Alliouagana Festival of the Word 2016 - Invitation to Montserrat

November the 10th to the 13th marks the start of the Alliouagana Festival of the Word in Montserrat.  The program is quite a packed one with speakers coming from all over the world.

My husband and I have been asked to deliver a presentation at the festival and I am quite excited at the thought.  Alan will be speaking about the impact of the internet especially relating to children and he will also be running a workshop with a group of school children.

My talk is titled from Diaries to Blogs and I will look at how we can share our creative voices without being overwhelmed by social media and technology.  I will also be exhibiting some of my work.

It is a wonderful opportunity to not only go to another Caribbean island but also to share our experience and the work that we do.  I shall be keeping you all updated along the way via my Facebook and Instagram accounts, and some short videos via my YouTube and when we get back I should have more images and interesting points of view to share here on the blog.

So stay tuned, be prepared to come with me on the journey to Montserrat, see the scenery, hear snippets of some of the talks and maybe even one day venture out there yourself.

Lots more happening behind the scenes so will reveal when we get back

As you can see, some really great titles for the talks.  We are chatting on Radio Montserrat on Friday, giving some background to what we do.

There are a lot of presenters and creative activities intermingled.  I hear the National Dish 'Goat Water' is quite tasty!

My talk comes on Sunday, which I am looking forward to as well as being slightly nervous!

So if you would like to come to the festival, there is still time, last minute bookings welcome, if not be sure to come back and see some of the images that I will be sharing.

Blessings!  Amanda

Favorite Art Supplies - In the studio

I have been involved with the #1min1take videos as you might have read in my blog post yesterday.  It has been really great creating videos that you don't have to worry about editing.  It is almost freeing, of course I still enjoy some of the editing processes, but it does take quite a while to do, more if not equal to the amount of time it takes to film.

That said, I have created some mini videos that share some of my favorite supplies that I use in the studio.  I think creating these short videos are a great way to give you that spark of inspiration without being a long video, and I really like giving you where possible ideas that will kick start your own creativity. 

I will be doing longer videos for those who would like to see just how I use the supplies, the different ways you can use them and ways that you can use them that are not so obvious.

Check out some of my mini videos which I may keep going after the challenge finishes today, and let me know which ones you would like to see a longer version of.

Stay blessed and be a blessing.  See you tomorrow for some recycled projects.

How To Art Journal Interview with Kiala Givehand

A couple of weeks ago I spoke to Kiala Givehand about my work and creative practice as part of her How 2 Art Journal YouTube channel.  It was great fun and I thought I would leave the video link for you to take a look.

Been busy with other things this month, a few exhibitions to prepare for.  This week has also found me making some videos for the #1min1take video challenge with Holly Gillen.

It has been great to let go of the pressure of having to edit the video, and talking for one minute goes so quickly, so learning to be concise is becoming a great lesson.

Check out my YouTube channel to see some of the videos I have made, I hope that you will be encouraged.  Here are a few of the ones done so far

Hope you are having a blessed week so far, Friday tomorrow, need to find time to focus on the things that mean so much but can often get neglected.  That said will share some of the other things I have been doing in the studio.

Hang tight till then, stay blessed and be a blessing.

The Relatives Came - to Barbados!

We had a lovely time when my sister and her family came to stay with us a few months ago and I've been so caught up with different things that it is only now that I can get a chance to share some of that time spent.  Their visit reminded me about the book that I used to read to my son entitled The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant  

It is a gorgeous book that tells of a family setting out in their car to visit relatives and spend time with them over the summer, everyone shares the space and makes room for each other.  Cynthia has written quite a lot of children's books and more recently - Little Penguins.

They are both available on Kindle and Hardback and would make lovely gifts for children.

When we were children we would spend time weekend at our cousins, the furthest we went was to visit cousins in Manchester, and I didn't go on a plane until I was 18, unlike now where most children have been on a plane by the time they are 2 years old.  We all look back with fond memories of the times we had and the feeling of not having care in the world.  It is very different now as our kids don't meet up nearly as often and connect more via social media, but you can't beat spending time in person with the folks!

Anyway, my sister and her family came to stay with us and it was great!  We spent time going out and about, relaxing in each others company and laughing.

I indulged over those two weeks. 

 Here is a very delicious yet rich treat I had - Carrot cake at the Waterfront Cafe  it was absolutely delicious, they also do a yummy bread and butter pudding (both of which I shouldn't eat due to the intolerance to wheat and dairy, and I may try to create an alternative on my Raw Foods Fusion Blog).

We walked on the Boardwalk and saw the sun setting.  

You will never get tired watching the sunset, 

and it seems different each time, so beautiful, and we get to enjoy it every day!

We took a drive down to the Crane, again so nice to be by the sea!

Graham Hall Sanctuary was on the list, while the sanctuary part is closed they have a cafe and the grounds are beautifully maintained, and during the afternoon the monkeys move across the lawn to nearby trees 

 It is a lovely place to visit!

Saw the pre cropover celebrations in Broad Street

They had to leave the day of Cropover, though it has changed quite a bit when I first saw it many years ago. I miss the more elaborately designed costumes.

Anyway, they got a taster at least.  One of our final visits took us to the Flower Forest - and I have some amazing photos to share with you.

After the fun and laughter the hugs and the 'see you soon' it was time for them to return to London, the time went so quickly, we tried to value each moment, and continue to remind ourselves that we are not promised tomorrow. Our trip to the UK followed, but I'll share that in another post.

I will also be sharing lots of the images of each visit on my Destination Barbados Blog (under construction at the moment) which is all about my time here, the ups and downs of relocating, there will be lots of imagery as I soak up the beauty of the island......I hope you can join me!