Creativity

Creativity for me is an important part of maintaining my health and well-being. It doesn’t matter what you choose to do whether painting, dancing, and writing or a range of other creative pursuits, what really counts is that you participate on a daily basis. Showing up even if it’s for just 5 minutes. Disciplining yourself despite what’s going on around you allows you to spend that time on you, showing up for you, then you can work on spending longer over time.

It’s been widely recognised for many years that art and creative activities can affect our health, and hospitals and more and more private and public sector organisations are looking at how their environment can make an impact not only on their clients, but their staff as well.

Many health authorities are looking at ‘Art on Prescription’ schemes where individuals are encouraged to take part in art activities over a 10 week period in an attempt to reduce the amount of time they visit their doctors and this has been rolled out initially for depression and other mental health related conditions. If you’re ever anywhere near north London check out Creative Health Lab who run art, dance/movement, and horticulture sessions and are based in Kentish Town City Farm.

Finally, when you get a moment, check out this very inspiring video by Jan Phillips You are Worth the Time

Blessings

I have been in quite a reflective mood and thought it would be a good idea to think about blessings, recognising and appreciating those things that have been a blessing to me.  I think it is probably something we should do on a regular basis, just to remind ourselves....

5 things I feel blessed about...

1. Relationships with family and friends, the support, laughter, and inspiration...
2. My mother - whilst she has dementia, she is still holding on to life, she has a sense of humour and a youthful quality about her life...
3. Discovering my passion was art, stepping out of my comfort zone and pursuing my passion, and being able to take the steps to being a mixed media artist....
4. New found friends...my journey as an artist has brought me into contact with so many talented artists and creative individuals, it has been a blessing and every day there is something of themselves shared that is inspiring and motivating....

5. My faith and relationship with God...I am reminded that we are here but for his grace.  My faith enables me to continually step out of the box and even the boat on occasion...If you get a chance check out some of the other participants on the A-Z Challenge, be inspired!...be blessed!

Acceptance

This seems an apt start for the A-Z blog challenge that will be taking place for the month of April.  I will also be posting on my art blog. The word acceptance has been resonating at the back of my mind along with the sentence “accept the things I cannot change, and change the things I can”.......

With the grief we feel when we lose someone close to us there are many emotions that come into play. Since hearing that my friend had passed, part of me accepted that there was nothing I could physically do to change the situation but be supportive to the family. I cried, asking God why her? Why now? Why do we have to feel so much pain?  Why?

The other part of me knew without a shadow of a doubt that I could pray.... that God can and still performs miracles....I dared to hope that he would find favour and bring my friend back. It says in Hebrews 11:1 “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen...”, so I reasoned if Moses could part the Red sea, Jesus healed the sick, walked on water and raised Lazarus from the grave, then bringing my friend back would be like a walk in the park!

I realise whatever the outcome or however I feel - change happens, and it’s happening all around us. We have no control on whether night follows day, whether the tide rises or falls or that from buds just emerging flowers and plants bloom, these are out of our control. I accept this..

I do have control however over how I respond, what I decide to do next, do I become ineffective, crushed by the weight of “why me, why now?” or do I grow, develop and accept change, accept that people come in and out of our lives for a reason, and a season, and accept that things are not always how they seem. 

Accept that there are so many qualities we have been blessed with we are often unaware how we touch the lives of others - a simple smile, asking how they are and really listening to their response, going out of your way to help someone else (just because you can), celebrating our lives and that of our friends and family and most importantly making the most of the life we have to live now. 

Sometimes we have to wait....

sometimes this is the right time and place.....

sometimes this is the right season

Stay blessed.....Amanda

A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven

A time to be born and a time to die,

A time to plant and a time to uproot,

A time to kill and a time to heal

A time to tear down and a time to build

A time to weep and a time to laugh

A time to mourn and a time to dance

A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them

A time to embrace and a time to refrain

A time to search and a time to give up

A time to keep and a time to throw away

A time to tear and a time to mend

A time to be silent and a time to speak

A time to love and a time to hate

A time for war and a time for peace

What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11

Friendship

I said goodbye to a dear friend on Saturday 26th March, Barbara,  who unexpectedly passed away. She was the one I referred to in the post Balance and taking time out for friends, I’m so glad we spent the whole day together talking about our art, exhibitions, favourite artists, new techniques, faith and generally what was on our heart.

We have known each other for over 30 years having gone to college together studying a secretarial course. We came out after two years ready to face the world as PA's. Whilst this was not our passion we committed to it. Our paths throughout the years ran parallel at so may points.....

We sung together, trying to fulfil our 17 year old heads the dreams of forming a group with college friends Vilma and Juliet, hoping to tour the world. We trod the boards together, joining a group to write and perform our own community opera called Bloodties, and we toured many theatres.

We were at each other’s weddings. I remember when she first introduced us to her now husband, Phil in our 20’s we all hoped that one day we’d meet men like him. Our children were born and played together and she was blessed to have 4 beautiful daughters and a son. They have all been blessed with many wonderful talents waiting to be unleashed into the world

We shared our work environment for around 3 years literally side by side in the same organisation as executive PA’s sharing our experience, knowledge and much laughter. We shared our love and passion for art together. Barbara took the step to leave the organisation to pursue a degree in fine art. We always talked about wanting more time to be creative, having more space and inspiration but we encouraged each other, and she graduated in 2010. I was very proud of her as I attended her graduation show. We talked about collaborating again on an exhibition together later this year.

We shared our faith together. Barbara had an insight to the word of God that would touch your heart in the very place that it was needed. She had so many books within her waiting to be birthed; she had a unique wisdom and understanding. I saw her preach for the first time two weeks ago, and it was definitely a word for the season.

She touched many people’s lives over the years, both young and old and was a friend who I never imagined knowing after 30 years – (that seemed like a lifetime) - but time passed anyway...there were so many other things we were encouraging each other to do. This experience so brings home to me how precious our lives are, we don’t have any guarantee about tomorrow, so what are we going to do with our today? How many plans we make to see friends, catch up, or things we say we want to do, places to visit, but we put it off saying ‘I’ll do it tomorrow or next week’ and allow stuff to get in the way with our promises to ourselves being pushed further and further into the background.

I’m so glad that our day spent together was spent talking about our passions for art and creativity, our goals and dreams, in laughter and love. I value the years we have known each other and it has made me reassess all the other parts of my life that I have no guarantees about, everything I say I want to do, from my art, travel, adventures, to sending that card, making that call and spending more quality time with my family and friends. I will make the time and space for each, not putting it off or being distracted, but being in the moment, living in the moment and appreciating each moment, in balance.

My thoughts and prayers go out to those who have lost friends and loved ones. To Barbara’s family who I adopted many moons ago as my own, that they find the strength and courage to get through what seems like a very dark place, and find the joy and laughter that follow the tears as they ponder on the memories, Barbara’s grace, understanding, kindness, talent, humour, those laugh-out-loud moments, the way she encouraged and the way she loved.......Stay blessed!