A "Memoir in Stitches" Takes a Walk
an "Object & Memory" story
Hello Dear Readers!
Join me, for a walk…1
…and bring an object that interests you…
and consider: In what ways might objects offer portals to elemental states of mind and being?2
For the past year, as part of Kinship Photography's “Elemental Year,” I’ve been exploring this and other questions.3
March - June, Air: How does the air within us and around us make us feel alive?
June - September, Fire: How can we feel fire’s ancient energy in the spirits of our possessions?


Water: How is water’s fluidity and spirit flowing from and through our material world?
Earth: How might our relationships to the objects in our lives invite us to explore what it means to be a living being on a moving planet?


Are the spirits of our objects inviting us in or asking us to move on?4


How can photography help us make sense of the energy embodied in our stuff?
A consistent companion, she remains elusive.
Winter white layers, a blur.


Into the woods, a fairy tale.
Dress becomes portal.
Go for it.
Take a walk with an object and see what happens.
With gratitude for you being you,
Lyn
PS: If you’re in the Upper Connecticut River Valley (Vermont & New Hampshire), join me for this talk at AVA Gallery & Art Center on Thursday, February 26 at 6pm!
I’m finding that exploring my archive is like turning the compost - - it takes work and is a bit ‘smelly,’ but the aeration generates new life.
Walks are a thing in my family. Growing up, if all else failed, we’d take a walk to the ‘Big Oak,’ just across the street, into the woods, down a hill, to a large oak, near a swamp, with a rusted abandoned very old car. When we lived in Hanover, we’d go across a different street, up a hill, to the stately maple tree in the middle of a field.
Sometimes, though, there is no specific destination and the walk meanders…
I started hanging out with my wedding dress, creating this “memoir in stitches” as part of the #100dayproject 2025, when I began embroidering my female ancestor’s names around the hem (Embodied Fiber, February 2025)
As part of Kinship’s Elemental Year, I have participated in and facilitated a number of practice groups, all of which have explored the idea of Embodied Objects. In each group, we consider the kinds of questions in this post.
For the past 100 days, I’ve been participating in the #100DaysinPlace project facilitated by Jennifer Jewell & The Cultivating Place Foundation. My focus has been on embroidering more plants…leaves, birds, etc. It’s been slow…But the dress and I keep showing up for each other (Object Edit, October 2025)














Ohhh the images of the dress laying in the snow made me gasp!