Working together, fitting broken pieces into a whole requires an open mind and willingness to make it work
The images in this blog post are from the Clovelly wetland mosaic seat project that I worked on alongside a group of women who also live in Clovelly. Every Wednesday, early evening we’d meet and look at tiles, stick them down, chat. Our mosaic seat project is complete, each of us did parts of each mosaic and I want to share a post by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez where she compares individual tiles to people :
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez writes on Instagram @aoc
“Sometimes people will ask me, ‘There is so much happening in the world and in the country, and it all feels so big and overwhelming – what can I even do as one person?’ What I try to convey every time is that no action is too small, and if you feel so moved, you can and should start with whatever is within arm’s reach or in your backyard. You can even start with yourself.
We live in a culture of grand gestures and big ambitions, but that also means we should be wary of how much ‘get-rich-quick’ thinking can perpetuate beyond money schemes and into the idea that any/all major, impactful shifts happen suddenly and in dramatic fashion with a handful of major figures. The fact is, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Revolutionary and transformative changes, from the inside out, happen more like mosaics.
Think of it like this: No matter who we are, how visible or invisible or big or small, each one of us is just one tile. Whether you see that as liberating or disempowering is a matter of perspective. When you have your eye pressed all the way up to the single tile of a mosaic, it can look quite meaningless. A single piece of shattered glass could look worthless. Or perhaps a piece of small painted porcelain could seem beautiful, but too small to ‘be’ anything. Or maybe a stunning rare slab of stone may think itself as the biggest piece when it is really a corner tile. The secret is, that it’s all significant.“
The two secrets of mosaics are:
1. Each piece (us + our small actions) is far more powerful and meaningful than we know, and
2. Each piece (we) need each other far more than we realise.
“When we are able to step back from thinking our own broken, unfinished pieces are not enough, and start to see how all the other little pieces glistening alongside us start to form eyes and ears and abstract beauty and landscapes and symbols and more, we realise that just because we didn’t see the big picture at first doesn’t mean we weren’t part of one. “
So just do the small thing – for yourself and others. Choose your actions with humility, love, and enthusiasm. It means more than you know, and the world thanks you for it.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
The Clovelly wetland mosaic seat project was initiated by art teacher Sasha Scholtz from Creative Space Clovelly.
Would you like to join FOSNA in a work party activity (basic maintenance) of the wetland area?
Save the date for June’s Clovelly Community Market
It’s market time at the golf club on the first Saturday of the month. For local lekkers and homemade goods (plus coffee) browse the stalls from 11am till 2pm (winter hours).
Clovelly CAN hike in the dunes
Clovelly CAN held its first local fundraising hike on Saturday 21 May.
The walk was an hour and a half, up to the firebreak, along the side of the golf course to the bridge and round to the dunes before going back through the wetland for reviving coffee and freshly made carrot cake (thank you Jaqui). The next Clovelly CAN hike will be on Saturday 25 June, up Trappieskop. Please follow Clovelly CAN on Instagram for more info.
NOTE: The Clovelly Community Action Network (CAN), part of the broader Cape Town Together (CTT) movement, supports under-resourced partners in both responding to immediate crises & building long-term resilience to alleviate the effects of structural inequality.
Clovelly CAN has a range of preloved and upcycled cushions looking for new homes
Winter is here, what about a cosy gift for yourself or someone else who needs some comfort in their life.
Prices range from R150 for a preloved pair of handmade Li Protheroe cushion covers to R250 for a single, filled upycled cushion.
Interested in buying a cushion or a tote? Please email clovellycan@gmail.com with ‘clovelly CAN stitch’ in the subject line. Please follow the Clovelly CAN stitch project on Facebook and Instagram and please share the hashtags #ClovellyCANstitch
Read more stories by me in Daily Maverick here
Use the Discount Code: GRZA when you buy any Cosmic Bazaar products online and get 10% OFF your purchase. This includes Canna Oil CBD oil that I’m taking, CBD for animals and zero-waste groceries. Visit Cosmic Bazaar’s online store here.
GET 10% OFF WHEN YOU USE THE GRZA DISCOUNT CODE AT COSMIC BAZAAR and HEMPORIUM SA
You can also use the discount code: GRZA at Hemporium SA online. Discount applies only to Hemporium SA own-brand clothing, accessories and cosmetics.
Green Route ZA 
Leave a comment