As most of you may know, I briefly stopped writing due to my mother’s declining health. I genuinely believed that I could pick up where I left off. But I had grown so accustomed to putting my creative endeavors to the side, it wasn’t as easy as I thought, to start up again. Reality can often take its toll on the human psyche.
But one cannot ignore a serendipitous encounter. Upon meeting a lovely woman named Ms. Palmer, we both knew we were going to end up doing something creative together.
You see, her and I have something in common, both our mothers suffer from the same ailment. Watching a parent’s mental state deteriorate is utterly devastating. And perhaps she was the ideal person to interview during this season. Her understanding, patience and encouragement while I wrote this piece was nothing short of kindness.
So, who is Ms. Palmer and what does she do?
Well, for starters, she’s a woman of many hats (literally).
But what’s currently driving her creative juices now, is designing exquisite headpieces.
This form of art has quite grounded her. Michelle’s free spirit has taken her all over the world. But it seems that creating headpieces has enabled her to reach destinations that only imagination could have foretold.
But before Michelle Palmer arrived at her true calling, she took a few detours in this thing we call life.
Many moons ago, 10-year-old Michelle from Oregon already knew that she was destined for a career in fashion. She loved to make outfits and had great fun doing so. However, as a young adult, she decided to pursue other endeavors instead, such as attending an acting school in Manhattan and even becoming a nutritional consultant, just to name a few.
Nonetheless, her heart had other plans.
While studying to become an Ayurvedic nutritional consultant in New Mexico, she met a man from Ireland, who quickly made her his wife.
Falling in love for Michelle meant getting whisked away to England by her new husband.
She was ecstatic to embark on this new adventure. But much to her dismay, it wasn’t London calling, it was NYC instead.
(Couldn’t resist referencing the song by The Clash, lol.)
Ms. Palmer longed to be back home.
As she puts it, Michelle assumed it would be pretty cool to be considered a,
“British housewife.”
But instead, she confided in me that she felt,
“Bored and frustrated.”
She took solace in reading a book by Mama Gena.
The book’s title?
PUSSY
The more Michelle read, the more she felt compelled to return to her old stomping grounds.
The book brought up themes such as, tapping into your “pussy power”.
So, Ms. Palmer decided to do just that, tap into her pussy power.
She got on a plane and returned to the states to join Mama Gena’s school in New York City and learn about the Womanly Arts.
Upon arrival, she felt whole again.
All this time in England she felt as if,
“My life is happening somewhere, without me.”
Leaving her husband was something that she needed to do for herself. Michelle was on the road to self-discovery and deeply wanted to, she says,
“Take control [of her life].”
Learning about pussy power and viewing sex from an empowerment standpoint, gave her a confidence that felt brand new to her.
Ms. Palmer told me she soon decided to,
“Dabble in sex work.”
As a self-proclaimed entrepreneurial sexworker, she enjoyed her newfound freedom. However, it was short-lived after a bad experience.
Not all was lost. Her resurgence of interest in the Big Apple exposed Ms. Palmer to an underground art world that simply fascinated her.
During her escapades in the city, Michelle would encounter fellow artists dressed to the nines.
Inspired by the extravagance of the NYC underground art world. Michelle decided to take an initiative and combine her two passions, fashion and art. What happened next, changed the course of her life.
Michelle Palmer started to create wearable art.
To be more exact, as she puts it,
“Epic headpieces.”
She refers to herself as the,
“Crown Channeler”
Creating tangible art provided a great outlet for Ms. Palmer.
Suddenly people started to approach her and ask her for commissions.
Michelle shared with me that she felt like she was finally,
“Living an artist's life.”
She was thrilled to be back in NYC with the community that has always welcomed her with open arms.
But aside from drawing inspiration from inhabitants of the city,
she adds,
“I have a connection with archetypes.”
Ms. Palmer finally felt like she had found her groove.
When suddenly….
The pandemic hit.
All her newfound joy and hard work came to a halt.
Depression was soon to follow. Being a new mother during this time was rather difficult for her. Even though she had the support of a new love interest, the accumulated stress was simply too much for Michelle to endure.
Ms. Palmer deemed it best to retreat to Oregon.
As she puts it,
“Hideout till this blows over.”
Fortunately, she was close to family during these personal upheavals.
She describes this time in her life as a,
“Dark period.”
Michelle suddenly was faced with a pending divorce from her previous relationship, along with discovering her mother’s diagnosis of dementia. And to make matters worse, she had experienced a cervical cancer scare.
Thankfully, she was accustomed to adversity.
Ms. Palmer explained to me,
“[There] is death and rebirth. Cycles in my life,” she went on to say, “[I am] a new person/many times over.”
And she was right. Slowly but surely, things started to come together again. Once the coast was clear, Palmer chose to be reborn again and return to the place that has always felt like home.
This time New York was ready for her.
Chashama, is an organization that supports artists in New York. Anita Durst, co-founder of Chashama took an interest in Michelle Palmer, thereby providing her with commercial space right in the heart of Manhattan.
Finally, Michelle has been properly acknowledged for all her hard work and dedication that she has put into her craft. She has the space now to freely create and showcase her magnificent art pieces, allowing her to create her own bit of magic. This is something that she has been wanting to share with the world for some time.
And luckily for us, she has been doing just that.
This past September, NYC had one of its biggest events, Fashion week.
She took part in the grand festivities, as some of her pieces made their way onto the runway.
Michelle couldn’t be prouder.
All her ups and downs were no match for her tenacity. She is a testament to not giving up.
Michelle reminds herself to just keep pushing forward. Ms. Palmer told me that what keeps her motivated is continuous self reflection.
Michelle often asks herself,
“What am I going to be proud of on my deathbed?”
Like her art, Michelle is constantly evolving and inspiring. She is always challenging herself to do more.
So thankful to have stumbled upon the lovely Ms. Palmer. Her creativity has yanked me back into writing again. And I am so happy to oblige to the creative Gods.
~TAKEAWAYS~
I must say, viewing, admiring her extravagant head pieces simply does not do them any justice at all. I am in awe of her work. But it does not compare to what it felt like once I wore one of her intricate art pieces upon my head.
I can truly say,
"Yes, yes I did feel like an absolute goddess incarnate!"
Ms. Palmer was so gracious enough to let me try them on, and I simply loved the experience. Who doesn't want to feel like a Disney princess or Villian?
I know I do.
Michelle says that she often evokes these characters herself.
I cannot stress enough how happy I was to enter her world.
Evidently, there are goddesses walking among us.