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‘a little bird told me….’

July 17, 2009 in Wren by wendren | 1 comment

The other day I wrote about the ‘Wren, The King of animals’ folk story but here is another one filled with symbolism and traditions….

The Druid and the wren have always been closely related. In Ireland the wren was called a Drui-en, or Druid bird; in Welsh the word Dryw signifies both a druid and a wren.

The Druid’s house is often referred to as the wren’s nest – a place of comfort and safety for another important symbol in druidry is the egg. The Druid’s Egg articulates the idea that in order to grow and change there is required periods of incubation – withdrawing from the world to allow the opportunity to reform in the womb of time. The wren’s nest was said to be protected by lightning. Whoever tried to steal wren’s eggs or baby wrens would find their house struck by lightning and their hands would shrivel up.

There is a tradition that like most old rituals has a slightly mean and not-so-nice angle, of wren hunting. The Wren Day (one of Ireland’s public holidays) is also called St. Stephens Day and is celebrated on the 26th of December. It started when apprentice Druids would go out by themselves into the countryside in search of hidden wisdom. It is quite difficult to actually see a wren and if he found one he would take that as a sign that he would be blessed with inner knowledge in the coming year because it is said that a wren symbolizes wisdom (see story). Finding a creature small and elusive to the point of invisibility was a metaphor for finding the elusive divinity within all life.

This is where some say that the saying ‘a little bird once told me…‘ come from. Isn’t that delightful!

References: Drui-en (geocities), Winter wren (wiki).

The Moth and it’s Cocoon

February 6, 2009 in Inspiration by wendren | 4 comments

This cocoon was outside my front door (pic below) and I never paid much attention to it. Often you see cocoons and you never actually expect to ever see the moth or butterfly that breaks out. This time I was lucky becuase as I entered my flat, there he sat on top of his cocoon.

moth

Isn’t it funny how we find butterflies beautiful and moths dull when it’s moths that spin the most beautiful thing of all – silk. However, I still find this moth beautiful. It’s innocence to the world is so clear as it sat frozen absorbing it’s first rays of sunlight.

moth-1

I also found this lovely story about a moth and the cocoon:

A man found a cocoon of an emperor moth. He took it home, so that he could watch the moth come out of the cocoon. One day, a small opening appeared, and he sat still, watching for several hours, as the moth struggled to force its body through the little hole. Then, it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared, as if, it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. It seemed to be stuck. Then, the man in his kindness, decided to help the moth.

So, he took a pair of scissors, and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The moth then emerged easily. But, it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the moth, because he expected, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the little moth spent the rest of its life, crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was, the restricting cocoon and the struggle, required for the moth to get through the tiny opening, were God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the moth, into its wings, so it would be ready for flight, once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. Freedom and flight would only come after the struggle. By depriving the moth of a struggle, the man deprived the moth of health.

The Design Process

September 25, 2008 in Conversational by wendren | 3 comments

It is almost impossible to not realise that the method and process of designing has grown in importance over the last few years. We all want to know the ‘story’ about a design and how it came to be etc.

I love stories: love telling them and reading them. To me, they are part of the design, part of the product BUT there is an interesting flip-side to this coin and Jessica Helfand (editor and author of the blog Design Observer) made me realise it and notice it.

At young design institutes the danger of this empahsis of ‘the process’ or ’story’ is very clear. The designer’s name might as well be written in black marker all over his/her work because his/her life experiences are highly reflective in his/her work. The process of design has been glorified and proclaimed as ‘the design’. This is no longer objective and yet it is presented as such. Jessica Helfand puts it very well: “The design student, after considering so deeply the intangible forces framing the interpretation of visual form, comes to believe that the very act of interpretation is itself form”. She asks “…when did the mirror of autobiography become our canvas, our public lens to the world?”.

I agree with Jessica Helfand. The method of design, the process and the story is important, but it is not more important than the design and should not be misunderstood to be the design. The design should speak and be able to stand alone. The process or story is simply the designer’s journey and yes, the trend is to know the ‘story’ behind the design, but it is only after the world has noticed the design do they start asking and inquiring about you, your story and your design process.

So understanding this, I will continue to tell my story, the story of a product and show the process of the design because I think it is important and interesting. However, the intention is not to make the process the design but to rather offer insight into it. The process is the shadow to the design and not the design itself.

