sometimes you just have to stop thinking for a bit and let life follow its course, hang on to the belief that (like in the movies) things will eventually be ok in the end. good coffee helps making dreary days better – and thankfully, berlin has exceptional coffee. :)
it’s been a rough week, but we’re trying to keep our cool and see the good side of it. indeed, not all is bad. we recently did an interview for a tv channel here in germany, which was broadcasted yesterday. we’ve managed to dodge the cameras for 7 years (and i don’t think it’s an experience we’re eager to repeat any time soon…) but somehow, i think it turned out ok. :)
you can see it here, for a few more days at least.
so, on my second time at stempel-medina earlier this year, i wanted to do something with postcards. it’s the perfect format for a small project, and being that i am immersed in them everyday, i thought they might be useful. i had a huge amount of gifted stamps at hand, many of which were art-related, but i wasn’t sure how to use them… until i saw these tourist rubber stamps. i grabbed them, and got to work on these little museum scenes:
i rubber stamped the little guys, watercolored them, and then used my super sharp scissors to painstakingly cut their shapes. then, i assembled them in the little scenes, adding the stamps and some background paper. it took way too long, but i quite like the results. :)
twice a year, in a quiet isolated hostel in the middle of germany, a group of 50 women comes together for a long weekend. they drive in from all over the country and have been doing this pilgrimage for years, way before internet and facebook-organized events. some heard about it on local shops, others through ads posted on newspapers… they responded to the initial call and just kept coming back. in their daily life, they quietly nurture their common passion on the side of their jobs and family life. but on these special weekends, they load their car trunks to the brim with all sorts of magical tools and drive here, for uninterrupted me-time with their hobby. they’re passionate rubber stampers.
i received an invitation from the meeting organizer earlier this year, and have attended two of these events now. on the first one i was stumped… so baffled in fact that, despite being familiar with the concept of stamping, i did not touch a single rubber stamp the whole weekend. instead, my mind reeled with questions… who were these people? and what universe was this, filled with speciality inkpads and ink sprays, textured paper, calligraphy nibs, embossing tools and sharp scissors that cut through glue without getting ruined? my mind was overwhelmed, as if i had stepped into a different world altogether, one i knew nothing about. i felt like richard discovering london below for the first time.
they welcomed me, the stranger with bulging eyes and raised eyebrows, and told me it was normal, and that i would come back someday. sure enough, a few months later, i was packing my own suitcase with my meagre stamping possessions and taking the train down to bielefeld. this time, i came prepared – i had questions, ideas, and a better grasp of the german language. and so we stamped, we talked, we crafted, we laughed. i’ve learned a thing or two about rubber stamping, but especially about how life is about these smaller moments when you get out of your comfort zone and embrace mysterious new worlds. now, i guess i’m a rubber stamper myself :)
