Dear Friends,
Sitting here overlooking the Pacific, I was wondering why whalers would spend their free time in the art of scrimshaw. I know that is a strange way to start a newsletter so let me explain…
For our anniversary this year we decided to return to the Big Island in Hawaii – a favorite family spot. We had been taking long drives around the island and listening to Michener’s Hawaii – historical fiction at its best. Five hours in and we are hearing the details of life on a whaling ship in the 1800’s. It is a bleak life full of danger and hardship with years away at sea. It turns out that these rugged men would, in their free hours, carve whale bone, sperm whale teeth, walls tusks, baleen, and whatever they could find. It is delicate and painstaking work. They used sailing needles or other sharp tools. They would color their engravings with candle black, soot, or tobacco juice. The artistry is amazing. How was this even possible on a bouncing ship in the middle of rough seas?
I wondered why? Boredom? Something to take home to loved ones left behind? Creating a thing of beauty always seems like a good thing but is there more here?
I went looking for answers and I found some interesting facts. Here are my takeaways from an article by Malaka Gharib which you can find referenced below:
Creativity in and of itself is important for remaining healthy.
Creativity is for everyone.
Creativity helps you imagine a more hopeful future.
Creativity activates the reward center of our brain.
Creativity lowers stress.
Creativity enables Flow – deep immersion in an activity that brings relaxation and pleasure.
Creativity allows us to process our emotions and deal with our troubles.
There is now a great interest in the benefits of any kind of creative practice – art, music, poetry, journaling. You name it. Anything can help, no matter your skill level.
I am fascinated by the fact that those ancient whalers might have been onto something that we all now in our busy, stressful worlds, need to rediscover. Everyday engagement with a dose of creativity can help us navigate life’s ups and downs. It can bring calm and joy when the sailing is rough. We don’t have to be particularly good at it to reap the benefits, although I am sure that producing something we are happy with would bring its own joy.
Lastly, what did the whalers depict? You might imagine they would show rough seas, the horror of the kill, the danger of the hunt, men dying. No. In the squalid whaling ships they carved beautiful ships with open sails, portraits especially of loved ones, flowers, emblems, and whaling scenes. These are not depressing scenes of misery, no, these are happy, hopeful images. Take a look:
© 2024 Smithsonian
© Rafael Osona Auctions Nantucket, MA
© NEW BEDFORD WHALING MUSEUM
Maybe there were many reasons the whalers spent the long hours in this painstaking act of creativity. I like to think that along with the benefits mentioned above, it brought them joy and comfort in an otherwise harsh world.
-MANDY
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