The Crochet Renaissance

Welcome to the first post of my blog! The image above is my crochet Lotus Bralette. Usually for items that I present with a collection and theme, I go all out for it. In the description of this item, I wrote that the lotus flower in many different cultures symbolizes purity, enlightenment, self-regeneration, and rebirth. It is used an analogy for humanity: when the roots are growing in muddy waters, the lotus grows into the light to be a beautiful flower. This is a very fitting representation of this new venture.

Just for an introduction to this blog, which is also launching with my new summer collection, I am going to talk about:

• A brief get to know me

• What this blog is about

• The significance of crochet

Get To Know Me

My name is Shorenay but I like to go by Shore. I launched my Etsy shop named "LOVESHORE" selling crochet clothing, design and accessories on December 20, 2018. You can read more about the story on my shop by visiting my "About" page. As a recent college grad with a business degree in 2018, I spent my entire summer studying for the LSAT for the second time because I wanted to raise my score. My summer in 2018 was filled with intensive studying and going to the beach, but something was missing from my life. I wanted a creative hobby to dive into to fill this post-graduate void I was feeling.

I used to knit when I was a child but found crocheting to be too difficult to learn. I learned off of knitting and crocheting books and couldn't quite grasp the written concept for crochet. I was a visual learner. This lead me to abandon the hobby as a child. Since this is a brief get to know me, I will definitely write more posts that dive deeper into who I am as a person which includes my creative journey. Stay tuned for those posts as well.

As a college business student, what was missing in that department was what I craved most: creativity. I didn't fit into the boring, mundane, staring at balance sheets all day lifestyle which furthers the reason why I didn't want a corporate job.

Working for a corporate firm wasn’t exactly the path I wanted to go down and at the time I was betting my chances on getting into law school (which taught me a huge lesson on learning to slow down) right after getting my bachelors degree. K-12 for me was a constant grind. College was also an even tougher grind. Everything felt non-stop and I just never rested.

I got waitlisted for law school in a city near the mountains of SoCal awaiting for me to give the green light for full commitment but it would be another huge financial investment. This means that I would have to take out more student loans. Upon receiving the news, not only was I jumping for joy that I was recognized and wanted by a law school, but I was also hesitant to jump at the opportunity immediately.

Since I am a child of Cambodian refugee immigrants and lived in a minority community that is also struggling to survive, opportunities weren’t easily within my grasp. I got this far through work hard to be qualified but within this step, I didn’t have the financial opportunity to make it happen. I wasn’t going to take shady shortcuts either. Law school is a business and it’s a Socratic seminar type of teaching. Scholarships for graduate school is much more competitive than it was an undergrad. High intellectual logical performance is what’s sought after, financial commitment to maintain the school’s funds is also another.

I decided to not pursue the offer. After many months of gathering all of my application files, getting letter of recommendations from professors, writing ten different personal statements and applying for a courthouse program, I searched my soul to answer these questions: do I really want this? Am I ready for this? I trust that it’s all in God’s timing.

This decision was actually a blessing in disguise. I pictured my life going to law school to be a financial burden that I couldn’t handle. If I went to work and save up money for tuition, it would of been the same as delaying my application for the future. If I went to school especially during the current state of the world right now in 2020, it would be a struggle to keep up with it despite how highly organized and high-functioning I am as an individual.

This gave me time to rethink about my path in life and what my purpose is. It gave me time to think about my role in the world and to do what I never got to do: rest and recharge. Am I really tying my entire identity to educational accomplishments and a job working hard for someone else? How do I avoid becoming the Asian-American model minority? How do I avoid assimilation? Am I going to be desperate for financial security? What is the bigger picture in of all of this? What really matters right now?

My experiences haven’t ripened completely, but I knew exactly what I want and what I stood for. I made the decision to work for myself. Fortunately, I was in the position to make this possible. I knew my worth and potential. In 2018, I took everything that I learned in my life thus far and got to creating from scratch with $12 in my bank account. I bought three balls of yarn for inventory, practiced crocheting on 99 cent yarn, and studied the e-commerce business. I was diving into uncharted territory for myself. I never felt more alive in my life and I felt like I was getting started on this great big adventure. A fire inside of me ignited and for the first time in a long time, I felt the passion reviving inside of me.

