Dear friends family and followers,

First, thank you so much for being here. Without your support Stray Goose Studio would not have made it through 2020. Simple as that. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Second. In addition to supporting me as an artist and the values embedded in the work itself (ethical sourcing materials sustainable packaging… more detail is available on my website!) you have enabled me to directly support social causes as well—through the donation of my artwork for auctions, cash donations and donations of my time.

I want to take a moment to shout out the organizations we were able to lift up that little extra bit! Auction donations included: Alaska Sea Life Center, Prince William Sound Science Center, Flip the Senate. Monthly Cash donations included: Fair Fight, The Bail Project, BLM, The Great Unlearn as well as individual donations to several others. Donation of my time was spent writing letters to voters through the organization Vote Forward as well as to our elected officials in support of accountability, human rights and defense of our planet.

I want to celebrate all of this with you because it is so, so easy (at least for me) to get buried in the mire of all that is still ahead before we get to summit Mount Manifested Desires if we get too in our lifetimes at all. While it is important to understand we have so far to go and to keep climbing—it’s also important to pace, to breathe and even to rest. Today I’m feeling the need to take a moment to pause and wipe the sweat, let my heart rate come down a few beats and to turn around and look at the path winding down behind me. Progress, real progress has been made and it deserves a moment of acknowledgment, reflection even satisfaction!

I don’t know about you but I love backpacking especially multi-day trips in mountainous terrain. Within that context when, I’m heaving my way uphill, towards the third or fourth “false” summit on my way to the high point, I don’t see the lower points on the trail as lowly at all. Instead they are part of the sense of accomplishment the whole adventure brings. For myself I would like to try to apply this kind of thinking to working towards social change. There is beauty here where we are even in our tiredness, even in our pain, even in the unevenness, the rocky expenses, the rain, snow or heat. There is value and beauty and joy and accomplishment and purpose here. All of this has been meaningful work.

If you need that reminder today, like I do, please take a minute to catch your breath. You’ve done so much. You’re allowed to care for yourself on your way up this thing! And thank you, thank you for all of your efforts so far!

With love, Libby

Dear Friends, Family and Followers!

As the snowline descends Mt. Marathon here in Seward and the days seem shorter by the second it seems winter is upon us. Despite all of the craziness and disruption in the world many of us artists and makers are managing to patch together a semblance of a holiday season—a season many of us rely on to get through the winter and into the new year. On behalf of Stray Goose Studio and my fellow makers I want to encourage you to think of us as you begin holiday shopping and to consider sharing your favorite makers on social media to help spread that love:) Collectively we super, super appreciate it! I also want to thank you. I cannot express enough how grateful I am for your continued support of my work which enables me to support myself with my own two hands. This is so very meaningful to me! I deeply hope the work that passes from my hands to yours has a reciprocally meaningful role in your own lives!

With gratitude,
Libby


Stray Goose Studio Upcoming Events:

Nov 1-30
Virtual Wonderfully Made Christmas Bazaar

Nov 7
Virtual Saturday Art Soiree Show at Strphen Fine Arts, 7-8:30PM

Nov 13
Stray Goose Studio Pop-up Shop at Double Shovel Cider Co, 4-8PM


Nov 14
Stray Goose Studio pop-up Shop at Slack Tide Gallery, 12-5PM

Nov 28-29
Makers Pop-up at Zudy’s Café, Time TBD

Stay tuned both here and on Instagram @straygoosestudio for updated info!

Due to Covid-19 all of the spring and summer events Stray Goose Studio had planned on and was preparing for have been canceled. The status of Salmonfest and fall/winter events have not yet been determined but the health and safety of our communities depend on all of us being flexible and willing to continually adapt as this crisis unfolds in its own time.

For my little business this means embracing more online and virtual opportunities to share my work with the wider world. In the coming weeks I will be rolling out updates to my website inducing re-structuring my web store from a "made to order" format to "ready to ship". The Scale Collection is live now and the Salmon Leather Collection will go live on May 30 at 10AM for the Mountain to Sea Virtual Art Collective happening LIVE on Instagram (see below or visit @straygosestudio for details)!

I am still amazed that orders are coming in without the buzz of face to face conversation and am so thankful for those of you who are keeping me afloat! I am also want to express my gratitude for the local Shops and Galleries who carry my line and who are inventing creative workarounds to keep their businesses going as well. If you find yourselves in the neighborhood of Dos Manos, Slack Tide, Ranting Raven or Salmon Sisters please support them too if you can:)

Dos Manos - 1317 W Northern Lights Blvd #3, Anchorage, AK 99503
Slack Tide Gallery - 1553 Alyeska Hwy, Girdwood, AK 99587
The Salmon Sisters Flagship Store - 1554 Spit Road, Homer, AK 99603
Ranting Raven - 238 4th Ave, Seward, AK 99664

Like businesses of nearly every kind Stray Goose Studio too is affected by COVID-19. The wonderful galleries that carry my jewelry are closed until further notice. Some would have been upcoming shows are cancelled with others pending decision. Supply chains are interrupted... Mostly its just been hard to know what to do and where to direct my attention. Should I keep making as normal in hopes the economy will rebound quickly once the health crisis abates? And what if my hopes for Stray Goose Studio are dashed, what should I be doing instead?

As the enormity of this pandemic spreads, reaching closer and closer to home and the homes of my friends and family, the challenges of my one little business are put into scale. This is way bigger than my health/lively-hood or the health/lively-hoods of folks I know. To state the obvious this is GLOBAL, I honestly can't think of anything else in my lifetime that can make that assertion, so whatever ambition I have as an individual just isn't that important.

Whatever happens I want to say it has been a privilege to adorn beautiful people with the things I make. I sincerely hope to keep doing so. Amazingly, quite a number of you have continued to purchase my work in spite of it all and for this I am extremely grateful. Thank you, thank you, thank you and be well!

Stray Goose Studio had a great time at Girdwood's 44th Annual Forest Fair, thank you to all who came and said hello or took home jewelry! Its always to encouraging to hear your support and feedback in person:)  Now I am back in the studio preparing for Salmonfest from August 2-4 and after that will be participating in the Seward Music and Arts Festival September 27-29! Hopefully I find time to sneak some re-supply production for galleries in between as well as some backpacking!? Hope to see your lovely faces at some point this summer:)

For more info about the venues visit their respective websites:
https://salmonfestalaska.org/
https://www.sewardfestival.com/