A strange week...

This week has started off rather strangely, on Monday, workshop that was not all together great and left me with a very uncomfortable feeling. Its a two day workshop and I'm not sure whether to go back for the second one, still undecided on that.

Tai Chi on Tuesday and this week my arms and legs weren't so unco-ordinated, they seemed to actually realise they were related to each other! So my body is remembering what to do, even though my brain doesn't.

I also had an opportunity to be assertive, which felt fantastic. Really standing up for something I believe in which in turn leads to me feeling a stronger person within myself and my own practice.

What a pity I didn't use the assertiveness on Monday at the workshop, next time I will use it in my feet and leave!

Next week is going to be busy and has lots of meetings which I'm quite excited about.

And Relax...

Step by Step Tai Chi - Segment 1

Bit of a reflection...

I have been trying several things on my pursuit of happiness. So far there have been a few disasters, which have just caused me stress. And some successes, swimming has set a whole course of ideas and is possibly leading to a collaboration involving lots of technical things. The demolition of my ramshackle and dangerous asbestos garage has helped immensely, especially with the memories that it was tightly holding onto, these have therapeutically been driven to the nearest recycling centre. The garden has opened up and suddenly my head no longer has a domineering dilapidated building sitting on the left.

Its also willow pruning season. So a couple of trips up to the labyrinth in the Derbyshire countryside have led to long stretches in the cold sun hadve put paid to my SAD and put it away for the winter. I also went along to the Green Hare Willow Group at the local school and while the gardening experts pruned, trimmed and did sensibly stuff, one of the mums (also an artist) and I made stars and moons to counteract the predominatly christian teachings of school. This has also led to talking about partnering for community projects with the lovely and talented Emma Carr.

And then yesterday morning, a Tai Chi class has left me feeling centred and calm despite the fact that my hands and feet do not work in conjunction with one another.

But at the heart of all these activities? Friends and children. They are the main things that have brought me happiness. So simple.

THE PURPLE SHED STUDIO | Project blogs | Artists talking | a-n

THE PURPLE SHED STUDIO | Project blogs | Artists talking | a-n

Memory

This piece is about memory, how some are set and solid and fixed, you can confirm them with dates and photos while others are floating and fragmented, snatches of something, then when you try to share that memory, someone else has a totally different perspective. I grew up by the seaside, surrounded by sea, woods and mountains, this is just a fraction of those childhood memories.

The New Studio

I may have mentioned it, but did I tell you the studio is moving? Its very exciting, to clear the new space, I had to get my old asbestos 1970's garage pulled down and had the exciting fun of men in blue suits wandering around my garden with big sledgehammers. What an ace job, smashing stuff and pulling it down....

So here are a couple of pics of the progress. I've also been researching what to put in its place which is the fun bit. Studio Dog had a practice sit down to try the space out.

Mattieu Ricard

I found Ricards talk very inspiring and relevant to my own current research, he uses the analogy of being at the bottom of the ocean, with the hard rocks as the depression and the being on top of the waves as the high mood, I have been thinking about collaborating with a friend and artist who is a film maker, to do something in a swimming pool that can relate to the halyconic feeling that swimming gives me, that weightless feeling of freedom as you settle our breathing into a rhythm and get into the flow of happiness. So hearing Ricard talk this morning as I cleaned and scrubbed the kitchen, was a welcome relevancy. Does this give the idea of filming in a pool a more critical edge because I can reference a philosopher and buddhist monk? Having never been very big on the criticalness of my own work, it makes the whole happiness project feel more exciting, and ultimately contributes to my own long term happiness.