The four elements, particularly the relationship between earth and water, have played a central role in my summer journey. With vast regions of Canada grappling with devastating wildfires, my thoughts have been consumed by the power of water and the desperate need of the scorched earth for its healing touch.

Where I live in central Canada, we were often shrouded in a thick blanket of smoke from the fires, and weeks without rain left the grass withered and the soil parched. When the rain finally arrived, it was a blessing, both for the earth beneath me and my anxious soul. As I embarked on my millinery journey, I was, and still am, a farmer and the earth holds immense significance for me, as does its relationship with water and its many forms. Without both of them, working in unison, life as we know it would cease. No plants, no animals, and no us. It is with this relationship in mind, that I was inspired to bring water to the earth, by creating a headpiece inspired by the dance that occurs when the two meet.

Whatever form water takes, whether it is crashing waves along the shoreline of an inland sea, in eddies around the breakwater of an ocean pier, in the bubbles and froth that rain makes in puddles on the ground or as it boils and churns along fast moving rivers, the earth is always waiting for water and with my headpiece I strive to close that gap, bringing water to the earth.

“Earth Waiting for Water” was inspired by the form that water takes when it makes contact with the land. The colour and shape of the design represent the abstract form of waves breaking on the shore.

Note: Entries have been not been edited or proofread to protect the integrity of the maker's original meaning.