loominary
just keep swimming (+ weaving!)
How an olympic-bound swimmer developed a quarantine altar ego as a fiber artist- meet Natalie Hinds.
Everyone has a quarantine story.
Natalie Hinds was dealing with a lot of uncertainty ahead of the 2020 Olympic trials. Would they happen? If they did, how would she perform? What if she failed?
To cope she turned to an old friend, weaving and punch needle. She first discovered this hobby 1 year prior to calm her nerves ahead of the US National swim meet. (The 3rd biggest swim event of the year for professional swimmers behind the World Championships and the Olympics.)
“I was so bad at it,” Natalie recalls her first time weaving. The competitor in her was eager to improve. She loves a challenge. She started to post her creations to Instagram to show off her new talent, never expecting someone to offer to buy a tapestry from her.
“I warned them that I was a novice,” Natalie laughed. As an athlete, she can be hard on herself.
weave like its your job
“When I moved back home with my parents during quarantine, that’s when I became really obsessed with weaving,” Natalie says. Her jam packed schedule that was often full of 2-a-day swim practices felt a little more free, and she had time to research different patterns and connect with other fiber artists.
She treated weaving like her job. “My routine during lockdown was wake up, workout, eat breakfast, weave, eat lunch, weave, eat dinner, weave, go to bed,” Natalie recites. “I would look up and 3 hours had gone by. It was so cathartic.”
BLM series
But weaving calmed more than just her athletic performance anxiety. The events of the summer of 2020 following the murder of George Floyd forced Natalie to confront uncomfortable truths in such a raw and unfiltered way, including her status as a black woman competing in a predominantly white sport.
50% of Natalie’s limited BLM series proceeds benefited the EJI network, an organization dedicated to providing legal representation to America’s most vulnerable, wrongfully sentenced individuals.
Natalie takes pride in her different weaving style and approach. She gravitates towards bold textures and vibrant colors, and enjoys challenging herself to try different weave patterns. “I think about what I would want in my home when I’m creating,” Natalie explains. “What would I want to look at? I don’t create anything that I wouldn’t want to keep and put on my wall.”
Her latest design experiment explores tapestry techniques on canvas (pictured above).
yin and yang
Loominary was named for the weaving loom, inspired by a luminary or light that comes from nurturing our passions and caring for our mental health. Weaving quiets the small demons in Natalie’s mind; the ones that make her question her ability and potential as a professional athlete.
“There are two different sides to me,” Natalie says.
“I’ve never nurtured the artistic side. Athletes are probably creative people but they don’t have the time to let that develop. They’re creative people if they have the energy to be.”
What else has Natalie learned? That other fiber artists “are the nicest people on earth.” Connecting with this community was an unexpected perk of her new hobby. She loves sharing and getting tips from all of her ‘fiber friends’ that she’s found virtually.
“ I live a very interesting life,” Natalie admits.
After reflecting on her time as a college athlete at University of Florida, her attendance at the 2016 olympic trials and a 2 year stint post-graduate at a marketing firm. No matter what she’ll continue to put her own spin on things. In the pool and out.
Follow Loominary on instagram and keep tabs on Natalie’s 2021 Olympic swimming journey. Order online to customize your original Loominary creation, and get $10 off your first order with code NOVEL.