What’s in a name?

August 28, 2008 in Conversational, Me, Wren by wendren | 4 comments

I always find names interesting. People’s names, names of places, business names, brands, logo’s…..they are, in one way, a sum-up of something in a few syllables. Take for example my name, Wendren. It is highly unusual, quite unique and is elect. It is has grown on me and in a way, I think I’ve become my name. How many of you feel this way? That without your name you might not be the same person?

An interesting story about names is by danah michele boyd. Born: ‘Danah Michele Mattas’ she wanted to change it. For various reasons that if you would like to know, read her article but what I found most interesting was her deliberate exclusion of capitals. She has chosen to not use capitals in her name becuase it looks visually more balanced (danah instead of Danah) and because she did not want to be self-righteous which is is really what capitals do – emphasize the importance of a word. This led her to ask “why do we not capitalize ‘we’ or ‘they’ but ‘I’?”. Strangely enough, ‘I’ is not meant to be capitalized at all! How this happened was that over the years we started writing more about ‘ourselves’ and starting more and more sentences with ‘i’ and so referring to yourself with a capital ‘I’ stuck.

What is most interesting about danah’s story is how she has made her name her brand not only verbally but visually. It is what frames her and is this not what a company’s name or brand image is about?

This quest to find out what’s in a name led me to a really interesting blog post by David Donde called ‘Choosing a name for a company’. He argues that what a name or brand stands for often does not last as long as the name does. The NAME is what you remember, not what it means.

Take for example Vida e’ Cafe. It means ‘Life & Coffee’. I did not know this. I only know ‘Vida’. It is interesting how we shorten the name down to it’s very core and forget or discard it’s link or meaning. This kind of trend/movement is important to note if you are in the process of naming.

Often I am asked about my name and my story is short: both my parents are teachers, they taught a girl name Wendren and liked it, so I got it. Ironically enough I now live in the same city as that Wendren and by pure coincidence, go to the same hairdresser – but I have never met her in person. It is great to have such a unique name but using it to leave a message for somebody is a pain. I hate shortening it as it is not who I am or know myself as but in these circumstances, I do.

So, what’s the story with Wren? It hardly has anything to do with my name: Wendren although the link is hard to miss. I first drew a little bird (the Wren Avatar) and wanted a name for my business and brand. Going through small bird names Jeremy suggested the little Wren bird. ‘Wren’ felt so fitting and it was decided in an instant. My name (Wendren) did not come before Wren as any inspiration. It was simply a perfect fit.

So…in conculsion I think there is a lot to a name and you have to decide what all that name is going to be, for the right reasons and be aware of what it means to who. If you are naming a company now, know that only a word or two will stick and a full sentence is possibly waste of time and adds to your billboard printing cost…but then again, perhaps in 5 years time this will all change…and in that case, make sure your name is flexbile or adaptable. Names are important and can be everything!

What is the ‘value’ of handmade?

June 30, 2008 in Conversational by wendren | 10 comments

I recently read a forum post on pricing handmade goods and started wondering “why should a person buy handmade?” You could say it is because handmade is:

- Unique and/or individual

- Well-made and/or high quality

- A high level of innovation

- Fair labour practices

- Traditional skills are used

However, I disagree that these are good enough reasons. Go and wander through top-end shops and you will find products that match all of these criteria.

I think that the main motivation that people buy handmade goods is for the story. But be careful because you can find a story in exclusive boutiques too. You can go shopping with a friend and talk about how elegantly the items are layed out, what the packaging is like, how you decided on your purchase…that is a story too. However, what is the ‘value’ behind the story? This is where I feel handmade wins hands-down.

When you decide to buy handmade you are a part of the whole story and not just a consumer, a number on a sales chart. For example: You walk along the street and you see a man carving a wooden sculpture. You stop and watch him in amazement. You see that in front of him are a few pieces for sale. You buy one of these. Why? Because when you get back home you have a story that is more precious to you than anything you could ‘buy’: you met the man himself, you saw him carve, you have an experience and this sculpture, the one you bought, reminds you of this precious moment.

That is why you buy handmade. You know the maker and the story behind your product. You know where it came from and you were a part of that. Your story does not begin after you have purchased the product.

The story of handmade has value.