The lazy doll maker
Who am I?
This is a question I ask myself a lot. The short answer is - I have no real idea. But philosophical and rhetorical questions aside, I'm Barbara - a doll maker, living in a tiny off-grid house in the English countryside, surrounded by open sky, fields (with cows) and a smattering of hedgerows and trees. Bliss really. A huge change from a previous busy existence surrounded by people and a long 'things to do' list.
I do other things too - I just don't list them...much (ok, some habits are hard to break. But, the lists are much smaller and I ignore them a lot of the time).
I'm a passionate genealogist and love researching family trees. Part nerdy researcher and part eccentric creative. A combination that came in very useful when I was busy writing strange plays, directing said plays and designing weird costumes whenever I could.
The theatre connection
I have loved theatre and storytelling ever since I can remember. Storytelling is the lifeblood of our existence - it's how we download the information we need about 'life' in order to enlighten/inform/confuse ourselves. Without stories, we have no maps to guide us. Being involved in theatre allowed my creativity to flourish. My plays were all about dreams, storytelling and creating life anew. You can peruse some of them on my PLAYS page. Magical, creative days.
Then there were the years of running a costume hire company, as well as all the other theatrical activities. Messy rooms, full of fabric, trim, beads, boas and many other wonderful adornments, are, however, a thing of the past. These days, living tiny, I can't do 'messy rooms' any more, but I still have smaller quantities of everything (how appropriate).
I used to love creating puppets and props - the stranger the better. My dolls are definitely not at the 'really strange' end of the spectrum, but they are all unique. Maybe they'll get stranger as I embrace the art of doll making more.
And now?
Well, I'm at the latter end of life - in theory at least. I have no thoughts about growing old(er) - I'm fairly sure it won't really happen if I keep daydreaming, researching and creating. Life is peaceful and there is no urgency in my world. I'm entirely blaming my relaxed approach to doll making on this fact. My 7-year-old granddaughter looked through my dolls-in-progress box the other day and helpfully and gently suggested that maybe I should finish them... She's not wrong.
Btw... 'Offbeat' was the name of my theatre company, years ago. The name has followed me around ever since - hence 'Offbeat Art Dolls'.
"Just as the dark place in the wings of a theatre stage represents a liminal space, a doll can represent a magical and possibly even spooky side to human being-ness"
The Lazy Doll Maker