How did rural living get to be so exciting! When I started to blog in 2011 I didn't have a plan or any idea where I might be going. In my work life I had chosen to follow an activist path rather than an artistic one. Gradually over the those years, I began returning to creativity. What I never would have predicted was that I . . .
Creativity, imagination and happiness.
It was 2010, I was a bit tired and depressed about the world. The every day news seemed to reduce everything to the fact that human nature was ugly and hateful. Politics was hopeless too, having worked for social progress all my life, change seemed to happen at a snail's pace. Suicide was on the increase, many young people had nothing to . . .
Listen to your own soul
It's hard to stay on track with what's authentic and enriching for the soul. At times everything gets out of whack. Since our economic crash we have lived with the challenges of stagnation and lack of opportunity. We dealt with it all as best we could. But now? Enough already. Time for new dawns and gaudy . . .
Foxgloves in June
It's been a busy time. The sun came out and that drew blossoms, bees and foxgloves into it's light. Then, against all the odds, it came out the next day too, and the day after that. And the sun is still shining as I write this. It is unusually fabulous weather in Ireland. Himself and myself keep ooohing and . . .
Calm and creative
“There is one spectacle grander than the sea, that is the sky; there is one spectacle grander than the sky, that is the interior of the soul.” ― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables On Thursday 12 May I will be opening an exhibition for photographer Kate Quinn in Ardkeen Hospital as part of the Healing Arts Trust project. . . .
Long before it happens
"The future enters into us....in order to transform itself in us.... long before it happens." William Beveridge Time is beginning to play tricks. It gallops along at a right old lick and then slows into stillness. I love the idea that the future enters into us, to transform us, long before it happens? It is a . . .
There are shifts and changes at play
There are shifts and changes at play. A tattooed family gazes into the distance. Their whole stance creating a question. Yes, there are shifts and changes at play. Like what the future will bring for us all and for our vulnerable world? Like what makes sense for a contemplative photographer in these days of high alerts and lock downs? Like how to . . .
Underneath the surface
Some towns were barely touched by the "boomiest" boom Ireland never had. Today a small dog, waiting for his master to return from the match, is alone amongst empty shops, messy paint jobs and abandoned petrol pumps. Some buildings change hands every few months; go from being a sweet shop to being a cafe, and back again. But other shop . . .
Midlife and the great unknown
In the middle of the road of my life I awoke in a dark wood, where the true way was wholly lost. Dante Alighieri David Whyte has a great image in his audio set, Midlife and the Great Unknown. He describes the moment when you are at the end of a project or when you have settled your affairs. You finally tidy up the house, make a cup . . .
Where does creativity come from?
The highest goal one can achieve is amazement. ~ Goethe My first design experiments involved selecting snails along a narrow garden path. Lining them up in rows, I would talk kindly and invite them to take part in games. I would be their big sister, telling them stories and giving them . . .
