I went a bit mad on journals while I was away…I found so many that I fell in love with… I will be putting some on the website soon, but here they are on our Pinterest site, if you would like a sneak preview…just click on the link below…
https://www.pinterest.com/BlackBoxArt/black-box-art-studio/
There is a bay, not far from here. If you like, you could say it is the site of an old dump. If you prefer, you could call it Glass Bay, known locally for its beach covered with sea glass, the beautiful result of bottles crushed and smoothed by rocks and ocean waves then covering the sand in a shiny and tiny glass and pebble mix underfoot.
There, I found this. Amongst the debris, junk, ruins and discarded waste of yesteryear that is now now falling down the cliff into the sea…it was too big and heavy for me to carry back up the steep rocky beach cliff, so I had to make do with admiring its design. There was something sentimental and romantic about its rusted and washed up presence on the beach…I just loved it.
PS… If you are reading this I will take it as a good sign that you can still find my blog…I have had to convert back to my word-press domain and address for this blog. I am building my website using my www.blackboxartstudio.com address for that forum……..Hopefully you will hang in there while I get everything connected, and running properly….please have patience with me.
I haven’t been blogging, sorry. I have been caught up in a project to collect together family photos and compile them into a book of memories. I found that after assorting such a pile of images of our life over one year, I realised three important things…1. how busy we are, 2. how much fun we actually have and 3. how much we had forgotten! I was sad that I had not recorded these memories anywhere apart from on my hard drive. My children have grown up in the era of on-line images, social media, digital images (stored on computers) and do not have many albums of memories of their childhood. I am going to fix this in the old fashioned way – with an album.
So, in the spirit of remembering and memories, here is one of my very first images I posted on my blog. A shot taken from my inspiration board in my art room. It still inspires me with its reminder to just “start something”.
Believe:
In yourself.
In the goodness and kindness of others – strangers, acquaintances, family and friends.
That things will turn out fine. Maybe not how you expect, however.
That you will achieve your dream.
It was the first time in seemingly ages – that I had some time to get out my journal/mixed media supplies/paper collections, and just open my journal and play around. I let my mind wander, and I was trying to not over-think anything and just see what developed. This photo is part of an entire page, but I especially like this little composition.
I have been thinking a lot recently – thinking about thoughts…About how our thoughts affect our feelings and then in turn how our emotions then affect our actions. I have also been thinking about how they are all linked and entwined. Each one seemingly reinforcing the others in how we think, feel and ultimately act.
Like many of us, especially those with a disposition toward creating, it seems, I can easily slip into quite negative thoughts about my creative endeavours which in turn affects my feelings about my art and ultimately my own self. This in turn then affects my actions…my thoughts and emotions sabotage my efforts to succeed…my actions can actually reinforce the negative thoughts and feelings..it can be a vicious negative cycle and hard to break out of.
These pages from my journal are a snap shot of some of my recent thoughts about this process from our thoughts to feelings through to our actions. I realised that I was in fact my own worst enemy. I realised my destructive thoughts were directly affecting my actions toward achieving my creative goals. The challenge now is to make change. Here is a snapshot of some of my thoughts expressed creatively on some of this…
Happenstance, meaning Chance: A chance circumstance or chance encounter.
Meeting someone and in an instance feeling like you have spent your whole life waiting for them, or having an unexpected experience that changes the planned trajectory of your life – that’s Happenstance and it requires being brave and open to new experiences. .
But happenstance (chance) gets a bad rap these days… “Don’t talk to strangers. Don’t take unnecessary risks. Plan everything. Be organised. Be consistent. Take the low risk option. Play it safe. Take the safe route. Be reliable, etc…”
But there comes a time for most of us when you just have to follow your heart. Sometimes you have to follow your gut instinct. Or trust a complete stranger. Or take a different path from everyone else. Or offer a stranger assistance. Or do something that really isn’t rational or sensible but somehow makes sense to you in that moment.
Sometimes life really does change direction on the strength of a comment, a glance, a missed train, while waiting at a bus stop, with a strangers smile or a kind offer. Happenstance. My latest word for my collection of words, quotes & musings.
What is individual style? I have been thinking about this and have come up with a few thoughts about it. To me personal style transcends your home, your studio, your art, your creative endeavours. They are all just manifestations of your style. Your style is you. It is what makes you a unique person on this planet. Style is a reflection of your genuine self, your expression of who you are. Style is understanding who you are and being extremely at ease with that.
Your personal style is partly what others see, it is your art and your creations, your thoughts expressed, your home, and your community. As I think about this I see images from my home, my art, my studio and my journals – all different but threads of the same things – old symbols (hearts, circles, crosses), text and use of letters and words, old patina’s and vintage finds. Trees, beaches, bridges, buildings, houses all feature in my style, as does finding old nests, collecting sea-glass, rocks and shells, quirky finds and birds, horses, growing food, and history all interest me. Writing musings, journalling and playing with mixed media, painting big abstract paintings and trying to do photography everyday are my style. Noticing things others might miss and finding beauty in everyday things are my style. My style is thinking in interconnected circles but writing in bullet points.
Your style is also how you live. Being a mum to four kids will always be my first priority. That’s my style too. Like many of us, I am juggling everyday – the divergent needs and demands of a large complicated and blended family, working to earn income, running, and try to find space in my day to create, fitting in all the other messy stuff in between, that’s my style too.
I am a mother to three boys rapidly moving into that strange place between being men and boys, and one 4 year old princess fairy. A writer and keen blogger. I am a runner. I am a photographer. I am an artist. I am creative. I dream of Italy and of visiting Europe one day. I dream of living closer to the land, but also (ironically) closer to the city centre and so I can smell and hear the sea. I dream of my three sons as babies and wonder at their journey into being young men. I love my pink, sparkly princess who has in a thousand different ways saved me from myself through this process with her enormous smiles, delicious cuddles and piles of charm, giggles and songs. All of this, is part of me.
What has running got to do with style? Running is very much apart of who I am now, after I put on my trainers one year ago exactly and ran to the first lamp post then walked the next two. I run to clear my mind, to think straight, to have my body hurt in a good way. I run so no one can see tears occasionally. I run to have a few precious moments when no-one needs me. Running gives me space to plan, dream and plot. It takes time but it also makes me more creative and more efficient. I also see things that I don’t see when driving or distracted by tasks and errands. They are all part of my style.
Is style is the only thing you have left when you strip everything back to its barest state. Or is style is an individual and original point of view delivered with confidence? Or, the culmination of all the parts of a life brought together? Or is style really just having curiosity, a sense of spirit and confidence in yourself?
Familiar sights are reassuring. They give us a sense of home, of belonging. But sometimes they become taken for granted, and are not appreciated for their beauty because the scene has become so common to us. Perhaps Parisian’s feel that way about the Eiffel tower also? Because of this nonchalance, we may long for fresh views, new sights, and different experiences. But sometimes we just need to step back and the see the same thing with fresh eyes. We can think about the familiar sights and how they might seem to a person who has not seen them before or recall how we feel when we have been away, look from a different perspective or view point, or instead of looking, use other senses…there are a million ways we can encounter the familiar in an an familiar way and experience our familiar landscape again for the first time.
I found the image of the garden path…it led me to a thought about people who come and go in your life and those who stay…The question I had was…who will walk with me..today? And in the future?
Some people come and go in your life and that’s ok. What matters is not who walks the path with you when it is wide, smooth, and clear for miles but who is also there when it gets narrow, rocky and hard to see.
Black Box Art Studio 
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