We were lucky to catch up with Rosemary Jones recently and have shared our conversation below.
Rosemary, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
Learning how to sew has been rich in its lessons and metaphors; sewing was a craft I always admired, but did not have the luxury of time to sit and learn its tricks and tools. In 2020, what we would soon know to soon be a pandemic closed our doors and windows, forcing us to sit still. Although its devastation still lingers, if it weren’t for this global stand-still I wouldn’t have given myself the time to pick up sewing. Whilst it was unsettling, the new normal to sink into, I feel as if this time created the space for many to pick up hobbies, tools, ways of knowing they never believed they could. During this time we shared the resources of the internet to pick one another up. If it wasn’t for the vast resources of the internet, I would not have been able to teach myself to sew. Now, don’t get me wrong- it was frustrating not having these resources be face to face with me or able to respond back when I asked questions. Learning to sew the way I did was unique, and although it was challenging at times, I would not take the pace or level of understanding it required. Sewing was an activation of all senses, as well as watching the 2D bridge into the 3D. You have a concept, be it a vision in the mind or a vision on paper. You then select the materials for this vision, feeling its life forming. While piecing it together, you hear it come to life. At its final stage, the finished creation then is a life of its own! If that isn’t magic- I’m not sure what is.
Taking the lessons from that time period, what is integrated to me now is the understanding that it truly takes a village. Learning a craft/hobby/skill implies the notion that we will not be “perfect” when first applying the tools. With this knowing, this means we MUST humble ourselves and ask for the help that is around us. The quicker we fuse this, the more we will be able to learn on any topic, any skill. We do not have to do the work alone.
Rosemary, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Rosemary Jones and I am the founder/powerhouse of Pink Plaid Collective and Safe Place Creation. At their roots, both outlets are inspired under the name of circulation.
Pink Plaid Collective, coined in 2019, specializes in one of one circulated creations. These creations tend to take the mediums of clothing, accessories, home goods, and just overall eclectic expression. Always being drawn to the sacred unsaid that clothing brings, Pink Plaid originated as reselling one of one vintage/secondhand items. In 2020, I was able to develop the craft of sewing and furthermore bring my own one of one creations into the world, from vintage/secondhand items. Pink Plaid has had the pleasure to host (almost) 10 fashion shows, 200+ pop up shops/vending markets, 1 creative workshop, and 10+ collaborations, all under the name of circulation. Pink Plaid also serves as a drop-off for locals to donate materials / fabrics / materials to be given a new life. All of Pink Plaid’s items are either hand sewn, hand dyed with environmentally friendly materials, or hand drawn/ hand painted, all items being one of one. A beautiful takeaway I have with Pink Plaid’s creations is the sacred act of taking a piece, seeing it free from judgment, because its life is about to completely change. Taking that piece and thus giving it a new life. The pieces I make inspire me within my own life to constantly transform and evolve.
Safe Place Creation, also stemming from circulation, blends the worlds of creativity and community. Since I was young, community is always something I have craved deep within my being. The town I grew up in pretty small and at times felt very isolating and lonely. Fast forward to now, as I reside in the same town, it is the reminder that community is where you create it. By being true to ourselves, our passions, the ways in which we are unique, by rooting to this honesty- this is when this community finds us. Seamlessly, at that. Safe Place was coined in 2022, at a time when it was needed most. Safe Place takes us out of our monotonous, mundane days and asks us the greater question, “Who are you?” “What is it that you wish to share with the world?” “What does this look like?” When we tune into these truths, is the time when we are able to give the most to our collective. Safe Place provides a haven to root strongly from our gifts- whether this be being a teacher/leader for our public, performance/entertainment, whatever the art may be. It is a place where we can bounce off each other creatively, creating the bigger picture together. A beautiful takeaway from the building of Safe Place is seeing what a domino effect it is when we show up for ourselves, when we show up together. We need each other!
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I’d have to say that the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the alchemy that takes place, each and every single time. I am a strong proponent that creativity is alive and well within all of us, just taking different forms. To create is simply to bring, to birth into this moment. Therefore, where does creativity stop? Problem solving, innovation, strategies- all of these are strands of creativity, for they all require going deep within the mind and sourcing an alternative that is not already present within this reality. So, with this being said, confidently the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the alchemy within. The inspiration that creativity is life itself- it is fertility, its arrival brings forth a new direction of thinking, being, of doing entirely. Harnessing within my creativity reminds me of the miracle that I am even alive, cognizant. Additionally, creativity itself is a wonder. Specifically within the work that I do, the teachings are potent. Taking fabrics or full ensembles just to give them an entirely different purpose, utilization, and overall aesthetic is mind blowing to me. Just as the alchemy of diamonds takes place deep, deep within our soil and its minerals, I believe this same alchemy takes place when harnessing creativity.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
Something that I think non-creatives will struggle to understand about my journey as a creative is to balance the relationship between quantitative’s and qualitative’s. We live in a world that relies heavily on our processing of quantitative’s. Our compensation of time/energy/work is given to us in quantitative’s and our age / time here on earth and how we relate to the world around us is measured in quantitative’s, just to name a few. When we measure quantitatively , we are posing ourselves with a black and white reality. Now, this is needed, most definitely, but when you only operate in these extremes and surface level point’s of information, where does the in between lie? The qualitative has brought abundance in its teachings within my creative journey. Whereas societal norms would creep in when creating, whispering in my ears things such as, “You need x amount of product”, “You can make up to x amount off of this” , “This needs _, then it will be complete”. While creating, I had to remove myself away from these
“points” of information as I like to call them. Yes, there is a time and place where these are necessary and needed, but personally speaking it would disrupt my work, ultimately disrupting the direction my creations were going. Not out of the pure bliss of creating to create (creating qualitatively); but creating to consume /please by creating quantitatively. Understanding to appreciate both of these elements and how to work with them will forever be part of a creative’s journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pinkplaidcollective.com
- Instagram: @pinkplaidcollective
Image Credits
1/8: @sixomo on instagram 2/8:@tanner.jones.photos on instagram 4/8: @stvnisdead on instagram 5/8: @artartsania on instagram 6/8: @stamp.in.time.photography.llc on instagram 7/8: @thereoncewasadiary on instagram