Alice in Wonderland

The inspiration for my fall collection

My battered very old copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass.

The extra doodles by my own kids actually make me smile, Alice in Wonderland was created by stories told to 3 girls Lewis Carroll came to know.

The preface I read to you is perfect at the Outset of the Early original editions.

Maybe it's more meaningful to Adults, but knowing that it was Children who urged him to write and capture the joy of their moments together adds more magic to an allready magical tale.

The story was written in the Victorian era, and books and stories were for learning. The strong emphasis of NONSENSE was necessary for the evolving generation of minds. The acceptance of the Topsy turvy nature of Life as it was, not as the Adults would overwrite. The world and us humans have never been perfect, and making room for that is important.

I recently renewed my love affair with the Star Trek world through the new TV series. It started with ‘Picard’, then ‘Strange New Worlds” and ‘Discovery’.

(Yes, my next month or 2 will be rewatching all the movies and series 🖖❤️)

Imagine my delight when the main character in ‘Discovery” starts quoting the Book during a high stress chase scene. Alice in Wonderland plays a pivotal role in the strength of character of Micheal Burnham and her foster brother Spock. I full on cheered on my couch. The Book was read to both Micheal and Spock by their human mother Amanda. She chose that book as way to reassure her children that there was a way to cope when he world degrades to nonsense. Definitely a relative theme in our modern era.

I feel the new version of Alice would be a story that helps children accept that the prevalent Apocalyptic and Burning Earth narrative is not a barrier to Dreams, Imagination and Wondering.

The new generation is growing up under a lot of pressure to leave childhood behind to early. Being an Adult doesn't mean you suddenly know how to make everything better. But allowing ourselves to dream and develop creative ideas thoughts and futures does offer us a source of strength and hope for our future.

The First recording I read at the top of the page is often omitted in the adapted editions of Alice in Wonderland, but I love it! The acknowledgment of the fullness of life, that our gifts we aquire in childhood take root inside us and are given new life as we grow. Alice's sister sees Alice in turn inspiring children in her future. She sees the Creative impulses in her sister as a wonderful thing.

Thank you for reading!

-Maja xo