Welcome to the garden - a place of creativity, healing and growth.
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I'm using this Clairefontaine sketchpad for some 'wet in wet' work. It has 180gsm drawing paper so can take a lot of water and doesn't buckle.
It's called a travel album and I think I may have bought it with the intention of doing some painting on holiday. It was sitting on my shelf just asking to be used and the sun was shining...
...and maybe I was thinking about summer and flowers and butterflies.
And there it was. A butterfly shaped accident.
I love when that happens!
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Today Jamie Ridler asks the question "What is your spirit wishing for?"
My wish is simply to believe. In myself, in the goodness of others, that all things are possible, in a creatively fulfilling and abundant life, and most of all in my dreams.
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My recent art class had us working with ink and bamboo pens and I loved the effects so much I came home and ordered a selection of inks and different sizes of pens.
I've been playing around with the inks on different papers using the bamboo pens and brushes. This painting was another of those happy accidents which I love so much. I had initially planned to try doing a very black sky using ink on wet paper. The paper was a bit too wet so the ink ran but it produced what looked like a tree when the paper was turned upside down. It made me think of a bleak and snowy landscape so I did a wintry sky using watercolours and used a white ink pen and liquid ink with a brush to create the snow.
I don't think I would have produced anything like this if I had set out to do it and I am definitely experimenting much more these days rather than working on anything specific. I'm feeling a lot more confident in being able to create my impression of a scene and as a result I'm starting to produce more 'abstract' work. However the art class was great for helping me brush up on my drawing skills while also challenging me to be more expressive.
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A tranquil oasis with trees, waterfalls and bridges, where ducks swim, children play and dogs are walked. Located in a quiet residential area, the noises of everyday life won't disturb you here. There are plenty of quiet spots where you can sit and contemplate, water and birdsong the only soundtrack to your dreams.
The bridges and winding pathways guide you over and around a deep pool which is fed from above by a small waterfall which gurgles and gushes over rocks and stones.
This garden paradise is only a brief walk from our home - we are truly blessed! Today it was sparkling in the sunshine, a kaleidescope of colours. The water was like a mill pond creating the most beautiful reflections.
Sketchbook and pencils remained in my bag as the camera was definitely the favoured medium for capturing all this vibrancy.
The name of this paradise is Johnston Gardens. More images can be found in this album.
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"Today I will sow the seeds of the fruits I wish to harvest by thinking juicy, good, fun, fresh, new, positive, beautiful, loving thoughts." Mystical Sunflower - Dorothy Mendoza Row
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don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
A few weeks ago after finding this site I put my first happy post-it note on a door in the ladies' toilets at work. It's still there and has brought a smile to a few faces. It was fun hearing the girls talking about it and wondering who had put it there - eventually I confessed!
Start your mission today.
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My daily mantra is fast becoming 'trust the process'. This was something Shannon told us on the first day of the Inside Out e-Course, that there was no right way of doing it and we had to trust the process. This is my second time doing this course but it was only during the third week that my eyes fell on those words again and I suddenly realised what they meant. Today during my messy attempts at creating journal pages I have repeatedly said those words to myself ("just trust the process Jennifer"). Too often I get hung up about things not being 'right' or 'perfect' so now I remind myself that I'm only having fun, doing a bit of collage, making brightly coloured pages for my journal. It's no big deal. In the past I have ripped up a lot of artwork I didn't like, things that if I'd only trusted the process would probably have worked out OK if I'd just kept at it. That was my lesson today. To keep going even if I didn't particularly like the rsesults I was getting, to trust the process and see what happened. Now I see that trusting the process doesn't just apply to my artwork but to my entire way of life. In all things, I must learn to trust the process.
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Well the Inside Out e-Course has now finished and I'm starting to have withdrawal symptoms! Missing my daily dose of reflection and creative fun. I would love to do another one but time, money and a digital photography course have put paid to that plan.
Anyway, Shannon (our inspirational guru and course organiser) has put together a montage of all the course participants' creative efforts from the four weeks and you can see this on YouTube
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You
must love yourself before you love another. By accepting yourself
and fully being what you are, your simple presence can make others
happy. –unknown
I
re-read that second sentence several times before I really understood
what it meant. This morning, for a brief period, I really felt I was
fully being what I am. A joyous, giving being, full of love and hope
and happiness. I felt that joyous energy bubbling up from inside me,
making my heart swell. It caught in my throat because I had to fight
the urge to open my mouth and just let all my love and joy pour out.
