Portrait at the Qurikancha, Temple of the Sun ☀️, in Cusco, Peru
We've been told that we need to be specialists to succeed in life and business. But this isn't true! 😬 ❌ This is the old narrative — a narrative with roots in capitalism and suppression of our full potential.
The truth is that we are multi-dimensional in nature. 🌟 🔮 🍄 🧚 🌌 💫 And while some specialization is a natural result of passion for your craft, hyper-specialization as we know it in the modern world is a by-product of the industrial revolution, from a time where people needed to work in factories 🏭 - compartmentalizing themselves and their work. The systems at large needed to people to specialize in order to assemble parts better, in order to increase profits, in order to manufacture more for less. 💸
But there is a more human way we can return to ↩ the more ancient way of our ancestors. And that path is weaving. 🧶 🌈
If you've ever had many interests, many passions, many dreams and visions - but have been told you need to choose one to succeed - read on.
I just returned from a personal pilgrimage to the Sacred Valley of Peru ⛰️, where I visited the traditional weaving town of Chinchero. Known as “Land of the Rainbow”, this historic town thrives on textile craftsmanship and local tradition.
Colorful doorways throughout the town invited me inside to explore weaving demonstrations, where I learned about the harvest of Alpaca wool, the spinning of wool into yarn, and the natural dye of yarns into vibrant colors using earth and animal pigments. 🌱 🪲 🎨
Perhaps most interesting was the weaving process itself - where Peruvian mountain women would skillfully weave their yarns into larger tapestries with precise symbolism and storytelling. “Look here”, one woman said. “This symbol represents the sun", “This symbol represents people uniting", “This symbol represents fertility.”
I reflected on this concept of weaving throughout my time in Peru. I have been a part of Spirit Weavers Gathering for the past 7+ years — and at the core of this event is the idea of women coming together from a variety of backgrounds to learn, to teach, and to craft something bigger than each of ourselves individually. There is a strong larger vision of co-creation. A vision of returning to nature and re-birthing the village.
👁️ 🌳 🌟 🤲 ☁️
What was less-obvious to me up until this point were the ways in which I incorporated weaving into my individual life path. I've known since college that I had so many interests worth pursuing. One professor in particular felt my fire and did his best to support me - saying, “You'll be able to do it all, but just not all at once.” 🔥
From there unfolded a rather squiggly 🪱 path where I pursued education and professions in fine art, business, marketing, photography, sustainability, women's empowerment, design and technology (not to mention personal endeavors) - jumping from one focus to another based on sparks of interest and opportunities available. 💥
Now that I'm re-connecting to the ways of ancestors, I see that I was always meant to do it all. Each interest has always been a unique thread that I'm slowly but surely weaving into my life's work - an artistic and utterly unique tapestry. 🧶 🧑🎨 🖼️
Each thread in my work, even seemingly un-related, is synergistic and vital - supporting a larger story i'm telling of women returning to themselves, returning to their power, and returning to Pachamama, Earth Mother, herself. 🌎
This is the power of weaving. This is the power of re-connection. 🔗
This is the way that women before me knew, and the way I'm returning to now.
If your pursuits feel un-related at times, I encourage you to reflect on the meaning of each one, and focus on weaving each of them into your larger story.
🪞 Questions for Reflection 🪞
What are your interests? ❍ What are your gifts? ❍ Who do you support physically and energetically? ❍What story are you telling through your work? ❍ What do you value the most? ❍ What is your vision for the future? ❍ How can you weave these threads together into your business tapestry? ❍ How are your elements synergistic? ❍ How can you move through life with artistry towards your masterpiece?
