Change

"Change is the essence of life.

Be willing to surrender what you are

for what you could become"

 ~ Reinhold Niebuhr

The canvas piece below use to look a little different. The butterfly shape was collaged with multi-coloured papers. I wasn't liking where it was going and so it sat on the shelf for months.

Recently I decided it was time to do something with it. However, I was unsure what to do. I laid it on the studio table and over many days kept looking at it, wondering, could I salvage it somehow? After considering many options I eventually settled on keeping the basic butterfly shape but covering up the paper collage. I decided light modelling paste would be perfect to give it texture and a raised effect. As I got my supplies ready I began to doubt my decision. What if I made it worse? Should I cover up all the work I had already put into this piece? 'What if's' were bombarding my thoughts. I walked away from the studio.

The next day as I was going through a box I came across this quote (above) that I had written on a piece of paper a while ago. I instantly knew what it meant. It was time to surrender.

And so I began working on the new butterfly. The texture was just as I had imagined. The colouring with pan pastels and soft pastels was just what I needed to allow the new butterfly to emerge.

This piece is titled 'Awakening'. As I allow change to occur, as I surrender,  my soul awakens and is given freedom to become what it is meant to be. Freedom to emerge.

Happy New Year

Yes I know it is February. Yes I know it is exactly 42 days since we began this new year. But I haven't been here and it feels right to begin my first blog post for 2013 with a Happy New Year.

So again I say Happy New Year to you, my blog readers.

So what have I been up too.

Here in Australia we have just had our 6 week summer holidays. For our family it was a glorious, wonderful time. We went adventuring in Tasmania. Something Steve and I had longed to do. We saw so much, experienced so much and we ate so much. Well not too much. Just lots of yummy Tasmanian goodness. 



 Devonport, Tasmania 

 

Cradle Mountain.

 

Freshly picked raspberries

 

View from our beach shak in Strahan

  

West coast



Dipping our toes into the Great Southern Ocean.



Hobart

 

Lake St Clair



Donaghys Hill



Richmond Bridge



Yummy goodness

 

Tasmania Red Salmon.



Hobart from the top of Mt Wellington.

  

 Swinging Bridge over Hoen River

 

Snow on Mt Wellington.




Pick your own berries at Hillberry Farm.



Sausage from 'Gourmet Farmer'  Matthew Evans.



Cataract Gorge, Launceston.

 



Devonport.

   Creatively I had planned on sketching my way around Tasmania. I packed some art supplies with every intention of sketching and painting as we went. It didn't happen. Instead I took ALOT of photos. Hundreds. Actually no, it was probably more like thousands. It was glorious. I journalled as well. Each day I journalled our adventures, what we saw, what we heard, tasted and felt. I wrote down ideas for art journalling pages and I did rough sketches as ideas for later art projects. Oh and I collected things too. As in rocks, shells, leaves, more rocks, more shells. It was wonderful and inspiring. Did I regret not carrying out my original plan?  Not a bit. It was as it should be and I am very happy with the outcome. I am now wonderfully inspired, my heart is full and my soul has been nurtured. I am ready for all that this new year will bring to my creative journey.

The rest of our summer (when we were at home) was spent swimming, playing, watching/playing cricket and tennis, reading, watching movies, eating, visiting family/friends and hanging out in the studio. It was relaxing, soothing and very comforting for our souls. We had time to be present, to see, to breath and to enjoy one another and the world around us.

The kids are now back in school, Steve is back at work and its time for me to come back to real life. That is always the worst part. After spending so long together and being free and less rushed it is always difficult to say goodbye and to resume real life again.

Having said that, our real life does have room for freedom and space. We don't always rush about. It is just that I have to be much more intentional about it. During the summer it comes easily and naturally whereas during the school/work year I need to be aware of the busyness and the numerous opportunities that present. Opportunities, however good they are, come a knocking more frequently than one would like or need. Busyness sneaks in and before you know it you are barely catching your breath to keep up.

Part of my role is to create boundaries and allow space. Sometimes this can be hard work and in and of itself, exhausting. This is probably why I love the ease at which spaciousness occurs over the holidays.

So, as we begin a new year, I challenge you. How will you make space in your everyday real life for just breathing, for seeing, for creating space? Will you allow the busyness and endless opportunities crowd your life leaving no room for what nurtures your soul? Will you be intentional about what you say yes and no too as you look after your soul?

Remember, your soul matters.

