can you hear it?
Made Quietly started when two things converged. One, I was finally *finishing* (and selling) the leather projects I had been working on (for more years than I care to admit). Two, I received a rough diagnosis that had me planning for imminent blindness (spoiler alert: it was not nearly as dire as that). I noticed a lot of things then, and realized how much more I was listening & feeling than seeing, when it came to certain tasks. I don't know when a tool is sharp because I see it - I hear how the sound against the sharpening blade changes. I don't see when an edge is done being sanded or burnished, I feel it. I hear when I need to change out my strap cutting blade. I know by touch whether or not a piece of leather wants conditioning, and what kind. Eventually, I decided that I'd keep up leather work, for as long as I could, and that every time an opportunity presented itself for me to see less and something else more, I'd lean into that.
And here we are. I'm working quietly, enjoying the many gifts that leather work imparts - a necessary practice in patience, a meditative good time, celebrating both imperfections as well as the joy that comes with handling them in a way that ends up perfectly imperfect. I hope you enjoy my work as much as I've enjoyed the process of creating.
