giving stuff a second life
the art of traditional indigo dyeing
in this week’s newsletter: the history and art of traditional dyeing, getting crafty with old items, and (happily) turning my hands blue
dear penpals -
long time no update (and hello to the many new faces joining this penpal community)! it’s been a while but thank you for sticking around to give me time to enjoy life here in kamikatsu without feeling the need to always post on social media. it’s been nice resting from making newsletter content, but i’m so excited to share with you a new activity i did!
a while back, i was gifted a cream-coloured tote bag from a friend that i’ve been joyfully using, especially while travelling. due to it’s long use, there have been some stains and marks that a washing machine just can’t clean. since the bag is perfectly fine it feels like a waste to throw it out, but it also doesn’t feel great using a dirty bag all the time… introducing the 藍染 [a·i·zo·me] dyeing process that gives stuff a second life, as well as letting people try traditional art!
there’s a lot about the aizome history and dyeing process that i could cover in writing, but figured it would be easier to show you instead! a brief history of this traditional art + a mini vlog capturing my aizome experience!
click on the image or the link to the video here.
please click on ‘CC’ at the bottom right corner for closed captions if needed.
it’s been a humbling experience to recognize when, and with what, i lean towards throwing away items i feel i no longer need, but actually should keep. and to find ways to give them a second life for it to last longer and out of the landfill (or simply donating it to a centre and letting them deal with my ‘trash’). for my well-loved tote bag, aizome dyeing was a beautiful reminder that things can last if we not only take good care of it, but also find creative ways to make it last longer.
i loved making something with my hands and have missed this part of creativity beyond digital illustration and bullet journaling. and i’m thankful that i got the chance to try something that was unpredictable. i had no way of planning exactly how the dye would alter the fabric, nor how the design will turn out.
there was part of aizome showing me that it’s good, healing even, to let things go and enjoy the process. because more often than not, the end result is often far better than what we could have planned in the first place.
cheers to a craft that has stood the test of time for hundreds of years - i’m so glad art has and always will be a part of our lives.
This is beautiful, and thank you for the reminder to refresh rather than rebuy!
The bags look amaziiing!!! Mina, you nice, keep going :)