Saturday 26 June 2010

Race for Life


Well the day is finally here, I'm taking part in the Cancer Research - Race for Life at Richmond Park today at 2pm.  The sun is up, its planned to be a great day, wonderful atmosphere. As with my creative life its all now about stepping out of my comfort zone. I had a target of £100 to raise but managed to raise so far £122.50 from generous friends and family, see my link which will accept donations until 14th August 2010 http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/amandatrought .  Will be showing some of the images at the event later on today.

Sunday 20 June 2010

Happy Fathers Day

Kenneth Lloyd Trought
1926 - 1992

Even though its been nearly 18 years since my father died I still miss him.  There were so many things I wanted him to share and to see.  In my 20's I didn't appreciate or have the maturity to understand why he did the things that he did, how hard it can be to bring up children and all the lessons I have learnt over the 14 years of my sons life. 

I would have loved him to share the many highs and lows that I have been though over the 18 years -  walk me down the aisle on my wedding day, to meet my son (his first grandchild) and laugh at his humour, to tell him how much I appreciated everything he tried to do, and how many of the sayings that he use to tell us as children I now say to my child -  "looks like you want to learn the hard way", "I wasn't born yesterday!" and many others.  I would like to show my father that I am following my creative dreams and most of all that I loved him. 

To all those fathers out there full of wisdom, knowledge and understanding - we want thank you for your sensitivity, your strength, your laughter and love.



 
Me as an 8 year old in my favourite top

Saturday 19 June 2010

Negativity/Insecurities - kick them to the curb!


At the beginning of your creative journey there is always something that seems more important than you spending quality time on your work and your development. I am half way through the Kelly Rae Roberts ecourse - Flying lesson and we are looking at the market places for your work. 

As I read through I was met with a barrage of fears and negative thoughts all designed to make you do a U-turn and dash your creative flight to the wayside as there is always something more important that you could be doing - like the hoovering, putting another wash in the machine, or a mountain of other things that often crop up when we are at the breakthrough stages. 

I decided not to ignore them but to write them all down, give my critic the space to voice its fear, and I came up with 2 A4 pages of all the reasons why I shouldn't be working on my art and creativity, but once the fears were voiced I could move on.

In the process I got myself a website and have been adding some of my work - You can see it HERE

Proverbs 3:5-6 says - Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths. When I was a child wasn't sure what I wanted to do, now I am older I am sure and its taken many years of reflecting, doubting, and going though to come out the other end with a lot of experience, knowledge, wisdom and a surety of how I want to express my creativity!

Like a child I nurture my inquiring mind, I am sensitive to my own insecurities and I support my growth. There will always be dishes and clothes to wash and hoovering to be done, at one stage or another you'll wonder what you did to receive so many blessings and be able to bless others with your work, but life is not a dress rehearsal and we have to live it to the full for we are not guaranteed tomorrow.

Check out some resources and book on Amazon that may help you with your creativity and direction.


Tuesday 15 June 2010

Back on Track


I've been back in London now for 3 days now, been trying to catch up with all the emails,  the ecourse, the general day to day demands that tug at you.  Had a really good time at the conference in Norway (http://www.create.uwe.ac.uk/news.htm) , as well as taking in the lectures over the 4 days, I got to enjoy the peace that comes with being in your own space, learning more about what it is I want from my creative journey, and not having to cook for 4 days, but being pampered with the culinary delights from someone else's fair hands!

The conference was held in Gjovik, and there were researchers from all over the world, I was quite privileged to be among some of the brightest minds.  As well as work, there was play, we got a tour of the worlds largest underground auditorium built for the XII Winter Olympic games in 1994


We also had a tour of Oslo, and visited the The Vigeland Sculpture Park covering an area of 80 acres. The 212 sculptures are all modeled in full size by Gustav Vigeland, it was definitely a sight to see!


the viking museum



.....and many other places,  as well as some time on our own in Oslo.  All in all I had a great time.  It was great to get back to the family, my computer and my art materials!  Now I need to hit the ground running into the next adventure! I've got my eye on the many art retreats that are taking place in the US and some in Europe.  It would be great to get some feedback from any that you may have been to and enjoyed, so please comment.

