We caught up with the brilliant and insightful G Roslie a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
G, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
It’s been a long and winding road that has lead to my realization of my purpose in life. Growing up in a chaotic and fractured family environment, I always wanted to escape into stillness and had a propensity for lots of daydreaming. Even though my relationship with my family was complicated, I find myself lucky that I was born with an innate sense of curiosity which I thank my mother for as she was very intelligent, artistic with a great sense of style, a certain je nais se quoi for certain. My curiosity lead me down many different paths in life exploring subjects that peaked my interest from art, clothing design, photography, cooking, interior design, etc. I realized that the common thread in everything I was interested in was the use of my hands. I learned to sew at a young age as well as draw and take pictures. They were all ways of escape for me from the anxiety of my upbringing. Sewing, in particular, I discovered was a form of healing for me, metaphorically mending and seaming the holes and cut and frayed edges of our lives. I fell in love with textiles and felt deeply connected to the cloth that surrounds our bodies giving us a gift of form and function. I discovered poetry of great poets and it brought me closer to understanding the world and myself in a deep and clear way. Being drawn to colors and nature, it felt a natural progression when I learned about dyeing with plant materials which unbeknownst to me opened another path and brought me closer towards my purpose. All of these seemingly unrelated curiosities and wanderings together made me whole in terms of my purpose and brought me a joyful way to express myself as a textile artist. There were many times in my life where I felt lost or I would never find what I was looking for, going down dead end roads and roadblocks but looking back, I realize now everything I’ve learned, even experiences that I felt were regretful at the time, made a circle of my life that brought me closer to my purpose and I feel immense gratitude for everything that brought me here now.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My name is Jeeyon Roslie but most folks call me “G”. I am a figurative/abstract textile artist currently based in Santa Barbara, California working with natural dyed materials. If I had to describe my process in a single sentence, it would be “i explore the inner landscape of our imagination and outer landscape of the natural world through tactile medium of textiles colored by botanical and earth mineral pigments.” The previous question about finding my purpose gives an overall understanding of how I came to this point in my career. I feel that my life experiences as well as my profound love of the natural world brought me to this career path as a textile artist. Composing pieces together of textiles colored with elements of nature whether by sewing or by collage completes a picture that tells a story of a moment in time that gives me a point of reflection and contemplation. I feel immense value in time spent contemplating the blooming of a wild flower that just unearthed itself from a seed form after a cold winter spent underground or the rupture of earth that brought about a powerful landscape of rocks and stones. There is a poetic genius to nature and I love capturing these moments in the form of textile art. The beauty of nature and the colors she brings us completes the circle and rhythm of my work. If you’d like to learn more about my art practice, please visit my website at slocurio.com. I look forward to meeting people throughout the year that come to support artists at various art fairs/shows around the country which I post about via email and Instagram at g.g.roslie & slocurio. It is one of the greatest joys and pleasures in life to connect and share my work and story in person.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Aside from developing technical skills such as sewing, drafting patterns, drawing, natural dyeing, etc. I think one of the most important and impactful part of the creating process for me has been learning to pay close attention and be present in life. Taking a photo, reading a poem, watching how a flower blooms or clouds form or sitting with emotional or physical discomfort, these are ways that allow metamorphosis to occur which can have a profound impact in the way we see the world. I think of this wonderful quote by Rick Rubin that goes, “Not all projects take time but they do take a lifetime.” It’s all of the moments that we were patient with ourselves and others including our environment and to take notice of the happenings all around us and within us that bear fruit in our journey. We live in a world where productivity is valued above all and time feels incredibly scarce but by learning to tap into a place where time stands still, we discover a world that is boundless and full of possibilities. It’s important to follow your own path and recognize where you are in place of this world and be mindful not to be influenced or conditioned by someone else’s idea of what you should or shouldn’t be doing with your time during this incarnation.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
I find the best thing to do when in a state of overwhelm is to simply step out of the space that holds this energy and go for a brisk walk, preferably in nature. I find that the act of walking frees up the constricting overwhelmed energy allowing a different perspective to emerge and flow. It is our natural tendency to sit and try to work through issues but if it’s an incredible overwhelm, I think we can get buried or sink further into a state of immobility and so the best course of action is to stop thinking/analyzing and just move the body and change the scenery.
Contact Info:
- Website: slocurio.com
- Instagram: g.g.roslie
Image Credits
g roslie
