my weekend has been and lovely, full of delightful london ordinariness. This weekend has included: a cider at the pub with friends; watching The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus(very average film but beautiful visually); yum Japanese for dinner; lunch and coffee at Borough Markets; Tate Modern with Jasper; dinner at Paul and Jaspers's; all Sunday lazing with the boy; and then dinner with Brett and TJ to top it off. It is when life is full of such simple wonderfulness that I realise the magic of feeling content. It has been washing over me a lot lately. I have no greater achievement, no new job, no perfect relationship but somehow I have personally reached a point of being satisfied. No yearning for something other that what I have, where I am or what I am doing. (Well wanting London to be geographically closer to Oz to see my peeps doesn't count).
I am actually happy and the happiness is growing. I could never have imagined such a life and my contentment at such happiness in the ordinariness. I always had plans for life to be grand, when actually my dream of a happy life comes from the opposite direction.
not proud of my homeland
it is not very often I say that I am not proud of my homeland Australia. But tonight as I write this I feel ashamed of the actions of Australians. It reminds me of how closed minded and racist Australia can be. Nobody is perfect but bad bad TV is no excuse. Between Hey Hey Its Saturday and on Danni Minouge of UK's X Factor we really should hide away for the week as the world sees a very ugly side of Australia.
i have been contemplating in my creative search if I want to explore my Australian identity, is there something I want to say about our horrible human rights issues, what can I say that is of any value? It is so important to me and so much easier to see when you are living in a foreign land not plagued by the blinders of cultural values. Being able to see values as if there were buildings to investigate, see the bricks and structure for all the beauty and ugliness, able to explore in a way that I didn't know how when I lived there. This ugliness is bringing it to the top of my conscious, to be considered again.
on a personal note can someone do something decent(that doesn't include sport) that makes me proud again, I miss the home land of my imagination my rose coloured memory. Please someone do something so I can stand tall again, even if only for a little while.
i have been contemplating in my creative search if I want to explore my Australian identity, is there something I want to say about our horrible human rights issues, what can I say that is of any value? It is so important to me and so much easier to see when you are living in a foreign land not plagued by the blinders of cultural values. Being able to see values as if there were buildings to investigate, see the bricks and structure for all the beauty and ugliness, able to explore in a way that I didn't know how when I lived there. This ugliness is bringing it to the top of my conscious, to be considered again.
on a personal note can someone do something decent(that doesn't include sport) that makes me proud again, I miss the home land of my imagination my rose coloured memory. Please someone do something so I can stand tall again, even if only for a little while.
finding things that make you smile
places on the interweb that make me happy even for a moment:
tiny ballerinas
an amazing relationship
a new pet
a lovely blog from aus
apple pie
a lovely girl fashion blog
anthropolgie opening soon in London
blogs of people who inspire me to live my dream life
hazel dooney
Karen Michel
inside a black apple
andrea scher
kelly rae roberts
shutter sisters - picture hope
newly discovered artists that inspire me
mark dion
kiki smith
marlene dumas
cecily brown
nancy spero
chris olifi
to happy sundays
x
tiny ballerinas
an amazing relationship
a new pet
a lovely blog from aus
apple pie
a lovely girl fashion blog
anthropolgie opening soon in London
blogs of people who inspire me to live my dream life
hazel dooney
Karen Michel
inside a black apple
andrea scher
kelly rae roberts
shutter sisters - picture hope
newly discovered artists that inspire me
mark dion
kiki smith
marlene dumas
cecily brown
nancy spero
chris olifi
to happy sundays
x
new kids on the block
yes there are new kids on the block but they are certianly more cool than the boy band of old. It is all about some friends of the splendidly imperfect girl who would like to say hello. They are still ideas at the moment but they are slowly developing. My new fav is the girl with glasses (she only wears them to look smarter, I can relate sometimes).
x
Dina F+ black and white film
here is the most decent photo from my first black and white film. A snapshot from my life in London. It is view from the front seat of the bus close to home on the 341. When the boy and I ride the bus together we always try and grab the front seat as it has additional benefits, a shelf for your coffee(note my coffee in the corner in this shot), a little extra leg room and a view.
the splendidly imperfect girl on the move
she is starting to like london, this new place has given her legs to walk and a dress from topshop. Well that was what she was telling me as she stood on my desk this evening. She was feeling generous and let me take a snapshot. She was relieved that I finally sorted out my stuff and decluttered, more space for her. I will need to be careful she may just take over.
remembering why i love making and creating
in my new routine of life I spend every second Saturday and Thursday evening at the version I can do of art school. I love it, soaking in every moment, the comments the learning the standing at an easel. I often get my moments of self doubt and when it comes to sharing what I have worked on for the day evaluating myself against others. I try to be gentle with myself and have realised I am not a fast worker, I need time to work on projects and exercises. Last night when looking at favourite blogs I stumbled across a beauty and it reinforced why I make stuff, why I create and why it keeps becoming a bigger part of my life.
check out Jenny's Blog about making something from nothing and the comfort creating stuff can give. Art school is a long way from here, not about the healing is about the nature of making images and the discipline of it. The rigour and craft in the context of the art world. But I still love it, learning things that will help me instead of struggling through in my own self taught habits. Drawing classes made all the difference, I can't even imagine where this will end up.
it is good to remember what started the journey and why ultimately I want to spend as many human hours as possible, making, learning and being around creative and artistic pursuits.
check out Jenny's Blog about making something from nothing and the comfort creating stuff can give. Art school is a long way from here, not about the healing is about the nature of making images and the discipline of it. The rigour and craft in the context of the art world. But I still love it, learning things that will help me instead of struggling through in my own self taught habits. Drawing classes made all the difference, I can't even imagine where this will end up.
it is good to remember what started the journey and why ultimately I want to spend as many human hours as possible, making, learning and being around creative and artistic pursuits.
