...mind mapping...   Mind maps are my go-to ritual for developing ideas. A quick visual starting point for getting thoughts on paper and connecting dots. I do one at the beginning and end of the year, each month, for planning adventures and for exploring creative themes and projects. They help me to gain perspective, align and connect my thoughts and determine which direction I want to follow, as well as for summarising experiences. I love the visual pathways they create and how they become art themselves.  Mind maps are playful tools that you can experiment with. A few keywords can tell a story, make a pattern and connect ideas. The possibilities are endless! These examples explore themes, outline yearly and monthly goals, track challenges and summarise a road trip. I have been mind mapping for so long that it is second nature! If you fancy trying it out, get creative, colour code, try digital versions or even word clouds...there are a multitude of resources and inspiration out there to find.    On a different kind of mapping adventure, I clocked up some impressive numbers this week...how epic is that!
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It's hard to pinpoint the moment when routines and habits become lost in the ether. A year has gone by, a year of presence in places and spaces, brimming with movement and activity which I have documented here and here. So I've managed to be present and absent simultaneously, guided by creative urges, my constant wander/wonder lust and varying degrees of desire with connectivity...well, at least the online kind. Roaming these amazing landscapes, being physically and mindfully present in the moment is always inspiring, despite any challenges along the way. If I can use one word to sum up how I've been feeling recently, it is gratitude. I am regularly flooded with the sensation of overwhelming gratefulness, an amazing sense of freedom and love of life. How incredible is that! My road trip, camping and hiking adventures are filled with wide open skies, curious clouds and spectacular light shows, all of which feed my creative soul. I always take a creative kit with me, sometimes minimal for ultra light ease, often overkill when car camping. I'm still learning that it's better to take certain things and perhaps not use them, than not take them and wish I had! Plein air creating is a peaceful and pleasurable extension of the many photos taken and I've started using 365 days of creativity by Lorna Scobie, full of prompts and ideas that are helpful for experimenting with materials and techniques that I'm less familiar with. Stitching and bookbinding are surprisingly portable forms of art that only require a few basic supplies to make simple projects. Since January, I've made two interstate trips, explored around 10 national parks, walked many kilometres and did my first solo multi day hike, swam in picturesque rivers, waterholes and the sea, seen beautiful sunrises and sunsets, visited galleries and exhibitions, participated in fun workshops and met wonderful people, listening to audio books and playlists as the odometer approaches 600,000 kms! Like slow stitching, my pace is slow and steady. I can move quickly when needed but I'd rather take my time, be safe and soak it all in...what a truly enriching and empowering experience and so much more to come! In 2022, I was a recipient of a CASP grant through Orana Arts and Create NSW, which enabled me to embark on a community arts adventure and create a vessel for the community of Wellington in NSW. Much like it's sister project, vessels of creative connection, the focus is on encouraging public participation and contribution, however, this vessel remains in one place and collects stories, in any shape or form, from the residents, all about their personal connection to place. During regular visits, I explored Wellington and surrounds, mapping out my own personal journey and connection to place through the natural environment, research and by meeting and talking to locals. It was certainly a wonderful way to discover the town and gave me plenty of time to consider and reflect upon what place means to us individually and communally. As the vessel slowly gathers stories, I can only hope and imagine the rich connections that will grow and piece together, a bit like a patchwork quilt! Wherever you are in the world, what is your connection to place? How would you describe where you live? Let your senses guide you: looks like, smells like, tastes like, sounds like, feels like? What are your favourite places? What is the colourscape? What natural elements stand out…native flora and fauna, symbols, totems? How does it make you feel? What emotions does place evoke for you? How did you arrive there? If you gave a visitor a guided tour, what would it consist of?  ...soul singing & heart weaving... Singing the song of your soul... The invitation this week is to think about how you can express the song of your soul. What wants to be created through you? What light, love and magic are you weaving, or wanting to weave into this world?  Last year I joined a writing challenge called #writeyourheartout, offered by Alvira Publishing. Recently, I received some copies of my little collection of poetry! Amazing to hold it in my hands! 🥰#bigmagic #poésie #vivecréativité #wanderlust #creativewriting #metissagedecoeur #amotissé #heartweavings What does your heart weave and what dream have you realised?  Creative communities, creative challenges, creative connections
#the100dayproject #minibooks #100petitscarnets #metissagesdecoeur 42 days have already passed since the 100 day project began. The last time I joined in was 2019 and I got about half way before slowing down... I am using up my scraps and stash, making mini books for mini shelves and receptacles. I’m finding it is a great way to use my resources too, perusing the pages of bookbinding books, testing projects, trying new bindings and experimenting. What project would you challenge yourself to do for 100 days?  Restrictions February and March have found me understanding just how much I take my body for granted. I have been experiencing lots of joint and muscle sensitivity and soreness, which has me limping and hobbling about, moving carefully and even slower than what I already do! I was feeling overwhelmed, so I took time off to reduce the build up of activity, have seen the doctor and done some tests, but it wasn’t that helpful. Likely, it is the ageing process, though I feel too young to be stiff and hobbling! Will gather other perspectives via naturopathy and a close friend who practices Ayurveda. In the meantime, I’ve been reflecting on how much my body supports me and how distraught I’ve felt when it hasn’t worked normally! How do you move around each day? How does your body carry you? I’m in awe of my feet, wondering how two small body parts carry the rest around!? So this is the moment to imagine an ode to your body and the movement it allows you everyday. Write, draw, paint, sing your praise... We don’t thank it enough.  Inundating... Sometimes we feel overburdened, like we are drowning in work, activity, demands and expectations, so we are familiar with that sense of inundation. However, not all of us have lived through the devastation of natural disaster. Incredibly, over the years, in different places, I have experienced a serious earthquake, lost a home and all of my possessions in a fire and dealt with the clean up after rising river floods. Nature certainly reminds us that we are not the controllers of this world. It is a harsh reality, leading to introspection... When have you felt inundated, literally or figuratively?  Moved to distraction...
