Creative Nourishment...

...in one way or another!

“Walking is a technique of solitude, a way into reverie. The walker is not a sleepwalker but a daydreamer.” –Deirdre Heddon

Left, right, left, right; metronomic footsteps carry me into the landscape. Away from the village, my rhythm breaks; meandering, wandering steps lead me to small vignettes. Bindweed, pure white flowers at odds with its perceived identity as a ‘weed’. A scattering of feathers; remnants of loss. Wheat fields framed by buddleia blooms. Horses, spied through the hedgerow; who’s watching whom? Sunlight and shadows, a lush green ‘tunnel’.

Summer; cow parsley and hogweed now straw coloured, waiting for cornfields to adopt the same shade.

As I walk, my mind flits, butterfly like, from one nebulous thought to the next, alighting on none. Rarely do I listen to a podcast whilst walking, preferring to give my mind this time to wander, to pause, to take in the surroundings without distraction.

Walking is my ‘morning pages’, my journalling,’ allowing me to ‘dump’ the myriad of trivia and to-do lists bouncing around my head.

On I go; plans to walk through a copse and out across another field are thwarted by waist high nettles and brambles. Instead I turn for home, crossing the railway line. Following the path, my thoughts coalesce; clarity emerges from the fog.

“As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.” - Rumi

Photo by JD Mason on Unsplash

Inhale, exhale, give ourselves time to pause - that was the ‘Thought for the day’ in a recent yoga class with the lovely Ann’s Yoga Lounge. “Every day you will face a stressful situation; inhaling and exhaling allows us to pause, aannnd then make the decisions or deal with the situation.”

Before my first mentoring session with Elaine at Studio 1850 I was definitely heeding the sentiment of that yoga lesson!!

Like all good coaches/mentors/counsellors, Elaine soon put me at ease and we unpacked a lot of stuff. The emerging thoughts and ideas have certainly given me a lot to think about, and I’m sure, as they percolate and settle, and a way forward clarifies, I will be telling you about the experience. All I will say for now, is that I had a light bulb moment!!

In the studio I’ve been busy testing out the differences between the Winsor & Newton Granulation Fluid, which I love, and the Schminke Granulation Spray. They both have ‘granulation’ in their product name, but do they produce the same effect? Have a watch and see:

Until next time, happy painting!