Ah The Sea!

When feeling displaced it is good to return to the Source..not to be mistaken for the Sauce!Like i often do..to forget you understand.
New patterns are emerging and it is easy to forget one's sense of place in the world.A groundedness in earthly things that is..nature and all that.
So to the sea!I get this terrible sense of guilt sometimes,knowing that i have this natural spectacle before me at any time i choose to remember it!Like that place within us which we never have time to'get back too'.Always something else to do.Must get busy,at least,'feel we are doing something'with our time.And so it is with me.Not easy to relax knowing i have this powerful force just a stones throw away.I think the force of nature is what raises the fear of insignificant ramblings in me..for what is the point of our human existance? It serves me best to feel that i am as an extension of this natural force,to be inspired by and reconciled with.
Perhaps in relation to the natural elements we humans have to be more assertive.When relating to each other we create meaning to hold onto?So what about our relationship to nature and the natural world?
Lots of question marks today..and so the tide goes..in and out,ebb and flow,stormy and calm,shallow and deep.So when you are feeling 'all at sea'remember your proximity to the source..ah the sea!

A good servant but a bad master !

These are the pertinent words that i received from a friend today.And indeed i concur with their sentiment..I recalled my recent sense of feeling incarcerated by my own thoughts and the trappings of an overractive mind!Any feeling that becomes intrusive may require attention but not to the detriment of all else..and i think this is the lesson..don't allow your heart to be overruled by your head!

Nothing much was overuling my body today!It was in deep revolt having stirred up viscous inks for printing yesterday.My old nemesis the 'tendonitis',flared up again and rendered me useless.In particularl my shoulders and elbows..a shiatsu massgage(pre-booked wisely!)remedied the immediate problem by relaxing the muscles in my body,pretty much everywhere!This however had the impact of what i can only imagine a lobotomy must be like!Total shutdown,mental and physical!Ah now,'the path of least resistance'principal springs to mind!But not at 1pm today when it might have ben useful.All i could do was try to resist,when i should be 'letting go'!
Evenyually i did work out how to relinquish my sense of protestant guilt!and just crashed out for an hour!
I awoke thinking of T.s Eliots Four Quartets and in particular No's One and Two..In my beginning is my End.. and..Time present and Time Past are both perhaps Present in Time Future..All relevant thoughts in relation to my sense of displacement from my body which i felt i had taken leave of!
Fortunately the'presence'of mind returned eventually and i am now able to recollect these moments with utter'consciousness'and affection!
Or maybe i have entered the twilight zone after all...
Signing off in perpetuity..!!!!!

Let your spirit move you..!

This is my third blog in as many days and it is the voice in my' head ' that is compelling now.
Like other things that become'conscious', i start to wonder about their value and meaning .
The same is true of painting pictures. As soon as i think, "i know how to do this" and proceed to carry on,just as soon that clarity can dissapear.?.This question mark signifies that the process of life for me is not straight forward. And on the contrary, when the journey seems straight forward, the more demanding it can become!
It is in the process of doing that i become aware of how 'conscious' i am. If i am not conscious or in touch with what i am doing,the more i fidget and berate myself. The more 'feeling i have' or 'consciousness' in what i am doing, the more acceptance i seem to feel. At least in that moment!
It maybe a fragile state, but this still' feels like the place to be','teetering on edges of feelings',close to perfection and close to disaster at once!
Today was such a day!
I don't know if Suki was experiencing my sort of 'proximity to disaster', but she very much helped me to stay in the creative moment. By being present and integral to the mechanics of the process of screenprinting(which is what we were doing)
I do feel that 'presence' and 'mindfullness', can bring clarity and acceptance to the passage of life and work.
I should add that the screenprinting process requires a clear focus and some understanding of the mechanics of technique, important for making good prints!
But i'm not here as a technician, but rather to say that 'your presence of mind' does allow your creative spirit to move and i hope your spirit moves you..constantly!

Don't take Liberty for freedom!

I took the decision to plan ahead for today.This may seem unusual for those Not at Liberty to plan their days but in my profession that is the choice i am at Liberty to make...the fault in this planning was the' Not planning' for unforseen circumstances!Subsequently my planning ahead was scuppered and i was left with a head full of plans of which none could now be applied! At this point i decided to' pump the tyres on my bike'.At least this was a constructive use of a reflective moment, whilst my mind was 'deconstructing' then'reconstructing' the mind-set i had already established..and to my minds credit(and not always the case)I have to say i was relieved at the way 'we' handleed the sudden change..I say we, as of course that is the dialogue i often have with my rational and irrational selves! On this occasion the rational triumphed,well at least temporarily.So the day was re-constructed,the tyres were pumped and the Studio finally beckoned!To this artist after a lean period of productivity the prospect of a studio day has been full of intrepidation as well as excitement..it can be a fragile line between balance and imbalance, ecstasy and anxiety, pleasure and pain if you will!
But hey that's the deal right!
Incarceration is as much the world of a creative mind as of any other..
Like i say don't take liberty for freedom!

Inspiration comes if only you listen! Oh and look!

I decided to start this blog today as a series of events and messages have Inspired me to do so..It seems that the human spirit 'is alive and considerate'!A good friend called today to let me know of the arrival of two Italian Traveller's to our shores in Whitstable, en route to Istanbul! When i met up with said friend it was approx 3pm with tide in recession. There stood on the foreshore a delightful Sailboat, lovingly crafted with it's two animated inhabitant's Giacomo and Jacopo happy to engage.The spectacle of their arrival and learning a little of their purpose for travelling by boat, had a striking resonance with me. In this time of grounded aircraft,Volcanic fury and the lame political overtures about saving our endangered planet.It was inspiring to meet these two men of substance, prepared to put themselves 'out their' and by their own steam,to make a point that we could all do with paying a bit of attention to.You can do that at least by tuning into their blog manontheriver.com and following their progress.
I am currently in the throws of exploring 'my own voice', my writing voice that is! Another friend has suggested that i have a certain something in the way i write,i felt encouraged enough to explore what that something might be!I have no formal idea of what a good number of words for a blog is, but i am mindful of not expressing 'all of my thoughts' so i intend to be sparing' if possible!I am not nervous but i do wonder of the virtue!But here goes!.I'm sure i'll have to do better to gain an audience and some dialogue maybe but it's an open court so please knock one back at me if you wish! May your ears and eyes be with you!