'' Tackling perfectionism by making things that don't have to be perfect. Either for my different 'voices'. The act of making things with my hands could mend my anxiety.''

'A gift to my inner voices'

The meaning behind it

At first I didn't really know what to do for this project, which subject to choose. Many things felt too personal or not good enough. I noticed that I was getting very anxious, and the little voice inside my head said ' You can't do it, your not good enough'. Realising this, I decided to mend these different voices I have when I want to do things. I tried to divide them into categories. In the end I got the Optimist, Pessimist and Anxiety. The optimist speaks for itself. To mend that one, I felt like she just needs some praise and encouragement. The pessimist however, needs clear thinking and a different perspective. Then anxiety. Anxiety plays a big role in my life. Thinking about what could mend that one was a tough one. I needed to mend it with courage, strength and a clear mind.


Keeping these things in mind, I thought about a physical way to mend these things. I wanted to do something with my hands, an act that could calm my anxiety and clear my mind from those pessimistic thoughts, and at the same time make things that would be gifts to those different voices. I decided to let go of my perfectionism - which is also a big part of my anxiety- and do something I had never done before; wire wrapping. I luckily had bought wire before, I had all the materials I needed to do the thing.


At first I started practicing a bunch of wire wrapping techniques, which was hard at the beginning, but relaxing once I got in the flow. I still had one issue, though. How was I going to connect wire wrapping gifts with the voices I wanted to mend?

I thought about my childhood. When I was four years old , I got my first gemstone at a charity bazaar at my primary school. Since that very moment, I started to collect gemstones, and I never stopped. Later, my mom would give me small gemstones for good luck during an important test, and it felt nice to hold and fidget with something between my fingers when I felt nervous.


For the voices, I wanted to combine wire wrapping with gemstones and their symbolisms. I carefully picked the gemstones I wanted to use after a lot of research on gemstones. I made them pendants because I want to be able to wear those instead of just keeping them in my pocket with the chance of the gemstone falling out.

Optimist.

Pessimist.

Anxiety.

Dear Voices-in-my-head,

I have been trying to mend you the past few weeks, by making you gifts using wire wrapping techniques and the symbolism of gemstones.

Optimist,

I gifted you a warm yellow gem, a calcite. To praise and encourage you for what you are doing for me.

Pessimist,

I gave you a green calcite to give you a different perspective and clear thinking.

Anxiety,

you were a tough one. I gifted you an amethyst to relieve your stress and calm you down a little. I made everything by hand, mending and grounding myself. Us.