What does it mean to be distracted? How does it feel? Is there a pattern and, if so, what does it look like? Does it come back full circle? Draw, write, design your distraction flow chart... wabi sabi, asemic writing, slow motion & pilgrimage...   WABI SABI... There is something enticing about imperfection and though perfect symmetry exists in nature, it is ephemeral, transient. I am drawn in by the traces of time, the rustic passages of life, the signs and stories, the patterns of use and love, we leave behind, in our actions, our makings, our bodies Looking around you from all angles, find the magnificence in the flaws and hidden poetry in the beautiful imperfections of your life. Document it and share it with us.    SLOW MOTION... I am slow and steady by nature, so if I’ve been feeling like I’m in slow motion, then my default mode has shifted to snail pace! Even my creative interests have moved to slow stitching! Though a part of me feels the pace needs shaking, there is something incredibly comfortable about this slow passing of time. What is your default mode? How many gears do you work on? What do you think you would notice if you changed pace? ASEMIC WRITING... It seems peculiar that we can create meaning through meaningless mark making and yet, that is what asemic writing does in fascinating ways. Art is abundant in abstract meaning and often, the meaning is found in the action more so than the outcome. In my explorations of slow stitching, boro and calligraphy, I have discovered incredible examples of stitched and written asemic mark making. In some respects, it reminds me of my childlike attempts to write like a grown up before I knew how… and now, we wish we could reproduce such free, uncontrolled work! Grab some supplies, close your eyes and make some marks, imagine your own alphabet, make up a language or simply scribble with abandon… then translate it for us all to experience. “Ideally, a human life should be a constant pilgrimage of discovery. The most exciting discoveries happen at the frontiers. When you come to know something new, you come closer to yourself and the world. Discovery enlarges and refines your sensibility.”
— John O'Donohue I’ve ruminated longer than usual on thoughts for the new year; however, one word has been persistent… pilgrimage. There are things I need to do and though I’m not completely sure what they are, I know they are all forms of pilgrimage. Be it creative, spiritual, mental, physical, or social, the above quote sums it up perfectly. So map out your journey, quest or personal legend…what does pilgrimage look like or mean for you? P.s In April I'm doing a section of this walk...pilgrimage indeed! be bold, things i love, dream plantscape & slow motion...Let's start another year of writing/creativity prompts with style... Holidays are an extra excuse for piling up the books and I'm making the most of it! Books provide me with an infinite supply of inspiration and learning! (also lots of distractions...) Let us count the ways in which we can be bold! Style, fashion, body adornment, choices, words, actions, being you... I've always liked to mix things up and do things my own way. Exploring and experimentation lead us to magical places...though it's not always easy. Write about your boldness, you know you want to!  This is simple...make a list, write a piece, create a collage of things you love. Browsing through this lovely coffee table book, reminded me of the simple pleasures of looking at things you love! Do you have a comfy nook filled with treasures? Need inspiration? Check out my Pinterest board below. https://www.pinterest.com.au/amotisse/choses-que-jaime-bien/
I'm a huge fan of forest bathing and never do enough of it. Fortunately, there are many ways to get a regular green fix without having to be in the middle of a forest. Backyards are great, even windows with green views, and if you are desperate, just looking at pictures of trees and forests is soothing!
