Aplotita is a small act of rebellion against the blindness to the value of seemingly ordinary things

I’m not questioning the beauty of complex things. That’s not the point. However, I believe we’ve become intoxicated by grand and unattainable things. We’ve become prisoners of the possibilities and choices that surround us. We want to live two or even three lives at once. For me, creating jewelry from pebbles found on the beach is a way of celebrating my commitment to the path I’ve chosen. I don’t want each new pair of earrings to be better, more beautiful, or more intricate. I simply want to share the beauty I see.

I’ve tried many things, searching for various hobbies and jobs. What was really going on? It was, in part, a fever-like pursuit of the new, the exciting, and the unknown. Don’t get me wrong, dear reader. This process is important. Through searching and wandering, I built self-confidence. I realized that I can find my place anywhere and with anyone. My travels and life’s adventures have made me ready to take on new challenges. They’ve also made me blindly chase excitement.

Amid the immeasurable chaos of recent months, however, my heart kept returning to moments of the smallest joys. I gazed at mountain slopes blanketed in a quilt of colors; I listened to the sound of the sea, singing me a lullaby to sleep. I collected pebbles and watched the smoke from incense sticks dance in the last light of day. The time has come to honor my love for simplicity and to stay true to it. For does an idea that isn’t put into practice have any value at all?

Aplotita is my struggle against the expectation of perfection that paralyzes my creativity. It is a test of sticking to the choices I’ve made and a practice in respecting life’s energy. I refuse to let my life pass by dispassionately because of an inability to make decisions, caused by the feeling that I’m missing out on other possibilities.

In this project, I allow myself to be simple and natural. I know nothing about the stones I collect. I collect them because they’re pretty. I collect them because it gives me pleasure. Let this project be something I can delve into gradually. Over time, I’ll likely gain knowledge about stones, materials, and new techniques. For now, however, I trust myself and allow myself to appreciate the first step—simple and unsteady.