Studio Letter No. 007
Thoughts on agriculture & gardening, experiments with discarded kitchen linens, and raspberry jam <3
The past couple of weeks have been simultaneously slower paced and yet still so busy. I’ve had much more time at home, more time with my son, more time in the garden and a bit more time in the kitchen as well.
These slower rhythms have brought a lot of inspiration, a little more time to “play” and has allowed me to gain some grounding in the activities that are often illuminating for those with strong Cancer placements.
As a person with a Moon and Rising sign in Cancer, the past Zodiacal season in Cancer was an intense one…but we’re now in a new zodiacal season (Leo season) and I’m finally feeling a bit of reprieve from the intensity of this most recent Mercury retrograde and retroshade season.
If you’re someone who does not follow astrology, I will always be a gentle force that supports you in investigating it deeper. Of course, everyone gravitates towards their own belief systems in terms of having a guiding post for how to move through the world.
For me, astrology is a huge part of my practice; spiritually, creatively, and socially. It’s something I use to understand the universe we live in and the ways that our cosmic ecosystem impacts us here on Earth. I’ve personally seen the ways that astrology has been extremely insightful and sometimes scarily accurate in terms of understanding just how connected we really are to the world around us.
It’s not my goal or interest to try to convince you to feel or believe the same; but I will most likely be sharing more about my astrological practice, studies, and inspiration as Studio Bri continues to evolve.
With that in mind, those with Cancer placements are often grounded in work that allows you to lose yourself in the act of making.
Woodworking, moulding clay, cooking, and gardening….these are just a few of the activities that tend to provide heightened grounding for those with Cancer placements. For years, I had no idea that this was the reality, so it’s funny that I’ve increasingly found myself drawn to adding wood, clay, and more earthly materials into the studio as of late.
So, let’s get into some of what’s been happening in the realm of Studio Bri the past couple of weeks.
An Everyday Object..
In my last studio letter, I shared some of the beginning explorations of making simple tote bags from thrifted kitchen linens. I sourced a lot of secondhand placemats and after a deep cycle of cleaning, sanitizing, and pressing the mats…I was finally able to spend some time playing around with making the totes.
The totes are constructed with wood handles and follow the natural shape of the placemats, so they feel very angular and have a very intimate feel due to their sizing. Interestingly enough, due to the fact that most placemats are in fact woven; these totes end up feeling very sculptural and in my mind, can exist on their own as fiber art or weavings.
I absolutely love tote bags and am constantly using a cotton tote to lug around items between the studio and my personal life. For me, a handbag or shoulder bag is always a great way to add a bit of personality to a wardrobe.
I’ll be honest in saying that I rarely wear a full considered outfit these days, especially since clothing my vintage shop. Between navigating llife with a toddler, dressing for my nearly daily activities of biking, running, or long walks, and the practicalities of needing to wear clothes I can get dirty to the studio….I’m rarely in a full outfit that feels fun or stylish. So, my purses and/or bags have been the one space where I add a bit of personality these days.
Detail shot of a placemat tote with wooden handles.
I’ve started out constructing the rectangular placemats, but I’ll be working on some of the circular ones and can share more about those tests in the next studio letter.
I’m not sure if I will list these yet, I think it will depend on interest. But I am currently planning the first 3 capsules, which will be released this fall so I am excited to share some of these updates soon! If you are interested in a placemat tote, feel free to send me an email so I can get one to you if you’re interested.
A garden in bloom…
I’ve been documenting some of the tomato growth in the greenhouse, which has been especially exciting. There’s something about being reminded about the cycles of life in all of its forms. As my son nears two years old, I’m reminded of how transformative it was to witness the evolution of his life, and now he’s entering a completely new stage of his own development and it’s so exciting to witness.
Similarly, it’s been exciting to see this same evolution in my garden. I began cultivating the seeds for the tomatoes in late March. The growing season is relatively short here in Michigan, so I started quite a bit of seeds indoors and then transplanted them outside. Many of the tomatoes began to flower and from those flowers, there are now tomatoes growing.
One of the things I love about growing food is that you are reminded of just how far humanity has evolved. I mean, let’s just reflect on how much society expanded as a result of moving from a hunter gatherer society to one rooted in agriculture and the ways that completely shifted the ways we organize as human beings.
Outside of this reality, it’s also so important to see the true length of time it takes to grow something during a time when so many of us are removed from the reality of how food is cultivated.
How lucky are we to be children of this planet? We were provided everything we need, starting with seeds and soil that translate sunlight into food. And in this land of abundance, there is still so much inequity and food insecurity across the globe. I wonder how much more gracious we would be to ourselves and to each other, if we all sustained a practice of growing something. What would change for you, if we were always reminded of what it takes to have a plate full of food. How many invisible hands have we forgotten to thank?