In what form I know not – laughter, song, a yell! I was sitting in
my favourite café, taking time out on my way to work to enjoy a
cappuccino. I had bought a cup cake for my friend to cheer her up
(this café does amazing cup cakes), the sun was shining, the coffee
was doing its stuff and the life felt good.
Today I am focusing on giving and receiving but more importantly on loving myself. As the quote above says, we must love ourselves first before we can love another. My creative e-course is helping me to dig deep, to reach inside, and discover (or should that be re-discover) who I really am.
I'm no expert but I know one thing. If you are filled with doubt and negativity, don’t consider yourself worthwhile or deserving of good things, if you are self-critical, angry or bitter, then it will not be possible to give lovingly to others.
It is incredibly difficult and scary to look inside yourself and see what is really there. All that dark horrible icky stuff we don’t admit to. Those traits and characteristics that we dislike so much in other people? We’ve got them too. Once you start looking, I mean really looking, shining a light in to all those dark corners, the dark stuff starts running for cover. Thing is, there’s no where to run. It’s been exposed to the light and dark stuff doesn’t like being in the light. I’ve shone the light on a lot of nasty stuff lately and it wasn’t nice to see. I wanted to put the cover back over them and pretend they weren’t there. But I had seem them and I knew I had to admit that yes I’d had those thoughts, I’d felt those feelings, I had been that awful person. But I also knew that inside me was lots of lovely stuff too - compassion, love, gratitude, passion, creativity, respect, generosity, joy, positivity, belief. An abundance of beautiful virtues, thoughts and feelings. Then I realised that if I could think and feel all that negative stuff with no real effort on my part, then surely it was just as easy to stop, reach inside and choose one of my happy traits instead.
So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm learning, day by day, step by step, to stop and examine all my negative thoughts and just find a better, nicer thought instead. Hey, I'm not perfect and I'm not saying it's easy. I still have times when life can threaten to overwhelm me and all seems pretty bleak. But I'm learning to accept that too, and to know that at least I now recognise these moments for what they are and that I can choose to change how I feel. In a heartbeat. How powerful is that?
Incidentally, my day just got better and better and the more positive and happy I felt about myself and my life, the more I found that nice stuff kept happening. As for journaling, I think I am becoming seriously addicted!
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On a very warm and sunny day while visiting New Abbey in Drumfriesshire we came across the New Abbey Artists Workshop. Phil, one of the artists, was happy to spend time chatting with us about his work while he sweltered in his workshop - a metal shed the outside of which is painted in many colours. His partner Roz makes Batik pictures, wall hangings and scarves in a summer house in another corner of the garden. Roz only gives demonstrations at weekends but Phil was able to show us the basics. The workshop is crammed full with his paintings and ceramics as well as Roz's Batiks and when we visited he was also sharing the space with one of his six cats (Pipin?), a very affectionate black & white feline who didn't like to be ignored! I knew I wanted to purchase something but there was so much to choose from. In the end I chose one of Roz's framed Batik paintings of a small black & white cat which seemed appropriate. I explained that I was an amateur artist who had a similar work space in our garden and that it was my dream to be doing what they were doing. Phil asked if I had sold any of my work. Of course I was now able to reply in the affirmative (see my previous post) and he said in that case I was now professional! Phil & Roz have a website showcasing their work but their workshop in New Abbey is definitely worth a visit and you can be assured of a warm welcome from artists and cats alike.
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"Nobody else knows your reason for being. You do. Your bliss guides you to it. When you follow your bliss, when you follow your path to joy, your conversation is of joy, your feelings are of joy -- you're right on the path of that which you intended when you came forth into this physical body."
Quote courtesy of Abraham Hicks
How many of us can actually say that we are on our path to joy, that we are following our bliss. There are brief moments, heck I would go as far as to say there are even whole days, when I know I am on that path and bliss is my companion. Most of the time however I find I'm way off the beaten track and stumbling through a fog. Sometimes the detours can be interesting but I always feel bliss calling for me to get back on the right path. More and more I am starting to listen to my guide.
