Bit on the side: Maria Devereux's Craftivism

After working with Maria Devereux for three years, I know her ‘mind control’ tool kit pretty well. It’s full of optimism, empathy and cross stitched guns.

I've been stitching guns for 10 years now - one piece took me 9 years to complete. I create the patterns from scratch and so far they've always been of guns used in high profile mass killings. My most recent piece was an AR-15, the weapon used in NZ's 2018 terrorist attack in Christchurch. The scale and detail of these artworks mean they require both time and patience. And when I stitch, I can literally think of nothing else or I lose my place in the embroidery and make a mistake. This is where my meditation practice meets my passion for creativity.

Perhaps the most simple and easy to implement form of mindfulness meditation is concentrating on one task and letting the constant mind chatter pass you by - always coming back to the task at hand. If you'd like to try cross-stitching, check out my craftivism kits here http://www.mariadevereux.com/craftism