhood identity. When I think back, I remember moments and memories of my childhood, but I have a hard time recalling my sense of self at the time. I’ve convinced myself that if I could construct a perfectly accurate image of what I was like, or if I could just hang out with little Jae for an afternoon, I would unlock the secrets of who I am now. 

Identity Swim: The Tiny Tide Inside

Identity is the negative space between the things I say without thinking and the things I think without saying

It is a picture made of floating objects, swept up by the wind 

It is mythical…

And it is Illogical, and it is irrelevant, and it is I

A tiny tide inside an abysmal ancient amalgam-ous ocean 

The thing I wish I could do most with little Jae is to make art with her. I want access to her ideas, curiosities, emotions, sense of play, and wonder. I feel so lucky that in working as a SCAF I get to interact with the imaginative minds of children, reconnecting with my creative inner child in the process. When I get to work with all the thoughtful, artistic, exceptional, brilliant, expressive, and kind kids who come to Swallowing Clouds, I imagine that little Jae would adore a program like this. For her, I will forever follow the tiny tide inside that has continued to draw me towards art making, from childhood into adulthood over and over and over again.

BLOG #2

Consider a score for movement: 

loop, push, hook, pull through, loop, pull through, repeat.

loop, push, hook, pull through, loop, pull through.

pause, unwind

double loop, push, hook, slip, pull through.

turn

loop, push, hook, pull through, loop, pull through.

pause, untangle

loop, pull through, repeat

loop, pull through, repeat

loop, pull through… pull through… pull through

Whether this score is for the movement of a body or a crochet hook, I hope to allow the process of fulfilling the pattern to be as exciting as completing the piece/garment. Learning to value the process of creation takes practice, but is ultimately the most meaningful part of it all.