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Like many children in the 1970s, I loved watching Tony Hart in Vision On and Take Hart. As a child who loved to draw and 'make things', Tony Hart was my hero. He made art accessible and he made it look fun. He was definitely an inspiration to so many young artists and I am sad he is gone.
One regret is that I never did send in one of my drawings for display on the 'picture wall'. Although I understand that Tony Hart's website is still accepting artwork for display in his online gallery so I guess it's still not too late.
Thank you Tony for making me believe (and for Morph).
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There are two days in every week about which we should not worry,
two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.
One of these days is Yesterday with all its mistakes and cares,
its faults and blunders, its aches and pains.
Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control. All the money in
the world cannot bring back Yesterday.
We cannot undo a single act we performed; we cannot erase a
single word we said. Yesterday is gone forever.
The other day we should not worry about is Tomorrow, with all its
possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise and its poor
performance; Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control.
Tomorrow's sun will rise, either in splendour or behind a mask of
clouds, but it will rise. Until it does, we have no stake in
Tomorrow, for it is yet to be born.
This leaves only one day, Today. Any person can fight the battle
of just one day. It is when you and I add the burdens of those
two awful eternities, Yesterday and Tomorrow, that we break down.
It is not the experience of Today that drives a person mad, it is
the remorse or bitterness of something which happened Yesterday
and the dread of what Tomorrow may bring.
Let us, therefore, Live but one day at a time.
Author Unknown
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I am so pleased to hear that Yvonne Innes and Olivia Harrison have been awared a Silver Gilt at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for their garden 'From Life to Life'. This specially designed garden was inspired by the life of George Harrison - I particularly love the Indian pavilion which represents the spiritual aspect of his life.
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"I'm a personality as well as an actress. Show me an actress who isn't a personality, and you'll show me a woman who isn't a star." Katharine Hepburn
When we talk about celebrities and personalities today we are usually referring to a television soap star or a contestant from a reality show enjoying their fifteen minutes of fame. Once upon a time actresses (and actors) were celebrities in the truest sense of the word. They were larger than life personalities who shone so brilliantly they were called 'stars'. Katharine Hepburn was one such star of stage and screen with a career that spanned seven decades. A talented actress who was by far the most decorated actor of her generation with 12 Academy Award nominations for Best Actress and four wins in the category. She was also nominated for four Emmys. She died on the 29th of June 2003 at her home in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. She was 96.
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WhiteSpace is a local art workshop run by the City Council's Arts Development Team. I stumbled across a page about them on the Council website about a week or so ago during a google search for local art classes but the information there was well out of date. Then last night I was flicking through our local free newspaper (which I don't normally do) and there was an article advertising the latest programme of art classes at WhiteSpace!
I knew they would be very popular so phoned first thing this morning. As I expected most of the classes were fully booked already but they did have a jewellery class starting in January which still had places left. Now synchronicity definitely played a big role here. Surely it was meant that I would find this course at this particular time... So I didn't hesitate and booked a place there and then. It's a ten week course for beginners. We will be working with silver which is exactly what I'm interested in.
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Woke this morning feeling quite down and worrying about what I should be doing with my life, whether I should stay in my current job or take the leap and do something completely different. Last week I had tentatively put my toes in the water regarding becoming a Virgin Vie Consultant but then immediately pulled them back out again as my confidence plummeted.
However, in the short space of a couple of hours I have phoned my Reiki teacher to arrange a hypnotherapy & motivational coaching session, exchanged emails and phone numbers with a consultant from Virgin Vie about having an informal chat over coffee this week, and spoken to a recruitment agency about dropping in sometime with my C.V. Of course this time next week it's quite possible that for all my plans I'll be right back to square one again as far as my confidence is concerned but at least I've done something.
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I am currently reading "The Creative License: Giving Yourself The Permission To Be The Artist You Truly Are" by Danny Gregory
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newly mown grass
insects buzzing
the warmth of the sun on my skin
the first local strawberries
the fresh new green leaves on the trees
a cloudless blue sky
lemonade
children’s laughter
a picnic blanket
being woken by birdsong and sunlight
washing blowing in the breeze
warm sand between my toes
eating outdoors
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I was doing a bit of satellite channel hopping yesterday and came across the Painting and Drawing Channel. So I stopped and watched a 20 minute programme on watercolour flowers by Jeremy Ford. His demonstration of 'wet on wet' was excellent - very easy to follow and a complete joy to watch as his painting of poppies unfolded. 
