Iramoo Explorations
Another day of exploring and this time instead of staying on the freeway the whole way down, I jumped off at Laverton and took the back roads down to Wyndham Vale. I really wanted to check out the fringes of the city and see if it was all different or similar to around Wyndham Vale. What really struck me was the total saturation of franchise stores. Aside from a medical centre and a vet, I didn’t see a single independent store. No milk bars, nothing.
This made me really quite sad. Partly because it demonstrated just how intensely packaged and contrived corporate property developments are. But mostly because it means that there are no locals who can or want to start their own local independent business. Whether this is a result of corporate plans, council regulations or lack of economic incentive, I think it is one of the side effects of urban sprawl that should be discussed more.
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I dropped into the studio to drop off some stuff and to say Hi! to Harry. Harry is awesome, I’ll introduce you to him sometime soon.
And then I went for a wander along the creek. Aside from taking advantage of the studio space I have been given, I really want to take advantage of the natural space. As a mother of three young children it’s very rare for me to have time to myself, especially during daylight hours. And as an only child, it has been quite a struggle to get used to. So as one of the aims of my residency I want to try and walk along Lollipop Creek or the Werribee River at least once a week.
I staunchly believe that an essential part of the creative process, no matter what you do, is rambly thinking time. It’s like doodling with your brain.
Well it sounds nice in theory. When you have small kids this sort of time doesn’t happen very often. Especially when one of your children is four. And NEVER stops talking. Ever.
Virginia Woolf spoke about a woman having a room of her own. And it is absolutely true. However, I have discovered with my own craft practice that my room is often in my mind. I can have a physical space to make no problems, it’s creating the mental space that is the tricky part. So making space for a walk along the creek might seem like a trivial use of time.
After my walk today I went for a bit more of an explore of the fringes of town and I checked out the great BMX track the local kids have built. It’s clearly been used for a while and I just adored the old chair that was lovingly (don’t tell them I said that) dragged to the top of the hill. I could totally imagine the tricks you had to pull to get to sit in it.
It was a blimmin great spot to check out the plains from. Dunno if you know this but Wyndham Vale has minor cult status due to it being the set for the first of the Mad Max films. Wyndham Vale is apparently known as Mad Max Country (although I’m yet to find someone who actually calls it that). I’m sad to think this BMX track, and these gorgeous plains will be the victim of a massive new development. Hopefully the track at least lasts a while longer.
Next step was the local Salvos where I found a fantastic piece of needlework. It’s an illustrated alphabet stitched with wool on a rug canvas. It’s going to look great in the kids room. Although I reckon it might even get a stint in the lounge. I also popped in to check out the Cultural Centre and it was brilliant to meet the staff in there. I totally fell in love with these birds!
They’re peregrine falcons, a male and a female and I did ask who made them but neglected to write it down. I’ll find out. They were originally made as puppets and if you attach poles to them they can ‘fly’. Just brilliant. I love clever people.
Last stop was a detour to the Craft Circle on the off chance that it might be open and it was! I’ve heard so much about this fabulous shop from friends who frequent it. And I’ve been meaning to drop in for ages.
It was simply lovely to have some quiet time admiring all the handmade and hand dyed yarns and felts and the gorgeous range of handmade fabric and wooden toys. I had a great chat with the woman who runs the store and picked up a couple of sweet felted treats for the kids. Visiting a gorgeous local independent store, what a great antidote to the franchise fantasy I started my journey with!
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2 Responses to “Iramoo Explorations”
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Don’t tease me with mention of “found” needlework and not post a pic of the piece from Salvos!
Love how you are so very accepting of your creative process!