For the Love of Story

BY KIMBERLY MAYER

Lately I’m more interested in stories than stuff. What attracts me now, what I want to glean are stories–even if I have to make them up myself. Life, I find, is hallowed by story. Also natural, found objects like stones and shells—what grounds us. Food from farms we know and fruit from trees we know. Going beyond stuff is about leaning in, appreciating and embracing what we see and what we have. 

Are you with me?

A friend and I recently came upon a small studio creating hand-made, nature inspired brooches using intricate needlework and mixed materials. I delighted in a feather while she was drawn to a Drepanid moth. Never had a moth looked so beautiful. Producing only small batches, the founders of the studio suggest, “We hope if the world consumes less, it will care more.” 

In another market I picked up a bag of dryer balls, the eco-friendly alternative to fabric softeners and sheets. When it comes time to replace my current ones, I will use these. Why? It was the story printed on the tag of a female farmer who oversees the full life cycle of the sheep, raising them, sheering them, and washing the wool, and then hiring and training stay-at-home moms to custom make the dryer balls.

Not all objects are found (stones and shells), grown (fruits and vegetables), or purchased. With art it’s mainly a matter of looking. The world is full of art I have loved in galleries and museums, works that come with me like a song in my head. 

“Indeed, what is all art, if not an attempt to tell a better story,” writes Mary Pipher in Women Rowing North: Navigating Life’s Currents and Flourishing As We Age.

Originally published March 12, 2025 in The Journal of the San Juan Islands