The programme gave their web address at the end so I've had a look at this and printed out the programme schedule for the coming month. I really want to see more of this artist doing his stuff - he's a great inspiration! Also Jeremy Ford's watercolour flowers series is also available on DVD and can be purchased from the SAA shop (Society for All Artists). Will try to make room in the budget for this next month.
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I am reading the 'Angel Bible' by Hazel Raven and have discovered several fascinating facts about Archangel Raphael. I have always called on Raphael (and other angels) when I practice Reiki but I didn't really know why. However, I did know his name means "God heals" and that he is the angel of healing. Since reading the Angel Bible, I now know that Raphael is also associated with Spring (my favourite season), Wednesday (the day I was born), the zodiac sign Virgo (my birth sign) and the planet Mercury (ruler of the sign of Virgo). It's no surprise that he also appears in my favourite book, Miss Garnet's Angel by Salley Vickers!
Raphael grants us many gifts, including joy and creativity. He encourages self-motivation to become who we are meant to be. He is also the angel of communication (I am calling on him right now to help me convey this message!). Raphael spreads love and laughter and delights in helping people. I am reassured that, despite being an Archangel, anyone can call on Raphael for help and we don't need to be psychic or have any special powers to do so. We just need to open our minds and our hearts. Synchronisities are the angels' way of letting us know they are there. Thank you Raphael - I've got the message.
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I have been looking for a jewellery course for some time but it's always been difficult to find one with a time and location that suits, not to mention being too late in applying! I stumbled over Wire Sculpture a while back and bookmarked it because I thought it looked like a 'goer' at some stage in the future. I was drawn to it again the other day and read some of the testimonials. With a view to the summer house being ready by May, I am starting to plan the kind of activities I want to do there and certainly jewellery will be one of them. I've initially signed up for Preston's free 7 part e-course and weekly newsletter but will certainly be thinking about buying his CDs in the near future.
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I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity. Gilda Radner
I long for the perfect ending. If a book I’m reading doesn’t have an upbeat conclusion, I feel let down, cheated somehow out of the “happy ever after” that doesn’t exist in real life but that I look for in fiction.
Perhaps it has a lot to do with the fact that I’m a perfectionist, or should I say a recovering perfectionist. I was, and still am to a certain extent, a real stickler for everything to be just right, nothing out of place, to always have the perfect ending. But you don’t half set yourself up for disappointment when you try to control and organise every aspect of your life. I learned that the hard way. Of course, life isn’t perfect. Deep down I knew that. It didn’t stop me trying though.
Today, I can accept life and all its imperfections (although not without a struggle!). I wouldn’t want it any other way. Life can have moments of desperate sadness and terrible tragedy but equally can give us moments of sheer joy and untold pleasure. We definitely do have to make the best of what life deals us. To learn from the past but not dwell in it, plan for the future but live for the moment. To look forward, not with fear or dread but with anticipation and hope.
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"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life's realities." Dr Seuss
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There’s no doubt that most of us spend a lot of time dwelling on our weaknesses. We regularly beat ourselves up about all the things we believe we are no good at. If we could only apply the same amount of time and enthusiasm to praising our strengths!
A colleague received a mailing from the Centre for Applied Positive Psychology which is a new organisation promoting the science and practice of positive psychology. The pack contained several cards with a word or phrase on each, and a comic representational drawing on the reverse. We decided to do a quick exercise with the cards to identify what we thought our strengths and weaknesses were. Thankfully, of the two piles of cards we chose, the one representing our strengths was bigger! Our choices were similar. We had both picked ‘social intelligence’, ‘perspective’ and ‘humour’ as strengths. I had also picked ‘creativity’, ‘kindness’ and ‘spirituality’ as my strengths. Interestingly, we had both picked ‘love’ as one of our weaknesses. Not that this means we are completely incapable of feeling or giving love. We just felt we didn’t express it as well as we could and this was something we wanted to work on.
This was an exercise that definitely got us thinking about how little we recognise and acknowledge our strengths. I am particularly inspired by the suggestion on each of the cards about starting a daily ‘Strength Journal’ where you record three occasions during the day where you displayed that particular strength.
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In the beginning...
Dharma in the Garden is being created. Watch this space!
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