WHY – the most important question for our star weaving movement.

Anyone who embarks on starting a new business or new creative project, will often be asked this simple question:

But Why do you want to do this? 

Or you may have heard it asked in this way, What is your WHY? What is the need or problem you’re trying to solve? And who is the person or people you’re trying to help?

I’ve had to come back to this question of WHY for One Billion Stars recently because the truth is, I’ve been in a bit of a funk and uncertain of the way forward.

My WHY for One Billion Stars is to be the light, the courage and creativity in our communities.

I wanted to be like the colourful stars that we weave for One Billion Stars – unique, purposeful, intentional and with a story to tell.

I wanted to remind others that we can all be stars, that we can all be symbols of hope and compassion and commitment to end violence.

I decided to take some time out to work out the next steps but then a few weeks turned into months, and well, you can probably work out the rest.

We did end last year with a beautiful event at The Big Design Market in Naarm Melbourne, celebrating World Star Weaving Day on Friday 2 December, which felt productive and exciting.

With a new year here and a chance to reboot and get back to basics, the work to understand my WHY for One Billion Stars has been a much needed breath of fresh air – kind of like reconnecting with an old friend over a nice cold glass of lemonade on a hot Australian afternoon.

My heart was broken.

I knew that we had a serious problem. It wasn’t a new one, but for me it reached a whole new high after the rape and murder of Jill Meagher in 2012.

I was devasted by the news that a young woman on her back home from a night out with friends, was attacked and murdered just meters away from her husband and home.

This happened in our community. A community we love and value for its diversity and creativity. Why did this happen? Why Jill? Where were the police (their station was just a few hundred metres in another direction)? Were there no other people on the road who could’ve helped? All these questions have been asked over and over again.

The tragedy is that violence towards other human beings continues to happen around the world and communities are suffering.

How can we reduce or end violence in our communities?

How can we educate people on mass about respectful behaviour, attitudes, and relationships?

How can we enlist the energy and commitment to keep these conversations and relationships going without feeling overwhelmed or alone?

These are the questions I want to explore and address through the One Billion Stars project, but more importantly, how can we stay connected and inspired to work together to address these issues.

Because we’re not meant to do this kind of work alone. Nope. It’s too big, too overwhelming and we run the risk of burnout and depression. Before we’ve even had the chance to make an impact, we’re exhausted and want to tap out.

So, back to the WHY?…..HOPE.

You read right. HOPE.

Hope reveals itself in the form of people, of conversations, of small energy exchanges, of moments where someone stops to listen. Hope is in nature and creation, it’s all around us if we choose to see it.

I experience hope in art and in weaving. I feel it in the star weaving community and it is beautiful and powerful.

Amongst the thousands of people who came to pay their respects at the vigil for Jill Meagher outside of our church, Brunswick Baptist, I felt an incredible sense of hope and compassion.

It’s what motivated me to turn to something that gave me inspiration. Whenever I struggle to find the words to make sense of anything, I naturally turn to weaving. It helps me to pause and calm down.

The methodical and repetitive act of weaving threads together with your hands helps to slow your mind down, even your heart rate I’m sure.

When I’m feeling unsure about something, overwhelmed or even sad about something, I will often pick up some materials and make something. My thing is weaving. It has been my go to for relaxation and connection with myself and others for the last 20 years.

It was a no brainer for me to start weaving stars at the vigil for Jill Meager, for a couple of reasons:

Stars represent light, they are spoken of in ancient texts and stories world-wide as either a guide or a symbol of light.

Stars were one of the first things I taught myself to weave many years ago and one of the first weaving crafts I taught others when I decided to become a weaving artist.

The word “star” was also in the quote by Dr Martin Luther King Jnr, which someone had placed in the sea of flowers for Jill outside of our church.

I wanted to remind our communities that we don’t need to wait for a tragedy to come together like this, that we can stay connected, creative and committed all the time through weaving.

And so I decided that I wanted to weave with others, to share my love for my Pacific Island and Samoan culture but also my love and journey of healing and resilience through star weaving.

My WHY for One Billion Stars is to be the light, the courage and creativity in our communities.

As a weaver and an artist, the process and work of being the light in our communities is the most important and critical thing ever.

This has to be our focus, the process of reflecting kindness, joy, compassion and empathy. The goal of ending violence is inevitable, but if we focus on the process and the work of caring for our communities, of giving our communities a reason to come together, to work together, to have a shared vision of weaving stars for an installation that represents our collective commitment and effort to end violence against every human being, then that is a beautiful thing and it is enough.

It feels doable. It feels achievable. It feels like something anyone can do.

My goal is to keep celebrating this WHY with you, our star weaving community, because I believe it’s what many of us desire.

I truly believe that star weaving with the purpose to bring people together, to reach out and connect and welcome others, is the key to creating more joyful, resilient violence free communities.

I’m keeping myself open to expanding and diving deep into this WHY for One Billion Stars and I hope you’ll be along for this journey with me.

ACTIONS THAT YOU CAN TAKE RIGHT NOW:

If you’re part of this star weaving community, send me an email and tell me your WHY for participating in One Billion Stars.

If you’re new to this movement and want to get involved, please use our contact form with the Subject Line, “Why I’m weaving stars” and send me an email with your thoughts.

Happy Star Weaving folks and Happy International Women’s Day. Onwards!