When my dear friend and writer for this magazine, Julieta Gomez-Frittelli, told me I had ‘effective chaos’ vibes, I couldn’t help but laugh and agree. I am effective—chaotically. So it sometimes comes as a surprise to new acquaintances that one of my favorite ways to wind down is perhaps one of the least chaotic activities one can engage in outside of outright meditation: crochet. When the world around me feels out of control, I retreat to that ancient art. As I pull up the yarn, each strand grazing the spaces between my fingers, every knot falls into line, creating something neat and orderly from a tumult of fiber. When there are no more knots to tether, something new and beautiful exists where before there was only string; usually a gift for someone I love. With crochet, I take uncertainty and disorder into my hands and turn them into warmth and care.
When I think of the creatives featured in this edition of I, Enheduanna, I think of how they, too, use their hands to bring comfort and beauty for all of us to witness. I think of Xhanthi delicately painting the eye makeup onto a tiny 3D printed cameo, of PeeMonster listening to the scratch of her graphite pencils as she brings her private world into our shared reality. I think of Kiraz of Book with a Cherry on Top placing her kindle into position to take a photo that will introduce her followers to a new cast of characters and their stories. Others, like poet Georgie Brooke, write about the influence of touch on our emotions. Beth of Cactus and Clay Ceramics crafts pieces which will be felt and enjoyed by her customers as they sip their favorite drink from her hand-shapen mugs. Each creative brings their own vision for a more beautiful reality to life and shares it through touch. In this edition, we hope you’ll be inspired to reach out and touch creativity as well. Thank you for reading!
Editor & Creative Director
Ren Riley
Assistant Editor
Rachel Robins
Writers
Ren Riley
Julieta Gomez-Frittelli
Advisory Board
Symantha Vega
@FairlyAudrey