Trends have always been impactful, but they are more so in our digital age. Our local newscasters now report on what is trending. This seems to have replaced real news. The message is if you follow the trends, you are significant. And if you don’t, you are nobody. How did this happen?

We live in a society that judges others based on clothes, shoes, hair, teeth, and whether they are a copy of someone rich and famous. It’s such a shallow way to live, but hard to avoid.

On the other side are those who want to become the trend, who want their product to go viral, and want others to follow them. There is a constant push and pull between the two.

Well, I confess that I am not trending. I am shamefully out of sync. I’m a homebody, play classical music, am involved in my church, and I sew. Really, who does that?! Definitely not cool, and a whole lot of boring.

Perhaps someday the tide will turn, and people will become tired of copying others. Wouldn’t it be great if doing what you love and being yourself was the trend? We would live in a world where people feel free to follow their own instincts rather than the likes of others. People like me wouldn’t have to hide or feel the need to apologize for not doing what everyone else is doing.

Why wait? I now resolve that moving forward, instead of confession, I will proudly proclaim: I am not trending, I am SO not trending! In my art work I push ahead to boldly make what interests me and brings me joy. Ignoring the trends, I make for me.

Non-trending fabric was deliberately chosen for use in this quilt.

Proclamation