Monday 7 June 2010

Review of Delivering Happiness - a path to profits, passion, and purpose


Once I opened up the book to read, it joined the ranks of books that I didn't want to put down until I finished, that said it's one of those book that you can keep on dipping into, trying out the ideas and making changes to your life.  Delivering Happiness is not only for employers wanting to make a change in the work environment and to their customers, but it is for anyone who would like to make changes to their mindset and ultimately their lives.  It is written in a clear and humourous style.  Tony Hsieh reflects on his life, his mistakes and his successes in an open and honest way.

Overall, I thought the book gave great insite in to his journey, written so that it is easily accessible - telling his story and encouraging the reader to change at the same time by getting you to ask yourself some key questions.  It was also great to hear the views of his employees and the act of being open and transparent as an organisation, whilst sharing the vision behind the company organisational structure.  I definitely encourage everyone to read it, and take a look at their website -  http://www.deliveringhappinessbook.com   

When you walk with purpose you collide with destiny........ Bertice Berry

Sunday 6 June 2010

Winged Thoughts - I am an artist

From one of the pages of my journal I look at the way ideas are formed and how being that they are so delicate we have to use wisdom.  In the depths of my heart creative dreams are calling me to take notice.  With all the distractions its quite easy not to take notice of our ideas.  I explored the areas that I wanted to work in, things I wanted to try.  How many times were you told you couldn't do something or you shouldn't try something?  I've just recently started the Kelly Rae Roberts ecourse, and just been reading her blog entry on facing our fears. its amazing to look back on this now and think about the fears I had when I did this journal page and the growth thats come later on.  I have named and shamed the fears.

In 12 hours I will be winging my way to Gjovik in Norway for a 4 day conference - sharing and learning from others who come from all over Europe who have an interest in colour research.  I have been taking little steps that have led me to this point and as I face my insecurities, I'll soar like the eagle and I will be able to look down on the fears and insecurities. I know that I will come back enriched from the experience, and welcome the numerous experiences and blessings yet to come.

Thursday 20 May 2010

Delivering Happiness - Free Giveaway!

I just received my advance reading copy of Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com to write a review.

In his first book, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh shares the different lessons he has learned in business and life, from starting a worm farm to running a pizza business; through LinkExchange (acquired by Microsoft for $265 million), Zappos, and more. Tony shows how a very different kind of corporate culture is a powerful model for achieving success — and how by concentrating on the happiness of those around you, you can dramatically increase your own.  

If you would like to have an advance copy leave a comment and tell me what your definition of happiness is.  Your name will go into the prize draw.  The first name out of the bag at 5pm on Monday 24th May will win the book.  If you are a blogger and want to take part in the advance copy giveaway programme follow the link http://www.deliveringhappinessbook.com/contact/apply-for-an-advance-copy/

Wednesday 19 May 2010

Hello Sunshine!


I am beginning to feel I can give myself permission to be creative again, after what seem like a long spell in the desert, and not feel that the washing, cooking, cleaning, caring, mothering, diy and the thousand and one other tasks have to take precident.  Its been a long road, I guess age and maturity has helped me see that to be the best that I can be for others, I need to cherish and be the best I can be for me!

Tuesday 6 April 2010

Growth

I saw this  as I was walking to my art session with the elderly and it looked quite unusual as it appeared as if it were growing like a plant along the wall, but obviously its barbed wire. 

This got me to thinking how often we can feel that we are growing in a particular area or have learnt from a situation but we are restricted in our growth either because we have stopped seeing the possibilities or we have taken on board all of the negative that can often come our way and choke a great idea out of us.

We could also look at how we protect our ideas. Sometimes it's necessary to put a protective layer around it in its' early nurturing stages so that it doesn't get trampled and pulled apart and so the barbed wire might be useful in this type of situation.

When our ideas are nurtured and cared for they have plenty of time to grow and develop despite the environment.

