I initially started this Substack with the vague idea of creating a space where I could share my thoughts and some silly art, and where I could build up a portfolio. I didn't have anything particular in mind, but I’ve decided that this new year would also bring a new approach to The Maple Sett. Since a lot of my time during school semesters is spent doing research and preparing to write my thesis, I figured I ought to channel some of that work into this space. If only a fraction of the leg work will actually be seen in the final product, why not share my journey of acquiring knowledge here? Already I’ve read plenty of interesting journals and scholarly articles on topics surrounding rhetoric and the implementation of regional textile industry in the States, but I haven’t shared my findings anywhere. Although the work may be just one step in the thesis writing process, it’s still interesting and important in its own right, and I realize that few people will engage with some of the topics on their own.
What I’m planning for The Maple Sett is that it will serve as a repository of all the work I’m doing for my thesis, and since I want my final thesis to be as accessible as possible, the work done here will also be presented in a way that is as reader-friendly as possible. One of my key principles in my thesis writing process is that the final work ought to be approachable and free of the barriers to entry that many scholarly articles tend to pose to non-academics. I don’t mean this in a way that is an insult to anyone’s intelligence; what I mean is that I personally find the scholarly language employed to be elitist and an unnecessary barrier to entry for people who want to learn. I don’t want my work to be like that. I want my work to be something that belongs to the people, something democratic in its rhetoric.
The main topics I’ll be discussing are rhetoric – specifically the concepts behind democratic rhetoric, rhetorical citizenship, and environmental rhetoric – and local fiber systems, namely in the form of the original California Fibershed started by Rebecca Burgess. I will break down the rhetorical concepts listed above and how they apply to us as people, as well as how we can start to move away from being simple-minded consumers – which we are told we are and encouraged to be for the sake of profits – to active participants in a democratic society. I will describe the Fibershed movement and engage with its tenets in a way that demonstrates its commitment to the rhetorical concepts named and, over the course of the remainder of my graduate studies, illustrate how Fibershed serves as a model for rhetorical citizenship.
The Maple Sett is going to be a place for ideas that support positive change, where people are encouraged to think about themselves as more than what big business tells them they are, and where hope can take root in a world full of negative news and the feeling of smallness. We have the ability to be so much more as individuals and as a collective society, and this is what I want The Maple Sett to lay out. It will take time, but I hope that you’ll come on the journey with me. I hope that each new post will serve as a stepping stone or a building block towards a greater understanding that the words we use impact our thoughts and actions, and that our thoughts and actions are the direct means for positive change. We can shape a better future. It just takes a little work and a lot of new thinking.
Happy New Year.
Sincerely,
Ren
P.S. You’ll also be kept updated on my fiber journey! So stick around if you’d like to learn about anything that has to do with wool and other natural fibers! These posts will address more of the Fibershed side of things and our relationship to our clothing and the everyday textiles in our lives.