i'm back

i'm back. i've been back for a little while... 

but i wanted to dwell in my travelling/holiday vibes 

for a little longer. 

this is where i was,

in my mountains with my family... 

they do still feel like my mountains.

so majestic and familiar.

i guess ones roots always remain, strong. 

Nendaz, Switzerland 

precious times with special people... 

grateful! 

making

i love making journals.

at the end of this week i'm going on a retreat i know very little about, 

except that it is with amazing people,

it's called "Away with the Fairies", 

it's in a magical corner of South Africa 

and 

we are going to work with horses.

(and my whole being was telling me to go) 

oh and we have to bring a little gift. 

and this is how all this fits together:  

in one creative outburst i am:

- making something i love

- doing one of the Make/Do art workshop assignment

and 

- making a pretty handmade gift 

(i love giving something i've made)

do i still know how?

i haven't been particularly creative lately... 

i realised i need a break after last year's projects.

i needed to catch my breath and to tend to a lot of things 

that had been neglected for a while, admin, garden, pots, 

my home in general... and it feels good. 

i feel like i am regrouping, 

letting the dust settle and getting ready for the next step. 

study of a mountain goat

to make sure still know how to paint, draw and be creative.

it's strange, this fear of forgetting...

making space...

i've just done an epic clean up and clear out of my studio

and 

it feels goooooooood! 

that white wall was my mood-board/inspiration wall last year, 

i took everything down and it's even been repainted. 

i cleared out old brushes, canvases, paint, paper etc... 

it feels amazing, like a clean slate, a new start. 

i feel like i needed it to transition from last year's project

and move on to whatever it is i'm going to create this year. 

clear space, clear head... onward! 

2015

it's time for a holiday beautiful people! 

by now i think i can safely say that 

2015 was a CRACKER YEAR for me!

especially on the arting front, 

i learnt SO much, 

i made SO many marks, 

i put myself out there. 

 and thanks to all that, this year has been big 

in most parts of my life.

i am ending 2015 feeling HELD (my word for the year) , 

content, succulent and grateful... 

aaaand...5 days to go!!! 

 thank you for being part of my journey, 

thank you 2015! 

see you on the other side ;) 

with love, always

xxx

merry, merry...

joyeux noel les amis!

thank you for being you. 

remember...

we are all made of stars... 

into the last month...

and into december we go... 

i'll be honest, this has been the toughest month so far. 

i've been intrigued as to why that is

and here are a few reasons that seem to make sense: 

- i can smell the end...  i'm not particularly good at completing 

things. i'm more a "new beginnings" kind of person. 

- the pressure if off... i'm done with the exhibition which means 

i could be taking a break but i need to keep going with my daily faces

and it's taken me a bit more courage and stamina 

than it did while i was in full arting mode. 

- i'm less organized... while getting ready for the show i was super

organized and efficient at planning my studio hours 

and life in general. 

now i am in holiday mode, 

 and while i like the relaxed freedom of it 

i realized that my creativity needs a bit of structure and routine. 

- i'm resisting the end... as much as i am looking forward to ticking off 

the 365 faces, there is a part of me that is slightly daunted with 

the "and now?" part of finishing such a big challenge. 

what am i going to paint? what am i going to share? 

will i still create as much? 

how will it feel not to have that commitment every day? 

(clearly this is a big one :) ) 

but then again, i'm rushing ahead. 

something i do often. 

the year is not over, and the next step will appear.

deep trust. 

stay present. stay present. stay present...

a few things...

as we are getting close to the end of 2015

i'd like to share a few things i've experienced 

during this (what turned out to be a pretty intense) year... 

while painting 1 face a day for the past 349 days, 

i've realized that for me creativity is like a muscle: 

- we all have it, we all choose to use it in different ways, 

we all use it one way or another. 

- it needs some warm up moves.
 it can be very hard to get it going but once it's warm it flows,
it's more flexible, it has stamina. 

- it needs practice, the more i use it the stronger it gets.

- some days are tougher than others, 

but showing up, even for a little bit, 

can shift the mood of the day or at least build a little bit more experience. 

- it needs repetition.  for me many regular short creativity sessions 

are more beneficial than let's say a 5 hour stint once a week. 

(and it's also easier to put in place) 

- like any muscle it needs rest, recovery time, 

time to do something else, time to do nothing at all. 

- it needs courage, to keep going, 

to keep on keeping on... 

- it needs love... if i love it, i will keep doing it! 

oh and i believe creativity
also needs care and gentle attention. 

it needs to be well fed by everyday inspiration, 

curiosity and exploring. 

playing catch up...

some of these have already found new homes;

 knowing that they might bring a smile to people's faces now and then,

makes my heart sing. 

hellooooo!!!

a lot has happened since i last posted here... 

it's been amazing and a little mad.

i'm slowly landing back into "normal" life though. 

with a big urge to nest, to clean out 

and mostly to do some serious introverting ;) 

november is over and i'm on the last stretch of my 365 faces. 

it's hard to believe it's almost been a full year... 

what a year! 

for now let me catch up on the daily faces