Saturday 27 March 2010

Contemplation

Can't believe we are nearly a quarter of the way through the year.  Clocks go forward tonight and we loose an hour, I'm really looking forward to the lighter evenings.  So much has been going on its going to take a few posts to get up to speed.  I have been focussing on producing some paintings for an exhibition I am planning further down in the year.  I also have a lot of work that needs to be uploaded on to my website.  When you are self employed you have to be proficient in a number of areas.  I wanted to share with you a mini break I had in spain (marbella) in February. It was a lovely little break and allowed me much time to reflect and do some art work.  This was mainly because it rained all the time we were there and so for me it was ideal, I was forced to get my thoughts and images on paper.  There were a couple of hours on 2 of the days where we had some sunshine, I had really appreciated the time spent as we often can find a number of other things we must fill our time with and then moan about not having enough time.  I found it challenging at first as I am used to snatching the time.  I allowed myself to basque in the extra time and made sure that every day for the 4 days of the break I spent some time on me and working through some of the ideas that I had been working on - at the end of the day no one will give you the time, you have to take it for yourself.......

Monday 4 January 2010

New Year - resolution fantasy or reality?

Firstly, Happy New Year


If you could imagine the ideal life/work, lifestyle what would it be? What type of relationships would you have in your life? Where would you travel? What would your job be? I asked myself that question and made a list of things . When I looked back on all of the things on the list I realised that each one on the list were all achievable now and I wouldn't have to wait till that ideal time, place or the right people to start. What it required me to do was think out of the box, and look at them in different settings, parts of the world, break them down to achievable chunks, put a time frame, make myself accountable - telling a friend etc.

My list looked like this:
  • My job/working environment - Being self employed, working all over the world in exotic places,
  • Having a studio and gallery representation
  • My health - eating the right food and loosing weight
  • Improving relationships with friends and family
  • Travelling - holiday more than twice a year
  • Home environment 6 bed room house with a studio to do my art, large garden, and a granny flat for my elderly mother - maybe in the uk or abroad - Why limit yourself to the UK if you went further afield you might get more floor space for your money.

 
With the new year here and everyone making resolutions, some even breaking them already, what can be done differently to get the result you want? If loosing weight is on your list what have you done so far ? Rather than wait for the end of the week , go for a half hour walk today, join the gym this week rather than next week.

Look at each goal and think what small steps you can do to make it a reality. Think of ways to keep a check on yourself and keep yourself motivated by giving yourself rewards along the way. On a monthly basis do this exercise to see how your getting on.

What could you do to make more time to pursue what made the most of your talents and abilities while earning a living. The thing to remember is to remain flexible. How many ways can you achieve your goals? Will changing the environment or people make a difference? Set yourself a time frame and as you start achieving certain goals make new ones that you can follow.

 

Tuesday 29 December 2009

Sketch Books

As a mixed media artist I have always loved paper and the different varieties and weights you can get. I found it hard to make a mark on those crisp pages of my sketch books and I used to draw my ideas on a variety of bits of paper and grew frustrated when it came to following ideas through , but refused to see that it was my resistance and misinterpretation of how I should used a sketch book that was really the problem. Knowing that using a sketch book would enhance my creative process I decided to make my sketch books work for me now use my books several different ways.

I decided to make a series of different sketch books which would allow me to continue to work in a way that I felt was allowing me to keep my creativity flowing, but kept more order over how the ideas were stored. Each book has its own feel, and purpose. I have 3 sizes of books that I use to allow me the flexibility I needed in jotting down ideas, but allowed my work to remain together and made it easier to follow through ideas

Mini books (3x6) This size makes use of the loose or scrap pieces of paper that you may have lying around - these are 5 pieces of card either stapled or sewn together with a cover decorated in scraps of handmade paper that might be too small to use in a piece of work. I make them with mini pockets for putting in additional samples. I usually have more than one book on the go which gives me the flexibility in following particular themes/ideas in the different books at the same time. I carry a few of these around with me - they are light, easy to make and use. I use them to jot down quick ideas or things that have caught my eye - sketching the designs out, using water colours, collage and any other colour ideas depending on what I'm working on.


5x5 books - These books are used to follow up an idea, I make the books in accordion style and there are usually 7 or 8 pages to work with. The paper on these books are water colour paper 240 gms which allows for the use of paint and anything you want to stick in it, or sew in it and because of the design you can attach additional pages to it, the cover is made using recycled cardboard from packaging or boxes.

