What a Crazy 2 years it has been...

Well, Covid took the world by surprise. Not that it should have surprised us all, as it was just a matter of time. Back in University in the USA, (too long ago to want to tell), I was studying Biology, (yes, I wanted to be a biologist specialised in animal behaviour...) and we were given access to a computer lab with Macintosh Computers, the grandfather of Apple computers. We could gain 2 credits by simply playing a computer simulation game called Sim Earth, by which we could alter temperature, I think rainfall, and the angle of inclination of the earth with respect to the sun. Sounds easy, right? So I thought! Dr. Kritsky, my wonderful biology professor, warned us that it could take us by surprise, but of course none of us thought a silly little game would take us on.

So, at the beginning, I would just appear and disappear to the lab, move temperature a couple of degrees here and there, change the angle of the earth by a few degrees and on my way I went to do other things. Next time I would make an appearance at the lab, to my shock horror, my world had wild fires, new deserts, islands disappeared, wars all over the place and killer pandemics wiping out entire populations... it was dire. It made me stay longer each time in the lab, altering things by decimal points instead of whole amounts and I was even dreaming with this little world of mine, praying that it would be sustainable and survive. I don't think I killed it in the end, but I didn't make it a wonderful paradise either. The aim was to make it 'survive', and that I did.

Now, 30 years later, we have all of the above in one degree or another. My mind wonders if we might be the 'play world' of some young university student in another dimension... I now talk to my children about recycling, sustainable living, I try and teach them about how to grow their own food (this one is not very popular as it's easier to go to the shop!). I tell them that my generation as a whole had a linear existence... buy-use-throw away-buy new again, not caring about what is left behind or more importantly, how it affects other living creatures or the environment for present and future generations. Due to this disregard of where all our products and behaviours end up, their generation will have to learn to live in a circular existence, where one uses everything as much as possible, it gets fixed, recycled... so there is no trace left behind. As much as technology is advancing, so has the need to stop creating more waste and destruction for our future generations.

And this is something that will have to de done at every level, from the most powerful and 'advanced' nations to the smallest; from the mega corporations to the smallest businesses and independent traders; from the richest people to the poorest, we all have to do our bit, each one of us a grain in a giant sand dune.

I am no saint, but I do try to recycle, to not buy plastic and reuse what plastic I have (I have a 'plastic and glass jars cupboard'); to give to local charities as much as possible instead of throwing away; to purchase usable items from local charities if I can; to grow the food I can without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilisers; to not waste food, water or electricity, waste is the killer. I am now exploring in more depth making my own detergents with natural leaves and things like washing soda that apparently the environment can cope with, etc. I am still learning. A step at a time. Sometimes my kitchen looks and smells like a witch's den, but hopefully it'll be worth it. Not wasting anything is key, be it paper, water, energy, time... I try to just not waste.

And with my work, I have a well insulated studio so I only have a small electric heater running on minimum, just enough to take the chill out; I don't use hot water; I only turn on machines when I know I will need them; I store my used pickle (the acid bath used to clean silver after soldering) until I find a responsible and efficient way to dispose of it so it doesn't contaminate the waterways or environment (been researching quite a bit on that and there are many, many opinions on the matter). I try and recycle my own silver instead of buying new; and I try to make my work pretty solid so it lasts. It might be easier and more financially rewarding if I made a design and sent it away to have it cast and produced by the thousands and sold off online with a huge marketing campaign. But that's not me. I like the connection with the customer and with the piece, the fact that it means something, that it is appreciated and loved as much as I loved making it. And that it is special. Generic, machine made products don't offer that connection, at least to me. They move other cog wheels, of course, generate employment, lower prices, etc. But at what cost in the end? I am simply a grain of sand in a giant sand dune.

And the world and its economy has to keep turning, or so we are told; we have to keep doing what we do but maybe we will find new and better ways to do things. A new spanner has been thrown at us with this pandemic, we now have to be careful who we meet and how. My 45 year old brother spent 35 days in ICU this summer; he was so sure he was going to die that he cried to his wife on the phone saying he didn't want to die, and made his will. Who would have said that would happen to the funniest, happiest chap in town? He is a genius property lawyer in Spain, with a great sense of humour and one of the nicest guys I know. I am bias, of course. He's a great guy and he didn't deserve it. No-one deserved it. But he was the luckiest, others weren't. Many of you reading this will have had a similar story as Covid touched us all in one way or another; it bent us all under the same bar, regardless of our nationality, looks or social status. But life goes on and we must carry on. I couldn't find comfort in my studio, so I started making masks and scrubs. I had to do something to help using my crafty skills.

And how do I finish this blog? i don't know.. Maybe just wishing you health, hapiness and peace...hoping that Covid hasn't affected you in any way and that your lives acan all go forward as best as possible.

Have a peaceful Christmas,

x Aida