This is my first season growing food since I moved back to Michigan after a brief year in Kansas City, Missouri. In that time, even I’ve found myself forgetting about just how important our food systems are and how not needing to think about how food is grown means that you often don’t think about it at all.
I don’t mean that I haven’t struggled with food insecurity in my life, but more so that when you aren’t seeing the days, weeks, and months pass by before the seed you planted turns into a large enough harvest to feed yourself….it’s easy to forget just how valuable our agricultural system is and in turn, the farmers and laborers who keep it all going.
Anyhoo, I think about all of this when I look at my tomatoes growing. How have you practiced food gratitude lately? Perhaps you might consider growing an herb on your kitchen counter. Even though it might seem simple, it’s a great way to be reminded of just how much needs tending to in order for it to thrive.
In the kitchen….
Nearly every week, I make myself a raspberry jam. One of my favorite local diners has a raspberry jam and it is one of my favorite things in the world to eat. I have no idea why. I’ve never been one for jams as my palette is partial to the savory side of life and as I get older, I enjoy sweets less and less. So when I first went to this diner years ago and was given raspberry jam with my toast, I was shocked by how much I loved it.
The main reason it captured my heart (and my tastebuds) is because it was tart! Raspberries can be pretty tart but most jam recipes are loaded with sugar to sweeten the taste, as well as extending the shelf life. But I don’t always want such intense sweet flavors, so after finding a raspberry jam that wasn’t sweet, I was hooked.
The diner doesn’t sell the jam, they don’t let you take it home, and they only give you about a ½ tablespoon to spread on your toast. Needless to say, I spent a long time working on my ratios at home, in order to try and recreate it. This is something I do often. Whenever I try something at a restaurant or cafe that I love, I will often conduct my own experiments in the kitchen to try to recreate it or to adjust it to my own palette. It’s created some of my best recipes over the years. This is just one of them.
This recipe won’t be a traditional format. Once I get something down right, I tend to reply on my memory and my taste buds to get it right, so I will suggest you do the same here. My palette will rest somewhere slightly different than yours. This is a general guide, but please adjust to your taste.
This recipe does not include pectin, so be sure to refrigerate it and discard (hopefully into the compost) after about two weeks. It never lasts me that long anyway!
Pectin-free Raspberry Jam
Ingredients
4 standard cases of raspberries (roughly 4 cups of raspberries)
sugar to taste
lemon juice
Instructions
Rinse your raspberries and remove any leaves or bugs (little creatures in your fruits and veggies is often a good sign that few pesticides were used)
Heat up a medium sized pot on medium heat
Add raspberries and allow to cook down, while stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and/or burning
Raspberries will begin to release air bubbles as the jam heats up, please be careful not to burn yourself. It’s helpful to cover it with a splatter screen to minimize burns.
Mix in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix in lemon juice, 1 tablespoon at a time. Alternate between sugar and lemon until desired taste is achieved. Depending on the sweetness of the raspberries, I normally use half to a whole lemon and about 1.5 tablespoons of sugar.
Once you scrape the bottom of the pot with your spoon (preferably wooden) and a clear line is visible on the bottom of the pot, your jam is finally ready. If you stir the jam and still can’t see the bottom of the pan, it still needs more time.
Once done, remove from heat and allow the pot to cool for about 10-15 minutes.
Fill jam jars and allow them to fully cool before covering the jars and place in the fridge. The jam will keep fresh for up to 2 weeks.
Music On Repeat This Week
(In No Particular Order):
Reflecting Everything by Mapache
Rain in July by Qendresa
Bluebird by Beach House
Like We Used To by The Silhouettes Project
Trip to Japan by The Shacks
What I’m Reading This Week:
This week I’ve been spending some time with Hand Dyed Designs: A Guide to Dyeing Textiles with Plants by Katie Ellen Wilkins. It’s been a while since I’ve done any natural dyes aside from coffee and tea, so I’ve been needing to brush up on things before I get started on an upcoming project. Spoiler alert, it will be a natural dye project!
I love reading works by other creatives, especially those who have gotten very good at specific things. I love listening to the experts and as someone that dabbles in many things….there is never enough time in my mind to deep dive into all of the things I find interesting…so I leave that work to other people and credit them when I become a student of their mind!
There are always things you don’t know, can do differently, or need to be reminded of. This is a great book for all of those things, and one I recommend if you are interested in ways that you can use your kitchen waste to dye different items you might have laying around.
That’s all for this week’s studio letter. I hope you’re well and I’m looking forward to writing to you again next week :)
~Akea <3
