Meet Gingababa

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gingababa. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Gingababa, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?

My optimism comes from my creativity and the collective creativity at large. This creative energy is my personal renewable source that transforms challenges into opportunities for innovation. I am constantly reminded of my agency in shaping my circumstances. It is also a connection to humanity’s shared innovative spirit. Even in difficult moments, I am in awe of the new solutions, different perspective, or even delightful distractions creativity offers. As long as I have the ability and will to make and produce things, I feel good about my future and everything around me.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I fell down the rabbit hole of plant dye after a magical workshop at Kyoto’s Aizenkobo Inidgo Place in 2017. Since then, I have been chasing colors across China, Japan, and the United States, transforming this serendipitous encounter into both passion and profession.

As a trained historian of East Asian folk religions, I was already familiar with the production of colors in early and medieval times, but learning to create my unique colors through dyeing has been another serious commitment entirely. This journey has led me to train with natural dye masters from ancient civilizations, particularly from India, China, and Mexico, where traditional techniques have been preserved across generations.

I am also an avid collector of fabrics, frequently traveling to visit weavers and dealers across the globe to source materials both for my personal collection and commission use. These journeys have deepened my appreciation for textile traditions and created meaningful connections with artisans who share my reverence for handcrafted excellence.

What excites me most about this work is the beautiful synthesis of making and knowing, gathering stories, leaves, and a little bit of dye-stained mischief along the way. Dyeing with natural materials is profoundly meditative, teaching me to relinquish control and respect the unique nature of each plant. The colors they yield are wonderfully unpredictable, varying with changing weather, different locales, and foraging times. This element of surprise and collaboration with nature makes each piece truly one-of-a-kind.

Currently, I offer plantdye workshops, primarily in New York, with occasional summer sessions in China. I also take commissions for unique, naturally dyed items including scarves, napkins, baby textiles, tea mats, and table linens. For those interested in following my colorful adventures or commissioning work, I regularly share my progress, upcoming workshops, and new experiments on my Instagram page.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Looking back on my path as a natural dyer, three qualities have proven most impactful in my development: deep respect for materials, meticulous documentation of experiments, and what I’ve come to call “choreographed improvisation.”

Respect for your materials is immensely important in natural dyeing practice. Each plant has its own “temperament,” for lack of a better word, and learning to approach different botanical sources with appropriate reverence and understanding has been fundamental to my success. This means taking time to learn about a plant’s history, growth patterns, and traditional uses before incorporating it into your work.

My second insight comes from a critical early mistake. Being somewhat whimsical by nature, I initially failed to keep thorough records of my experiments. As a result, some of my most breathtaking early colors remain impossible to reproduce because I lost track of crucial variables—temperature, pH levels of dye baths, specific fabric treatments, and precise dye source details. This experience taught me the invaluable lesson of documentation.

For those beginning their journey, I cannot emphasize enough: keep meticulous records of your practice. Document everything, even seemingly insignificant details. The magic of natural dyeing often emerges from specific combinations of conditions that can be difficult to recall without proper notes. A dedicated dye journal becomes both practical tool and treasured archive.

Finally, I’ve learned to practice what I call “choreographed improvisation”—finding balance between structured technique and spontaneous creativity. While following established methods provides essential foundations, remaining open to unexpected outcomes and happy accidents has led to my most distinctive work.
My advice for beginners is to master fundamental techniques while cultivating comfort with uncertainty. Natural dyeing teaches us that control is always partial; the richest experiences come when we partner with nature rather than attempt to dominate it. Develop your technical skills rigorously, document faithfully, and always approach your materials with genuine curiosity and respect.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

If I were to recommend one book that has profoundly shaped my development as a natural dyer, it would be What Color is the Sacred by anthropologist Michael Taussig. This isn’t a typical how-to text or collection of techniques, but rather a deeply philosophical exploration that I’ve found myself returning to repeatedly, discovering new epiphanies with each reading.

What makes Taussig’s work so valuable for me personally, is how it engages with a tension I’ve long struggled with: the seemingly unresolvable paradox between technological advancement (chemical dyes, mass production of colors) and adherence to tradition. Rather than offering neat solutions, the book beautifully complicates these questions, diving into the anthropology of color across cultures and histories.

The most impactful wisdom I’ve gleaned from this text is the recognition of how profoundly different human relationships with color can be—each culture, each tradition, each individual developing unique ways of understanding colors and living with them. Taussig’s exploration of color’s sacred dimensions helped me understand that my attraction to natural dyeing isn’t merely aesthetic or technical, but deeply philosophical and even spiritual.

This book didn’t provide me with answers so much as permission—permission to engage with color as something more than a visual phenomenon, to appreciate both innovation and tradition without feeling compelled to resolve their tensions, and ultimately to recognize that my choice to follow the path of natural dyeing aligns with my personal philosophy and temperament.

For anyone serious about developing their relationship with color beyond technique, Taussig’s work offers a rare portal into understanding color as a cultural, historical, and deeply human experience—a perspective that continues to inform every aspect of my practice today.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Zhuoyi Wang, gingababa

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Portraits of Resilience

Sometimes just seeing resilience can change out mindset and unlock our own resilience. That’s our

Perspectives on Staying Creative

We’re beyond fortunate to have built a community of some of the most creative artists,

Kicking Imposter Syndrome to the Curb

This is the year to kick the pesky imposter syndrome to the curb and move