The birth of LOVESHORE is definitely a labor of love.

Within 2019, I ran my shop and instagram account for the first full year. I had ideas planned, new opportunities to take, and a foundation to lay. Ending the year celebrating my shop’s one year anniversary, I enjoyed the holidays with my love ones and had written in my planner my 2020 goals for my life and the shop. But for all of us, 2020 took a different turn...

With a pandemic, Black Lives Matter movement, and many countless events going on in America, I had to take a step back and immediately tackle in helping the main priority. While fulfilling orders, I was making sure I did my part in activism. I try to avoid virtue signaling as much as possible. Performance activism is not my intention. So the focus isn’t what I did, what matters is that Breonna Taylor’s killers are arrested, George Floyd’s killers aren’t easily getting out on bail, Elijah McClain gets justice, Vanessa Guillen gets justice, and many countless others are getting the justice they deserve. Yemen is also facing a crisis, trafficking is being exposed, and the election is getting near.

On the outside, it may have looked like I ghosted my shop’s instagram account only to give updates on orders out of respect for my customers and for that I apologized. I tried to be online as much as possible but just to be clear: I have multiple accounts that I’m also managing. So trust, I’ve seen those reposts hundreds of times and bookmarked it for resources.

What This Blog Is About

The creation of this blog was a result of these events and a way for me to communicate everything. I felt like it would of been a disservice to give a half-ass performance and only focus on doing one thing. With that being said, there are a lot topics I want to write about actually! I’m pretty excited about the content I plan to share as my audience continues to grow organically. I’ve thought about how much I want to say on certain experiences, observances, and information. Instead of spamming my Instagram with long captions on my thoughts or finding posts to repost, writing a blog can get all of it out there.

Writing in the past has given me a voice on several occasions and it is therapeutic in a way. There are going to be a wide range of topics I am going to be discussing that will dive deeper into my mind, who I am as a creative, and my commentary on the crochet world as well. Essentially, the purpose of this blog is to give a “behind-the-scenes” look into how I run my shop and give insight into my creative process. I can't spill all the beans just yet. Stay tuned for more updates. ;)

The Significance of Crochet

I was listening to a podcast by WeCrochet Podcast (Episode 2) that talks about the rich history of this craft. What struck me the most was the mention of how crochet used to have this reputation of being a hobby that is made with cheap yarn and ugly designs. The yarn industry mainly market to the knitting niche and there wasn’t any influx of design inspiration, crocheters or any discussion on crochet patterns that is popularly desired. I've seen so many beautiful crochet designs by many talented crochet artists that I was shook that crochet had this past reputation.

What is now emerging is a rebirth in crochet. When I was working as a vendor at a booth for my community’s student organization event, a friend’s mother talked to me about how Cambodians before the Khmer Rouge genocide used to have many crochet artisans. Crochet has been around for hundreds of years and it has been expressed in so many different styles in many countries. I’m astounded that even my own people also crochet and knit.

I was surprised to learn of this at the very event that is made to talk about our heritage and it’s relevancy today. For those that don’t know, my parents were refugees during this historical period where many artisans and intellectuals that were considered “against” the Khmer Rouge regime’s horrid ideologies were murdered. There are several articles, film, speakers, and documentaries that covers this subject with a simple search. Feel free to do some research.

Whether crochet is free-handed or following a pattern, crochet in itself is an art form. I've seen so many talented new crochet designers that are emerging into the scene with a pride that they are artists and fashion designers as well. And I am so glad to see that. The reputation and image is shifting regarding crochet and I'm excited to see the potential. We are now entering a renaissance age within the crochet community. And I am so happy to be part of the artists that are leading it.

Renaissance (n.): a revival of or renewed interest in something.

- Merriam-Webster dictionary