Season of Art in an Age of Screens

As spring begins to beam its light on us, we notice the flowers blooming, animals scurrying, people out and about just because they can be, but something else I notice is the thawing of our brains. This time of awakening allows our thoughts to slowly crawl out of the muck of winter and begin to move, move, and move. Lately, my mind keeps circling back to art. I find myself thinking about crafts, creative writing, and traveling. I have noticed this stirring in other people, too. There is a quiet rise in conversations about art as we come out of our winter hibernation, as if creativity itself is stretching back into motion.

Perhaps this blog diverges from highlighting glorious interiors, but it is good to remember that here at Stray Dog Designs, we are artists first, or at least Jane is. This brand started with a few sketches and is built on the ingenuity of artisans, people who pay attention to detail, people who have the dexterity to turn your lamp into an adorable strawberry with the utmost craftsmanship. As I think about this rebirthed love for art, I find myself wondering about you all. Is there a sudden urge in the air to be the most artsy, crafty, juggling projects person there is, all while balancing the demands of this busy time of year, or is it just me?

On my Instagram feed, I am flooded with DIY, handmade stop motions, knitting, clay making, and more. I sit there watching through my very digital blue light screen as people craft, and I find myself craving their nifty design. I think we can all notice this handmade aesthetic being implemented into our feeds, whether it is people writing on Substack or posting snippets of their sketchbooks on Instagram. We are trying so hard to turn our screens into pieces of paper without actually just using paper.

The deeper we delve into technology, the more we turn toward a desire for hand craftsmanship. So what I am really wondering is what changes we should actually make to accommodate this reversal of trend. Do we throw our phones and computers off a cliff? Surely not, despite how much we may want to. As a small business, we are completely online, selling, displaying, and sharing on digital platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, but we are also a company rooted in art. The final product delivered to your door is tangible. How do we go about our roles as both creatives and consumers?

Maybe you saw my mention of Corita Kent in the most recent Stray Dog Digs email. Corita Kent was a brilliant artist, teacher, and social justice advocate. During her time at Immaculate Heart College, she and her students came up with the Ten Rules. Rule eight really struck me: Do not try to create and analyze at the same time. They are different processes. This rule feels especially relevant now, in our very digital world, where creating and analyzing are constantly happening at once. We make something, and within seconds we can measure it, track it, compare it, and decide if it was "successful" or not. There is hardly any space between the act of making and the act of judging. Maybe that is part of what feels so exhausting. We are not just crafting; we are immediately stepping outside of ourselves to evaluate it through a screen. 

There are weeks where we are deep in strategy and analytics as a business, and sometimes we get so caught up that it feels like we have strayed far from the simple sketches on Jane’s desk. But ultimately, we have to always find our way back to the heart of it all because the selling cannot be done without the making by hand. Maybe that is the balance. Not choosing between digital and physical, but letting each have its place.

It is good to feel the changes of the seasons. This year, spring has pulled me out of my routine for a moment and is asking me what I really care about. For me right now, it is art, music, friends, and holding onto the final joys of my youth before I enter the real grown-up world. I cannot tell you exactly why I keep coming back to these conversations about art, about making, about the push and pull between living through a screen and actually living, but I am curious and opening up the conversation to how you all feel in these pivotal ages/seasons of change, too.