The Stories We Tell Ourselves...

...& giving myself permission to ignore them!

I’ll be honest, I was torn between which quote to start this post with:

“Everybody needs time to reflect and contemplate, and the most inspirational and peaceful place to do so is in nature.” Akiane Kramarik

Or:

“Transitions are a time of reflection, and a time for looking forward. Roy Cooper

And then I decided, what the heck, they’re each appropriate in their own way, so why not use them both!?!

There’s been a lot to process over the past three weeks. First, my initial mentoring session with Studio 1850, followed by the course with artist Sam Boughton at the Newlyn School of Art. I’ve definitely needed to take some time to reflect and contemplate, as well as acknowledge that I’m in a period of transition.

Following discussions with Elaine from Studio 1850, I’ve come to realise that I’ve been holding onto a lot of ‘stuff,’ telling myself a myriad of stories as to what I think I ‘should’ doing, worrying about what ‘others’ think for example:

“I should be working larger, I should be using acrylics, I should be working on canvas, I should be using bright colours, OR, I’m not good enough to aim bigger, or higher, or think about putting a higher price on my work, OR, that my voice and my opinions aren’t ‘worthwhile’” etc. etc…

…rather than focussing on what brings me joy, i.e. I love working on paper and in sketchbooks, I love the fluidity of watercolours and inks, I love mark making, I love muted palettes…

See, I said I tell myself a lot of stories!!

But the conversation with Elaine enabled me to ‘park’ all the stories, at least for this week; I gave myself permission to ignore them and started another two concertina sketchbooks, inspired by the coast…

Here’s a link to a YouTube video showing the start of a pocket sized book…and here’s a few update videos…

And here’s a link to the latest pages in the books… “Two for the Price of One”

I’ve so enjoyed creating these; each brush stroke and mark transporting me to the creeks and inlets of north Norfolk. And although there are a lot of materials and processes that I want to experiment with from the Sam Boughton course, these sketchbooks will continue to be a priority for me…

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do." Steve Jobs

Having read her previous books, Findings and Sightlines, I’ve just begun reading Surfacing by Kathleen Jamie. I love the clarity of both her writing, and her way of ‘noticing’; how she juxtaposes the tiny details and the bigger story, weaving past and present together.

And reading about the discovery of bear bones dating back thousands of years, and the hardships of sea-farers from the 1800s, well, let’s just say, it puts the stories that I tell myself into perspective!!

And to finish, here’s me waffling on:

Until next time, happy painting!