A4 books - I use the A4 size book if I am working on something that incorporates a lot of detail or if I am working on a portrait. I can also use information that I have been working on in the smaller booksonce I am happy with the idea in the 5x5 journal I will put together the finished idea I'm going with in an A4 book, and you also have the reference and thought process in the small books this also leaves room for additional ideas to flow at a later time.




Decorators


Last month was been fraught with the prospect of having builders in my mums property working on kitchen, bathroom and toilet, and dust. Had to deal with the long line of people that needed
sorting. I was told by a very helpful young lady in relation to my mother with dementia, that its the ones that shout loudest and longest that are the ones that get heard, and so it does seem that with the social workers dealing with so many cases, that unless your falling apart at the seams you get parked at the side for as long as it takes.


I also had to make use of the respite service for carers and put my mum in a home for the duration of the building work, it was very hard at the beginning and my mum couldn't understand the reasons why. As far as she is concerned the people in these places don't talk and with only 2 staff on duty is was difficult to see how much they could interact with the clients past dinner in the evening and generally people were left to their own devices or to watch tv. I could understand how she felt. It was an eye opener to see the tv programme on BBC (can Gerry Robinson fix dementia care homes). But it proved to be a great help in the midst of the situation, she got on well with the staff as she is generally very sociable and lively.



The decorating is now complete, and as usual there is always areas that could be improved, places that need touching up, holes that need to be filled where they had their 'little accidents', and there was some damage done to walls, but hay, the mist of dust is clearing and now I have to arm myself for the next round.


In all that has gone on I have tried to maintain a level of creativity, which is the one thing, alongside my faith that keeps me going, working on different creative projects reminds me that in the midst of a situation there can always be a place for you to go and immerse yourself in colour, texture and over the next few weeks I will be featuring some of the work that has come out of those times also been working on some journals and sketch books, will let you have a look over the next few weeks..

Monday 12 October 2009

Asking for Help


Asking for Help

Mum living with Dementia yet still strong

As I sit in front of my computer, trying to be creative and an inspiration, reminding myself that I am not at my final destination but on life's journey my thoughts turn toward my 13 going on 30 year old son and being a mother.

Art Journal - I use my art journal to work through things
that are troubling me

This weekend as been quite a rocky one, I have been under stress caring for my mother who is living with dementia, whilst also dealing with the challenging and confrontational behavior of a young man who is still finding his way in 'communicating' the way I want him to (is he developing the differences that we notice in our men already!) but is also unable to express how he feels about not having his mum around as much as he used to.



I can see us both as if we are standing on opposite shores with the space between getting wider and wider, and I know that I have to be proactive in what I do rather than stand by as if helpless, watching our relationship deteriorate. I realize that I am not an island and I am surrounded by uplifting, caring, inspirational, people who are there to give support.

I have to get over 'myself' and ask for 'help' rather than carry it all on my already painful shoulders - when did it become a sign of weakness asking for help?. I can't feel guilty about not always being upbeat all the time because I am dealing with sensitive and difficult situations.

Art Journal - Believe

I must find time out for myself - and to be creative, rediscovering the beauty in simplicity and also remember my superhero outfit is in the dry cleaners and won't be ready for a few more days......

For information on the Arts and how they can impact - on our health and well-being check out the Art in Health Network

 https://www.networks.nhs.uk/nhs-networks/arts-in-healthcare

Friday 9 October 2009

Arts and Mental Health


I have seen some great results from the participants in my Art session at Raglan House Centre for the Elderly with Dementia in Camden. They are keen to participate and enjoy the social aspect of doing an activity together. They have the opportunity to have a discussion around different topics, we have music of different eras playing in the background and you can find them either singing along, tapping their feet - its great to see.


Every month we have an exhibition of work completed, and photos of participants in the session

Concentration has improved a great deal, and the sessions last for 2 hours - with participants remarking, 'have we finished already'!

This week we covered memories and words of wisdom. I was saying to the group with the rise in the family being separated and so busy we don't often get to share 'things their mother told them' or 'things they tell their children' and unless you are doing inter-generational work it often gets forgotten. 

Participants get to try new techniques and find the ones they like the best


Over the next few days will be sharing their words and some images.


Todays word of wisdom -
'If you want others to respect you, you have to respect yourself

If you would like to find out about Arts and Health Events connect with the Arts in Health NHS Network HERE
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