This summer we had quite a number of people pass by Creative Hands to say hello and then some came to ask about our weaving workshops. We felt that were slowly but surely getting known in the community and we were encouraged. One of our students, Maria, who lives in Athens but was on vacation decided to do three hours of weaving and then she enjoyed it so much that she ended up adding more hours. It was a joy to have Maria weave on one of our very small table looms and it refreshed my memory on how that machine works because I had forgotten. I believe Maria is on a journey of learning the different concepts of weaving and wants to try so that at the end of the day she will set up her own atelier. I enjoyed sharing some of my book knowledge with her and helping her as she seeks to find her own weaving rythmn. We also had another local woman stop by to ask for weaving lessons come October. It excites and encourages us to see these small steps leading us to accomplish our goals.
We had the opportunity to visit local exhibitions in the local community and this has opened our eyes to see how creativity seems to be bursting in our small community of Lavrio. It has also opened opportunities for us to network with other artists, build steps towards becoming part of the wider Arts and Craft community. One thing I am learning through these encounters is that people in Lavrio are very open, friendly and want to see you prosper, especially granted that we are one of a kind with our weaving workshop. Last week we attended an exhibition focused on the city of Lavrio and I learned a few exciting facts about Lavrio through art. We also had an opportunity to visit an exhibition of different artists from jewellery makers to metal smiths and again connect with people and share about who we are and learn what others do. Besides these being opportunities to see art and meet the artists, these have also been platforms to ask questions about what other opportunities there are for artistst in the city and ultimately, learn how we can contribute to the community through teaching the Art of weaving to all who are interested.