Work with the ones you have

Work with the ones you have.

It can be disappointing when you set up any type of event and the turn-out is not what you hoped for. The thing to remember is that you can only work with the ones who turn up. Don't be disappointed - remember that if you make a difference in the life of one person, it's worth it.

Cage

Don't let a cage stop you from growing - reach through the bars.

I had no idea where this page was going. A tree grew from the ribcage, there seem to be bridges, the colours are an unusual palette for me. What was going on?

The ribcage is a protective cage for the heart, but sometimes we end up in cages that are restrictive rather than protective. We may have placed ourselves in the cages, or someone else may have trapped us there, but we don't have to allow the cage to stop growth. A cage has bars, but it also has gaps. Indeed, many cages have a lot more gap than bar. I guess it just depends on how you look at things.

Include

How do we include everyone? By loving them.

It takes time. It takes energy. It can be inconvenient.

But if we truly want to include people, to pull them in to the circle, we need to love them.

Water power

Go with the flow or let the water power you?

The 'wheel' on the left of this page made me think of a water wheel, and there appears to be a mill in the mist behind it, so it set me thinking. A wooden wheel can float along a river, going with the flow, or it can stand perpendicular to the flow and use it to power machinery.

Do you go wherever the river takes you? Or do you stand firm in the water and use the flow to power your life?

Landed

Feeling like I've finally landed.

It always takes a while to settle in to a new place. In some ways we feel like we've been here for ages, but in others it is still very new. For me, I know that I feel like I've landed because I'm ready to paint some walls and add a splash of colour to the place. Also, I've done a successful workshop, so it feels as if I'm finding my feet and carving out my niche.

What makes you know that you've 'landed'?

Halewood CultureFest Art Workshop

On Wednesday I led an Art Workshop where 11 ladies came along and had fun (according to their feedback 😊) cutting, sticking, and colouring to make beautiful pictures. The landscape above and first vase of flowers below were the examples I made to take along. The rest are the results of the workshop.

I love the range of creativity when you give everyone the same materials and a few pointers and set them going.

(The tape to mark out the border on this one hasn't all been removed yet.)

Head

Just a quick post today as I head off to do a workshop this afternoon.

Every now and again I like to draw faces. Some days I hate everything I draw, but this head I'm really pleased with. I used a reference, and I find that when I do that my faces look more realistic.

Do you use references for drawing?

Not my emergency!

Your lack of preparation does not make it my emergency.

How often do you end up running around because someone dumps something on you at the last minute? It's not your responsibility, but you feel obliged to make it happen. Not wanting to rant, but I get fed up when I send info out to people a couple of weeks in advance to make sure we're all on the same page, only to have them send stuff back the night before things are due to happen (after 9:30pm) with last minute changes they'd like to make.

Aaaagh!

But my husband reminds me: their lack of preparation does not make it my emergency. There has to be a cut-off time. Sometimes it's just too late to make changes.

It can be easy to take responsibility for things that are not yours to be responsible for. Sometimes that is good - when people adopt children, or become step-parents and treat those children as their own that is an honourable thing. But I'm sure we all know people who go through life not preparing and then expecting others to pick up their mess. There comes a time when we have to let those people stand on their own feet, even if it means they fail.

Anticipation and butterflies

Anticipation and butterflies - that's what I feel at the moment as I finish my prep for an art workshop next week. I love seeing people released into creativity, but I'm also a long way over on the introvert scale so standing up and speaking in front of people makes me feel nauseous. My emotions are in conflict, but I'll push on through because each time I do, I gain confidence. Maybe a minuscule amount, but a move in the right direction.