Ready to bloom

Sometimes you start a page and it is finished very quickly. I put a couple of washes on this page and then made some loose marks on the left hand side with some Golden high flow in Shading Grey. That was the point where I knew there was no need for much more. The marks looked like leaves and a stem. All that was needed was the buds. 

I definitely felt they needed to be buds, not full-blown flowers. Buds showing a touch of colour, on the cusp of blooming, just as I feel I am. 

And so here is a simple page, full of promise. 

Seeing the way forward

Starting to see the way forward.

There has been a lot of waiting. Now it feels like a time for action. I'm starting to plan and it feels good.

Calming the storm

There has been a lot of rain this spring. It's even made it on to this art journal page. And then some stormy seas popped up, too. What was this page telling me?

Perhaps it's the turbulence of unpacking, the bits and pieces that haven't quite found a home yet, just leaving me a little unsettled. My life for the past few months has been dominated by waiting for particular dates. First it was our last Sunday at church followed by the arrival of the removal company to pack everything up. Then it was the flights; the arrival in Liverpool; my husband's installation service; and finally, the arrival of the boxes. As we get the house in order, it's time to take a breath and calm the inner storm of uncertainty.

Order out of chaos

Trying to drag order out of chaos...

Took a break from the unboxing to daub some paints in a brand new art journal. Looking forward to getting my groove back.

New studio!

Finally our stuff has arrived from Australia! On Thursday our 322 wrapped and boxed items were delivered and the unboxing began. Now it's Monday and there are only two more boxes to empty. All the books are on shelves, although it will take a few weeks to sort them all out. A lot of the art is on the walls, but there are still many items to find a home for.

As you can see from the photo above, I have a tall table set up with an easel, and yes, there is a journal on there :) The natural light from the skylight is wonderful and makes up for the reduction in space.

Getting out of the chrysalis

The green swathe across this page could have been a path, but it kept making me think 'caterpillar' so I went with it. So why did I have caterpillars in mind?

The caterpillar can't stay in the chrysalis forever.

There is a time of waiting; a time of transformation.

Eventually the waiting comes to an end and it is time to emerge... or die.

If the butterfly doesn't emerge, what was the point of all that transformation?

It feels as if a long period of waiting is coming to an end for me. It is time to emerge and fly; to take risks and move forward.

I doubt that I will be posting anything on Friday as our shipping container has finally arrived and cleared customs. Yay! Delivery is Thursday and Friday, so I'll be a bit busy...

But after that I'm hoping there will be a return to some more inspiring pages. I'm so fed up with what I've been producing with a minimal kit. It just tells me what the bare essentials are for me: more than I packed in my hand luggage this time :) I'll share pics of my new studio once I've shoe-horned everything in.

How to bloom

Working out how to bloom here. What can I contribute? Where can I fit in?

It's always tricky starting in a new place. How can you contribute while avoiding stepping on toes? I vacillate between waiting to get to know people better before offering something, and just jumping in and seeing what happens.

We all have something to offer. Sometimes you have to fail at a few things to find out what works.

Waiting for a Breakthrough

There are just a few things that need to fall into place for us to properly settle and move forward.

I'm getting antsy waiting for my art supplies. By the end of next week my studio should be full of boxes. I can see a lot of sorting in my future for next weekend, and after that, lots and lots of layers!

Crossing paths

I find that I'm thinking about getting to know people. It must be on my mind because it's turned up twice in my art journal now. Let's face it, when you move to a brand new place one of the first things you want to do is connect with like-minded people and get involved in some sort of community.

How is 'crossing paths' about getting to know new people?

Well, the more I put myself out there and cross paths with the same people, the more I get to know them, and they me. Sometimes these crossings will happen naturally, like at church on Sunday. But other meetings will need to be orchestrated. In other words, you have to work at it.

Forging new links

Forging new links. Now begins the hard work of heating, annealing, shaping, forging, soldering.

It always takes time to get to know new people. It's hard work but worth the effort. And there are so many people to get to know!

Some people find it easy to make new friends. For others it takes time. I'm one of the latter. I know it will take me a while to find my feet and open up. It always does. But I have learned over the years how I best get to know people, so there will be a few choc 'n' chat nights in the coming months. I've found that gathering a small group of women around a table with a plate of home made truffles is one of the easiest ways for me to learn and share with others.

How do you plunge into the hard work of getting to know new people?