In the absence of words

Where have you been you might ask.

I have been here.

Doing life.

Plodding along.
Sharing adventures.

Working through lists.

Lots of lists.

So much stuff is happening.

Lots and lots of stuff.

Some difficult stuff.

But mostly good stuff.
Lots of good stuff.

And yet despite so much going on

I feel meagre of words.

The words are just not there.

My emotions have been overloaded.

My heart is just overflowing with so much.

I do feel things deeply.
I always have.

I cry at everything.

And I do mean everything.

And of course that is okay.

Lately my heart is feeling tender and

a tiny bit fragile.

Not much and the emotions

are there.

My heart is so sensitive right now.

Everything feels so raw.

I am overwhelmed.

And it is all good.

So good.

Despite the absence of words

I feel rich, healthy, open

and aware.

I see so much

and

get lost in the deep meanings

of my surroundings.

It really is so good.

Very, very good.

 I leave you now with some images.

Images of my everyday.

Images that share a tiny bit of my story

when my words cannot.



Love notes from my 8 yr old.

      


Love notes from my creator.



My oldest child turns 14.



Burying Tim's caterpillar that never made it into a butterfly.



Older brother helping younger sister whilst she writes her first article for the school newspaper.

Early evening picnic at one of our favourite local spots - top of Mt French.

  

Saturday afternoons watching my older boys play cricket.

 

Another day in the bush. This time exploring a creek near Mt Maroon. 

  

Love that the kids still have their childlike wonder. Here they are playing with the tadpoles.

   

Us on another adventure in the bush. Our playground.

 

Loving the patterns in the sky.

  

So proud of this boy. Winning the top academic prize at school.

 

A beautiful view whilst at cricket training.

 

Happy Birthday to my soul mate.

A special night away to celebrate a special man's birthday.



Celebrating another successful school year and the start of our summer holidays.

                                                                             xx  Joanne





Open to beauty.

I am surrounded by beauty.

With eyes open I can see beyond

the bare earth,

the cracks in the ground,

the brown, almost dead, grass.

Even in these sparsed conditions

I can see beauty. 

Just like earth

our souls are beautiful too.

Even though we are sometimes

bare,

cracked,

brown and dull

we are all

beautiful.

We just have to open our eyes

and look.

We have to open our souls to accept what is there.

I challenge you to look around you right now.

Notice what you see,

 hear and feel.

Look down, up and sideways.

There is beauty.

You are surrounded by beauty.

Now look at yourself.

Can you see it??

The beauty.

Your beauty.

You are

beautiful.

Your soul is

beautiful.

                                         xx  Joanne

Moving forward

 

Over the past 3 months I have had a bit more time to sit, think, dream and wonder.

As I have allowed myself space I have had more clarity of thought, more openness to what the future holds and wrestled with ideas and visions.

The realities of my life and the desires of my heart have been something worth exploring. 

Of course I still don't have all the answers.

I still don't have everyting mapped out neatly and organised perfectly

but I do have a bit of a plan as I move forward
along my creative journey.  

It started with re-arranging my studio.

I want to teach classes.

I want to share stories and inspire others to nurture/discover their creative selves.

And I want to be able to do this in my studio space.

The problem was my studio space really only accommodated 2. And that was a stretch.

So when my husband and I started talking about some other renovating plans my mind starting ticking and I could see how my space would be perfect if only I re-arranged it a little.

There was no need for new walls or even a new room. Just a tweak here and there (well a bit more than that) and it was done.  Didn't even need to buy anything new.

My studio is still small. But it is now more spacious, brighter and equipped to hold small classes.
 My vision??

 An intimate group of creative or 'want to be' creative people gathering around the table and sharing our stories and our art.

The second part of the plan was to get myself out there.

Not just locally but globally.

I registered for an on-line class called Flying Lessons and met some new and creative people.

 This wonderful group of creative people has been inspirational and encouraging.  

I have recently been approached by one of my new creative friends

to share my creative journey on her blog.

Her blog, called  I'm a Creative Late Bloomer, is all about celebrating and sharing the stories of those who have discovered their creative talents and abilities later than normally expected.

I am excited to be sharing my creative story

and hope that by doing this others will be inspired to explore their own creative self.

(I will share a link when my story is published).

It is still early days.

My dreams and visions are not going to come to fruition overnight.

But I am inspired, encouraged and excited

 to be moving forward

and building upon the journey that I continue to travel.