The Healing Power of Plants by Fran Bailey has inspired me to explore some indoor plant-scapes and this little marimo water garden dream plant caught my fancy! There are some lovely textured and mindful suggestions, with luck, suitable for a hopeful gardener like me! What is your dream indoor plant-scape? Perhaps there is already a jungle chez vous? Patches, wonderful words & heart weavings
Quite sometime ago, I was inspired to make quilts for my kids using their old favourite childhood t-shirts. It’s been an ongoing project that was finally delivered yesterday, as unique personalised Christmas gifts, that capture their youthful tastes. The craft of patchwork has been around for a long time and emerged, I imagine, out of necessity before developing into an art of its own. There is much to be admired in patchwork; figuratively, metaphorically and aesthetically. I often feel like a patchwork...I keep adding more pieces to myself as time goes by. What does/would your patchwork look like? Can you describe it or create it? Artémis and Armand turn 19 next Sunday, so as I reflect on my own patchy self, I hope they will wrap themselves up in colourful childhood memories and begin to make new ones to add to their future selves.  Earlier on this year I joined a writing challenge called #writeyourheartout, offered by Alvira Publishing. In November, I received an email letting me know that my little collection of poetry has been published! I’m feeling quite chuffed and excited to have realised a dream in my own small way 🥰#bigmagic #poésie #vivecréativité #wanderlust #creativewriting #metissagedecoeur #amotissé I would love for you to check it out, it’s available as book or ebook via Amazon and Apple iBooks 😊 What does your heart weave and what dreams have you realised? Wonderful words You don’t have to be a linguist to appreciate the sound of a word, even if you don’t know it’s meaning. Some words have a certain feel in your mouth, the way they roll off the tongue, they just feel good.
My appreciation for words developed enormously while learning French and I enjoy discovering the origins and connections between languages. I even have a Pinterest board dedicated to words https://pin.it/2zUJlmG This lovely book has beautiful illustrations and interesting information about words and the world we live in. What words are special to you? Do you know any untranslatable words? Last night the rain rolled in and continues down pouring today. After years of heat and drought it is wonderful…and weird, as water streams everywhere, puddles turning into ponds and creeks appear in unexpected places. Will I be able to get through the road dip tomorrow? Some roads are already closed. Busy-ness is what best describes these blurry 3 months. A 4-week lock-down moved right into 2 weeks of school holidays…which were filled with unexpected library shifts, online courses, creative activities, artistic collaborations, then back into term 4, which is now halfway through. It feels there has been barely space to breathe in between! Around me, I notice I am not alone in feeling weary and fatigued. Seasonal changes, weather, and the strain of pandemic anxiety over the last 18 months has worn us ragged around the edges, whether we realise it or not. As December approaches, it’s almost eight months since I last saw family and friends on the coast. The strange thing is that time is feeling slow and fast, and though things have been busy, I feel like I’m suspended in slow motion; doing, yet not doing, simultaneously…lets do the time warp again! During this time, I have been…
Wonders, wild women, loving kindness & Ha(nay)ku​
World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments
by Aimee Nezhukumatathil This world is full of wonders. Some manage to capture them creatively through song, dance, words, images...this book Reads like a dream Like floating on a breeze transporting You there Exotic sensual funny An astonishment indeed. ​ …to sense their presence on this earth… …to be forever altered by an invisible kiss… In this world of wonders, how do your senses serve you or do you serve your senses? How have you been altered? How are you astonished?
​​ wild women Growing up lost between the pages of books means I fed myself on fairy tales, fantasy, myth and folklore, (still do!) Studying and reading tarot has awakened the princesses and goddesses within… I’ve been pondering feminine archetypes and sensing my wild woman self, craving forest pilgrimages! I'll be finding my copy of Women who run with the wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes for a fresh perusal. What princesses, goddesses, queens, muses, poetesses do you identify with? Who is the wild woman within you? Do you know her well? How will you rewild your spirit soul? Just for fun, discover your wild self here with this quiz… I’m a medicine woman! https://untameyourself.com/quiz/#gref Interesting information here: https://medium.com/@ibtisaamahmed/greek-goddesses-and-the-wisdom-of-7-feminine-archetypes-e06e51843ebd 
A year of Loving Kindness to myself
by Bridget Lowry “It is never just an ordinary day. It is a never-before and never-again moment, a day of particles moving through space, arranging, and rearranging themselves in ways mysterious, terrifying and miraculous.†Often unable to see ourselves as we truly are, We knowingly or not, succumb to self-sabotage… And yet, if you were to re-sculpt yourself, Beginning with acceptance, Taking your time, Moving into precious posture, Opening your arms wide to everything, Letting yourself feel, At ease in the flow of life, Perfect, just so, Having, being enough, Appreciating, enjoying, Who would you find? Who might you become?
Hay(na)ku
Magnitudes of poetry are found in the simplest of spaces. While staring out the window, walking, driving, under the shower, reading a book, listening to music or washing the dishes… if you imagine each breath poetically, you will be breathing poetry before you know it, because it is already there, everywhere, you need only feel it, ​in the simplest way you can. Ally @loveletters_ransomnotes shared this inspiring morsel on IG recently, see her post below and set your imagination sailing as you hoist your own hay(na)ku. ​ |
AuthorFor me, it seems there is not much difference between wondering and wandering. It has always helped me find inspiration. Creative dabbling is good for the soul, I couldn't imagine life without it and often surprise myself by what I come up with. Archives
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