The Eco Indigo Creatress
When is a scarf not merely a scarf, but a silken banner of natural beauty
that has emerged from a deep collaboration
between artists and the plant world?
Every scarf created by Eco & indigo Fiber Arts is unique, from the evocative colors derived from all-natural dyes and the patterns created by nature’s gifts of leaves, fronds, petals, bark and edibles from the garden.
From her years of experience in working with fabrics and from their deep connection to the natural world, fiber artist Shiila Safer has developed a unique approach to creating scarves that reflects their desire to transform the bounties of nature into beautiful pieces of wearable art.
For Shiila, the creation of her eco-centered business has been a kind of natural evolution, as she worked to weave her experience with fabrics and plants into a way of showing and celebrating the beauty and bounty of the natural world around her.
“We’re working on several levels,” says Shiila Safer. “On the practical level we are using and teaching the processes we’ve developed. On a broader energetic level is the connection we make with the plant world.” For Shiila as well as those who attend her workshops, the process is a kind of special alchemy, in which they become open to the mystery of creativity and to the special alchemy of women joining together in the ancient practice of creating art together.
“It’s important to have a practical plan and practical experience,” says Shiila. “It’s also important to give up your connection to a specific outcome. We’re always surprised by what we find at the end of the process. And that’s something everyone can take from our workshops to life in general. Creativity in collaboration with nature becomes a healing process.”
As Shiila likes to remind us, “Mother Earth is calling us into her heart now. Let’s rejoice as we co-create beauty and healing with her!