06 March

Throw your dreams into space like a kite

Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life,
a new friend, a new love, a new country.
Anais Nin


Yes, this is finally my ubiquitous New Year post, albiet a couple of months late. I was prompted to write by a conversation I had with a friend last night. She did a card reading for me, and although I forget now which particular card was drawn, I remember clearly the words that kept coming up as she read about it to me...

Adventure and Clarity

Now go back a few months.  Actually, lets go back several months to the midst of 2010.  Last year was pretty good to me, but then every year is I think - I appreciate them all.  But nevertheless, over and over again, things were happening that I wasn't sure how to react to.  I found myself repeatedly feeling slightly hurt and disappointed and having my expectations challenged.  And every month or so, I would have to take stock and look at things with clarity again and move on.  It was a lot of hard work.

So back to a few months ago.  Every year I spend the new year at the Woodford Folk Festival.  For the duration of the festival, we have the opportunity to write our intentions or wishes for the new year on little pieces of paper.  These pieces of paper are included in a huge closing fire event on the final day (new year's day), and the intentions of the tens of thousands of festival goers are burnt and released into the universe.  It's an amazing ritual, and has been my favourite way to start the year for a long time.

This year I picked up my paper and pen and without even having to think, wrote..

Adventure and Clarity

Adventure is a new year's wish regular for me.. anyone who has been reading this blog for a while will know that I've talked about overseas travel for a long time.  And anyone who knows me in real life will know that I've talked about it incessantly and longingly and probably very annoyingly for a long time.  And I'm basically a sucker for any kind of new adventure or challenge that will kick me out of my comfort zone. 

Clarity was a word that just popped into my head in that moment.  I wanted to feel again like everything happens for a purpose, as part of some kind of magical, well-thought out grand scheme.  I knew that I had always believed that, but had lost a bit of faith I think.

So far in 2011, I think my words are working for me.  An overseas trip is looming (very soon, will post about it here!), and other new adventures and friendships and interesting interractions are happening.  I'm seeing things with greater clarity and best of all, feeling comfortable again with living and loving fearlessly.

Woodford Folk Festival fire event, 1 Jan 2011
Ok, enough navel-gazing and time for a bit of self promotion ;)  The artwork I posted in the step-by-step below and promised a picture of way back then?  Here it is, back home.

It's now hanging on my kitchen wall, and I think it's an original I might hang onto for now.  I made some prints of it though, and they are now in my etsy shop, along with some little prints of the Backyard with Fairy Lights painting.



In other news... I recently had a giveaway on my facebook page when I reached 200 "likes".  I'm planning to do another one at 300, and will give away one of each of these new prints.  Here's the link if you want to check out the page :)