Do you know the true meaning of Valentine's day isn't about romantic love?
Valentines Day started on February 14th back in 496AD named after Saint Valentine.
Today, to most, Valentine's is a commercial celebration, with around 85% of cards being bought by women.
In our 14 years together, Valentine's day isn't a day me and Mr SCJ officially, or unofficially, acknowledge! Every person, every relationship is different. We all have different views about the day. Neither those who celebrate it, or those who don't celebrate are right or wrong. We all have our reasons.
A day which is tailored around the feeling of love, can actually bring a lot of pressure and be extremely materialistic. Along with the dread it brings for some, if you're not in a relationship, or if you're in an unhappy one, it can feel lonely and sadly make you question your self worth.
However, in the past few years, since my girls have been aware of Valentines day, I came to see a different side to it. To Amber at age 5, Valentines day wasn't a soppy, commercial date in the calendar. To Amber it meant giving to all those you love. This is such a lovely, heartwarming sentiment. Amber made me realise it doesn’t have to be about being in a romantic relationship, it should just be about making sure the people you love, know they are loved.
Digging a little further, I found out that, contrary to popular belief, February 14th isn't a day only for the lovers in happy, loving relationships. It is in fact a day which is supposed to be celebrated just as Amber wisely said. Amber saw the bigger picture which I think as teens and adults we become blinkered from. I'm sure all those soppy, romantic movies and peer pressure haven't helped!
The real meaning of Valentine's day is to give us another day, another opportunity to let ALL those we love know they are loved. This can include those we are in a romantic relationship with, but also all those we don't have romantic feelings towards but do love.
Amber opened my eyes to the true meaning of valentine's. To a degree, she's also been influencing some of my more recent designs. Back in early 2020, Amber suggested I start making heart and flower jewellery. Admittedly, I wasn't so keen on her idea, but of course I needed to get her off my back! At the time I'd just started playing around with stitch work again.
In particular cross stitch - this is when my cross stitch studs idea developed
Fast forward 3 years and I no longer see Valentine's day just as a commercial, materialistic celebration and I also don't see the 'lovey-dovey', 'soppy' heart shape as I once did! Maybe I'm also showing my age!?
I've always found escapism in the form of stitch, line and pattern. I find getting lost in mesmerising patterns a form of therapy. In particular, blackwork embroidery and I'm currently drawn to the repetition and shape inspiration formed by sashiko 'stabs'. Despite my metal work not lending itself to the traditional Sashiko techniques, as my stitch journey continues, I'm seeing new ways to take these mesmering shapes and patterns, and translating them into jewellery.
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