Got Me Thinking...

Here it is, almost the end of October, and I have barely written anything about the activities of the month. How busy I've been, with the most fun a girl could have, I assure you! Where on earth should I begin? Ah. The Wedding Dress project!

The Wedding Dress Project came about on a whim. I was watching "Say Yes To The Dress," a fun show on TLC that documents women as they search for the perfect dress for their (hopefully) perfect weddings. I love it. I just love wedding dresses! And it made me want to put on my wedding dress again, to perhaps relive some of the magic of my wedding day, which got me thinking. First of all, that day is special because it happens only once. Second, we have so many lovely things from the wedding that are keepsakes: cards bearing the well-wishes of our family and friends, our fabulous photo album featuring all of the amazing happenings of the day, our guest book that reminds us of all the people who came to share in our occasion, toasting glasses and a cake cutting set that have the date of our union inscribed on their surfaces, all of the gifts we received and of course, our beautiful rings, which we wear proudly to show that we are committed to each other. The dress, which seemed to me to hold more (perhaps displaced) emotion than any other object concerning the day was now sitting in my closet, shut up in its bag. I remember feeling like a princess in that dress. Which got me thinking again: What if I could put on my wedding dress again? But this time, as a way to transform? A transformation that would free me of this longing to be back at my wedding. A transformation that would free me from hanging onto something that will ultimately become clutter? What if I can keep the magic of the dress alive by giving it another purpose, another life? And that's when it began.

That evening, I got on Facebook, and created an event, encouraging women to put their dresses back on, but in circumstances that were not at all related to the wedding day. For instance, couldn't you go to the grocery store, and buy tomatoes in your wedding dress? After all, it is just a dress. I was happy to find that getting people to play with me was not at all hard. Immediately, a photo appeared, of a woman picking up after her dog in her back yard in her lacy get-up! I just knew if I got a few pictures up of my own, that others would be encouraged to play. I called up my parents. I asked my mother to get on her dress. And she did. My father humored me at first, taking me to the gas station to capture me pumping gas (the most "regular" thing I could think of the do) in my dress. Soon though, he was excited to put ideas for pictures into the pot! After the gas station, we went to the baseball field up the street to take some photos of mom and I getting sporty in our regalia. Dad then suggested that a most striking picture would be us, target shooting in our dresses. And striking it was! I love those photos!!! And not soon after I posted my lovelies, a few more popped up! I am hoping that in the not-so-distant future, many more will pour in!

So, it is my hope that these women who are submitting their photos will also experience some sort of transformation in the act of taking their dresses out of context the way I did (boy, oh boy, it was soooo liberating!) so they can move onto stage two and three of the project.

Stage two involves giving up the dress. This step is one that I don't think will be easy for many, and many may stop their participation in the project after step one. It is my hope though, that some will be willing to give up their dresses, to let go figuratively and literally. I hope that they will recognize that their dresses can live on beyond their wedding day. Step three is the final stage, where the dresses will embark on their new journeys as both unaltered dresses and altered dresses. Unaltered dresses will ideally go to women who cannot afford beautiful dresses, so that they may have the opportunity to feel absolutely beautiful for their special occasions. Altered dresses will become christening dresses, quilts and other objects that can be donated to others for use. I would feel happy knowing that my dress was of use to someone else. So, once I get enough pictures, I plan to implement steps two and three.

Wedding Dress Project aside, there are other things! Today, I sat with a small panel of ladies to deliberate on which films we'll show for the "Movies By Movers" showing that is coming up fast. The evening is to be part of Winston Salem's annual fall celebration of the arts, 6 Days in November. Our evening is November 21st! I really enjoyed watching all of the dance film submissions in a single sitting. I appreciated the work that went into each and every one of them, and was excited to see such a diversity of voices represented. It is a shame that I couldn't show more than we picked, but I am only allowed to program 80 minutes worth of material. Given the amount of submissions I got, and post-deadline inquiries, I am confident that I will be able to curate a second edition of MBM in the spring. How wonderful! I can hardly wait to show the community these films.

Last on the list for immediate attention is the premiere of our newest film, "Kitchen Table!" Thursday is the day the world will be introduced to this film! I'm so excited! Just a few more loose ends to tie up in the edit before Thursday (which I have been assured will be complete, though I am biting my nails). It is my deepest hope that we have a nice sized audience. I would just hate to have an empty house, especially given all the fun activities we'll have going on during the presentation and the reception!

it is getting late now, and I have to wake up for an early yoga class! I hope to have a rash of loveliness to share with you this week! Stay tuned!

~Cara