Background

Some people prefer to stay in the background.

There are some people who do well in the limelight. They love the roar of the crowd, the applause, being seen and heard. It charges their batteries and gives them a sense of satisfaction.

There are others who prefer to stay in the background, providing support, equipping, making things run smoothly for those who are out front. They, too, are energised by what they do and feel a sense of satisfaction.

Both sorts of people are needed. Both have equal value.

Which sort are you?

Details

So many details to attend to.

Some times in life are busy - there are many things that need our attention and certain things that need to happen at the right time and in the right order. Details.

That's where I'm at.

Christmas

When I stood back from this page I laughed.  I could see a snowfall and a very large sun. Not surprising that these things would be on my mind at the moment. We are heading into our last hot Christmas and looking forward to a cold one next year.

We've been in Australia for just over 8 years, but I still cannot get my head around Christmas in the summer. I'm not alone - lots of European migrants I know feel the same, and they've been here for much longer than I have. In the northern hemisphere, Christmas happens in the depths of winter. For the majority of the countries, most of the trees are bare. The days are short and cold. The symbolism of light and life coming into this dark and 'dead' time brings hope.

This too shall pass

This too shall pass. There's a certain age you reach - as a woman - when there's a lot that you have to remind yourself will pass. It's not pleasant at the time, but it will pass.

We can endure a lot when we know that it won't last forever.

On those days when it's difficult, a little perspective goes a long way.

Wiped out!

It's the Christmas season and a time for socialising. Not fun for an intensely introverted person like me. I had to attend a BBQ on Saturday - there are some social events it is politic to go to, whether you want to or not - and an hour and a half in a large crowd wiped me out completely. I'm the sort of person who hits her limit at about 20 mins :)

So I'm pacing myself for the rest of the week so I'm not completely useless by the time Christmas actually arrives.

Are you a party animal or that person who sits on the stairs and reads a book until you can go home?

The right people

Things become clearer when you ask the right questions of the right people. Ask those who know. Seek out good counsel. There's nothing wrong with admitting that you don't understand something, especially when it isn't your area of expertise.

Ask those who know - it makes things so much simpler.

Slotting together

Starting to see how things slot together.

A productive day where I feel like I might finally be making headway with all the logistics for our move. Hurrah! And I managed to finish this page which has been on the go for a while. It has been the page where I used up extra bits of paint from other pages. I like how it has come together.

Advent Words

I've been joining in with Mary's Advent Words challenge since Advent began on Dec 3rd. It's a great way for me to art journal this Advent when I'm short on time. I'm using a small journal - smaller than my usual A4 pages - and the pages are already gelli-printed, so I have some colour on there to get me started. Each day only requires a few minutes, so I can do a challenge without feeling pressured.

It's fun to see how each person interprets the prompt and what they draw out of it. Each word is good for contemplating this waiting season and gives me something to chew on for the day.

Gathering threads

She was trying to gather all the threads together.

I know how she feels!

I drew this face on a separate page and cut it out because I find that if I draw a face directly on the page, it usually ends up taking up most of the page for some reason. This way I could keep it under control because I didn't want a large face. I quite like the difference in style with the black and white against the messy background.

Stretched

When I was working on this page, I wondered why on earth I'd put those three long steaks of grey/green on the right. They felt out of place and an unusual motif for me, but I really felt impelled to put them there. So there they went, and I continued with the rest of the page, thinking that it would all make sense in the end.

I walked away from the page for a bit, leaving it open on my desk so I could keep glancing at it and working out what it was all about!

You'll notice that there are three streaks and they're stretched over two pieces of gelli-printed greaseproof paper with a gap in the middle. The leaves are facing both up and down. Hmm. What could that be about? Well, there are three of us and we're moving from one hemisphere to the other. Could that be what it's about?

The journalling ended up saying 'Stretched between two continents, spread a little thin.' In these few months before the big move there is lots to do. I have one list labelled 'Australia' and one labelled 'UK' with the different things we need to think about/prepare/tie up. I guess my feelings came out on to the page even though I didn't recognise it at first. But isn't that what art journalling is all about?