Crooked Ravn

Unbridled Thoughts of a Social Deviant

Month: May 2026

  • Embracing Creativity & Building Community

    Embracing Creativity & Building Community

    Once I embraced my creativity and promised myself not to let other people keep me from doing the things that make me happy, my sense of happiness and fulfillment returned. Now I radiate the energy I need in order to attract the energy I want from people. It can be a hard thing to achieve especially after a long period of despair.

    Honestly, I didn’t know if I’d ever reach this point. It was like a switch flipped in my brain. It actually occured after a dream with a goddess speaking in an old tongue. She presented me with a purple goddess statue. Researching the roots of the words and sounds online, I found out it was a most likely a mix of Babylonian, Arabic, and interestingly French which I know. It felt like a gift from Ishtar/Inanna, one of my goddesses. After that dream, I had a surge in self-love & compassion as well as creativity.

    Embracing Creativity

    I am actually working on an art piece depicting being blinded by despair. It is unfinished, but I will post it once it’s ready.

    I have also recieved the Art for All Scholarship at Makerspace. So far, I have taken a sewing class, and leatherworking class so far. I plan to continue leatherworking and joined leatherworking club at makerspace. Hopefully, I can also invest in learning woodworking, 3d printing, ceramics and metalworking. Having creative community is also very fulfilling.

    First attempt leathwork tooling ever. Makerspace Class w/Pegeen.

    I also hemmed up some jeans I got at the thrift store and made denim pouches with the leftover cloth.

    Denim pouches made from excess Jean length.

    Then I made a tarot deck wrap for my tarot cards. It’s not perfect and the cord has rough edges, but it was fun to make and practice sewing.

    Tarot Deck Wrap.

    I also fixed a bunch of clothes I had that needed mended. I need to get more black paint for mixing so shading is easer before I get back into painting.

    Finding and Creating Community

    Volunteering

    I am volunteering for Isaiah, Faith in Minnesota and the Jake Johnson campaign in order to flip the house so that we can prevent further attacks on targeted groups, and so that we can promote diversity and inclusion in our county. No longer willing stand back, wallow in self-pity, and do nothing while the current administration continues to take away people’s rights and create discord among the masses, I decided I’d rather be productive and take action in whatever ways I can.

    I’m also volunteering for Living Earth Center in Mankato, which not only maintains a community garden & farm but also promotes sustainability and environmental justice.

    Becoming More Involved With Existing Groups

    I am also trying to get myself to go to more local groups focusing on lgbt+, interfaith, and art. I’m hoping to audition for the Queer Choir when auditions start again.

    Creating My Own Community

    I am also starting my own local social group for Witches, Pagans, Heathens, Practitioners of Esoterica and non-judgemental allies. It’s called Nexus of the Cosmic Tree, because the concept of a World Tree is present in many spiritual belief systems internationally. Nexus represents the community as we all come from different branches and roots of the Cosmic Tree.

    For events, I’m starting with a coffee meetup, Pub meet up, and gaming meet up. However, I’m planning to eventually collaborate with other organizations, practitioners, and more in order to host events and classes on different practices. Also, I’d like to work with artisans and Makerspace in order to to host classes on how to create your own supplies for practicing these arts.

    All are welcome as long as you can commute to events in the Greater Mankato Area.

  • Art As a Spiritual Practice

    Art As a Spiritual Practice

    Lately, I have found myself getting lost in different art or crafting projects. Once I start, it’s like I’m not even thinking anymore. I just let my hands and intuition guide me towards a finished project.

    I love art. I have loved it since I was a child. I took art classes in high school and resented myself for not going into the arts for University. I had all these voices in my head. You aren’t good enough. Other people’s voices. “Art isn’t a practical degree. Neither is Music. It’s a throwaway Degree.”, “You Would Be Good If…” and the dreaded, “Yeah. It’s good.” or “It’s Okay.” with no sign of any kind of feedback or approval in their voice. You wonder if they even looked at it. Also, I wasn’t given the resources for success in childhood even if I wanted to.

    In College, I was a science student roomed with a bunch of art students my freshman year. I was so envious and resentful. It pushed me to cut out the arts and stop enjoying them even as a hobby. However, in the process of doing that, I also cut out a piece of my soul. Art gives life meaning. Creation gives life meaning. I was too focused on school to stop and realize how much.

    After I graduated college, I didn’t go to grad school due to being to hard on myself and burnout. I started getting jobs nothing at all like what I intended for my degree. Plus the normalization of toxic workplaces and Autistic Burnout. I dropped hard. Quite a few years later, at my lowest, I found crochet and painting again. As I started to let the arts back into my life, I started to slowly feel alive again. It gives me purpose and means a lot to me on a deeper level than most would understand.

    I come from a family of people who like working with their hands. Whether that is through Art or wrenching on vehicles and motorcycles. On my Mom’s side, my great great grandfather was a shoemaker, all the women in the family are amazing at fiber arts. My mother also liked jewelry making for a while. My brother is a great artist. My dad and my paternal grandfather both worked in the same shop, scrapping, building things, working on vehicles. My dad was a welder and fabricator before he passed. I have cousins and uncles who sculpt or paint or draw. Being a craftsman is something in my blood.

    Also, I am pagan and one of my Deities is Lugh, Irish Celtic Deity. He is master craftsman. I have Ulster Scot/Scotch Irish ancestry through the great grandfather who made shoes. Sometimes I wonder if finding Lugh was fate for me. When I am creating art or crafts, I feel a deep connectiion to him and to my ancestors. Sometimes when I am doing art, I feel like they are doing it through me. Guiding my hands. I’m in awe of what comes out of it.

    Some of my favorite mediums so far are painting, digital art, crochet, and I like to create my own decor or household items. I like finding things at garage sales, thrift markets, or old items people don’t want and upcycling them. I used to draw alot and I still can, but I’m out of practice. I just got a scholarship for Makerspace and I will be learning woodworking, leatherworking, sewing, 3d Printing and probably more if I can afford it. I don’t have space in my apartment for many of the machines I’d need to do some of these activities at home.

    I will admit that sometimes I see other people’s art and I am immediately humbled and can be too critical of myself. I always had a hard time considering myself an artist. However, I also know that art is about the journey and self expression. Also, more than likely there is someone out there who will appreciate it. If not for the aesthetic, then at least they will enjoy the story behind it. I’m not just an artist. I’m a craftsman and creator.

    I will never let other’s opinions of me keep me from doing the things that feed my spirit and soul.