It's Sunday morning... I should be preparing the roast chicken now, before the day's heat sets in and makes using the oven both unbearable and unthinkable. But I'm sitting at the table my husband made and writing this note, while listening to an album that's always induced me (a non-dancer!) to flit around the room like a tipsy, uncoordinated butterfly. That's the power of Art.

Art... it can bring a smile to your lips, send chills up your spine and draw tears from your eyes. It creates a place to escape from your fears and sorrows and allows you to travel to places, real or imaginary, that you'd never in a million years have seen through your own mind's-eye. The invitation to visit the world of a musician, movie maker or other artist's soul is an offer of transcendental proportions.

The music I'm listening to is complex... it's mostly joyous though, at times, it spills into hauntingly melancholic strains. It's a finely embroidered piece of work and the skill to play so masterfully will have taken many years' dedication. The compositions weave a web-like bond between the artist and his listener that's deeply personal and moving. He will have spent countless hours, never knowing whether he'd actually succeed in connecting with a single listener... placing all his hopes and energy... his heart and soul... into his craft.

This musician's creation has brought me tremendous pleasure and, as a designer, I understand the vulnerability of his work. We're both weavers and embroiderers, he with melodies and sounds... me with colours and shapes. We both depend on the integrity of our audience to protect our work and provide us with 'an honest day's pay for an honest day's work'. Ofcourse, the tangible devices through which artist's transfer their imaginary worlds from their minds to ours (CDs; pieces of paper; DVDs, etc.) cost pennies. As blanks, however, these items are neither entertaining nor informative. It's the content that, although priceless, must be given a quantitative value. A value which will sustain the artist and his family in order for him to continue his, and our, journey.

The next time you reach for a tissue as the movie ends; that your feet tap uncontrollably as you listen to a piece of music; that you thread your needle to lay in a few more stitches... please remember that Art is created by people. Actors, screenwriters, costume designers, set directors, lighting technicians, stunt performers, cinematographers, special effects experts, animal trainers... singers, songwriters, studio musicians, print artists, back-up vocalists, producers, studio and equipment managers... and yes, needlework designers, who've laboured long and hard to create the experiences we all enjoy.

Please help protect artist's copyrights... Thank you

P.S. The album I'm listening to is "Kiss the Earth" by Johannes Linstead.