Sometimes it feels as if we are all hummingbirds; our wings are beating so fast they become blurred. What we can learn from the hummingbird is that when you are constantly moving you are also depleting your energy. In order to keep living a hummingbird must find a tree and take steps to slow down or it will not be able to live until the morning. When this happens it goes into a deep sleep called a torpor. Heartbeat and metabolism slows down and the hummingbird emerges in the morning ready to fly another day.
What does fashion, me and hummingbirds have in common? In the digital and social media world of fashion (which is where I live) everything is coming at you from multiple directions and at breakneck speed. Fast fashion and even faster fashion in the form of capsules and small drops are launched daily and soon become a digital blur surrounded by a haze of blue light. There are not sharp edges to poke you, no discrete sounds and smells and no natural light.
When I start feeling like a hummingbird my “torpor” state is to put on some comfortable clothes, and by that I mean natural, organic materials that allow you to feel their goodness against your skin, usually with a pair of well worn jeans and of late, beat-up sneakers. When Calvin is my photographer everything is taken outdoors in natural light and since he comes from the world of film cameras there is no Photoshop on his computer. His photos are as natural as you can get, without meeting me in person! I return to old but well—loved objects that have personal meaning both about the object and the person who graced me with it. Paradoxically, yet relevant to the topic of this post, I have met all the people, whose objects I am styled in today, in the world of social media. They are the people, who through their commitment to relationships and to slowing down, are reminding hummingbirds like me to perch on a tree.
The sunglasses are from my official eyewear stylist (and now good friend) Sue Randhawa. In the midst of a crazy whirlwind 2 day trip to Paris we both found time to share a meal and catch up. Waiting for her in the lobby of my hoteI I felt jet lagged and weary. Dinner not only fed me some good food but replenished my energy. The earrings were purchased to commemorate an inspiring journey to Iceland orchestrated by another friend. We shared a soak in a blue lagoon and talked about everything in the world. My sore muscles from tension emerged relaxed. The black turtleneck is from a long-time digital friend, Alexander Stutterheim, who inspired by his grandfather to respect what has come before, knows how to make something old relevant and modern as he did with a raincoat and is now doing with John Sterner, a very special knitwear line. Designed as a business and as an object, around values of sustainability and social justice (he has knitting collectives made up of refugees and his own herd of sheep), my sweater reminds me what luxury should be and what makes something worth investing in. Like everything else in life, despite it’s sapping of energy, social media has also brought me wonderful friends such as these who remind me to stop, perch on a tree and slow down.
What’s are you doing when you go into your state of torpor?
I like the word torpor. I see it a world of black and white.
I return to wrapping, at home in an old blanket and when I go out in soft, oversized clothes, nothing sharp. And a big scarf. I suppose it’s a form of adult swaddling, although I need my arms and legs somewhat free for travel, a slo-mo lope to a cafe where I’ll sip a hot drink and dabble in my journal.
I met Sue recently too. We shall meet again.
A lovely life it sounds like.
I felt a bit like a hummingbird when I was in New York last week – beating my wings as fast as I could to experience as much as possible in a short period of time. I so enjoyed the time I was able to spend with people (you included) but a day of social interaction is exhausting for me, so at night, I was retreating to my room with a book, into my own state of torpor.
A book is a wonderful sanctuary, always has been for me.
This post was very meaningful to me today. I’m on my vintage leopard print couch under a soft purple wrap. This is my “torpor” state. Warm and swaddled in my sanctuary. I will put my long list of tasks aside for now so that I will be ready to “fly” once again tomorrow morning. And I love your earrings.
We all need days like that!
Needlepoint !
Super lofi.
Earrings with a story…I love it!!
To achieve my state of torpor, I head to a public garden or even a garden center by myself to do photography. I search for something beautiful or something unique to photograph. My mind enters a different world when I am observing flora and fauna in a garden. I return home refreshed and peaceful, and ready to participate in the digital world again.
If you’re in a state of torpor in the photo above, you look great; love what you’re wearing and how ") I’m a huge fan of natural, functional, and still stylish ")) Thanks for sporting it and sharing!
I try to choose time for replenishment and actually make note in my calendars for it, lol. It’s my way of working to stay in balance and not get sick (else catching some bug forces that slow down). At those times I stay home/no social outings, stretch, read, maybe watch a film, and meditate. A combo of body care, turning inward, and easy distraction or purposeful entertainment ; )
Hi , i’m happy getting to know you and share life’s sparkling moments. I’d liked your hummingbird analogy to life and need for stillness. When I am in my state of topor, I am dialoguing with trees, hearing and dancing to the rhythms around me Wherever I am. It’s a feeling of a vast yet simultaneous stillness and fullness . It’s the ultimate connection with boundless spirit. Elaine Noonan
Those earrings are perfection. You have to be one of the world’s most beautiful women.
You are an inspiration, I love your passion towards life.
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