Four Months – Sunday

Posted on February 18, 2018February 18, 2018 Posted in art, Celtic, creativity, event, exploration, music, nature, visual journaling, well-being, writingTagged alchemy, art, atthecrossroadsofshouldandmust, authenticsheshe, body, changes, compassion, creativity, experience, faith, gratitude, Iceland, ideas, inspiration, journal, life, moments, nature, patience, practice, present, process, reflections, self-care, space, time, travel, voice, work, writingLeave a comment

Four months from now, June 17, you’ll be flying into Keflavík International Airport. You’ll be filled with excited and apprehension, as even if this is your first time or fourth journey to Iceland, you can’t help the way travel and adventure makes you feel. You are filled with wonder and awe and questions. But you know in your core that this creative retreat is what your soul has been screaming out for, for so many years.

Once you come through passport control, you will get the opportunity to peruse duty free. If you like an alcoholic beverage, chocolate or even fancy a traditional Icelandic woolly, this is the place to pick them up, before you leave the airport. This will be the cheapest place to buy the these goods. So make the most of it now.

Collect your luggage. And sail through customs out into the arrivals terminal where I am waiting. Waiting with a sign calling your name. Waiting with a smile of recognition. Welcoming you to the country that has nestled deep into my heart. Welcoming you to a week of possibilities and opportunities and creativity. Relax now, you are in safe hands. Promise x.

My Creative Year in Review – Part 1

Posted on January 3, 2018January 3, 2018 Posted in art, body, challenge, creativity, event, exploration, family, Meditation, nature, opinion, painting, photography, poetry, power, Reading, research, self portraiture, travel, visual journaling, well-being, writingTagged alchemy, amplify, art, atthecrossroadsofshouldandmust, authencity, authenticsheshe, body, changes, compassion, creativity, dark and light, experience, exploration, freedom, gratitude, hiatus, history, hygge, ideas, inspiration, journal, life, light, love, memory, mindfulness, moments, nature, patience, poetry, practice, present, process, reflections, research, rest, sea, self-awareness, self-care, self-discovery, self-love, space, therapy, time, travel, trust, truth, voice, walking, water, work, working, writing1 Comment

In recent years during December I’ve taken the time and space to reflect back on the past twelve months in terms of my creative life. It is always inspiring and surprising to remember the things I have achieved as well as the mistakes I have learnt from along the way.

Following this practice of review means that I enter the next year, fired up and focused about the choices I want to make going forward.
If I had to sum up 2017 in 3 words it would include courage, voice and business.

Let’s take a look at each month ( the year will be split into two parts) and see what happened along the way to carry me into 2018, older but so much more younger in terms of wonder and curiosity.

January came in cold and dark. The ideal time to go deeper into my practice of hygge. During my winters walks #TheHealingPeopertiesOfTheSeas was conceived as a one day symposium all about our relationship with water. This has still to take place but the concept is out there and can be found on IG and Twitter. Holding this idea throughout the year has meant that I’ve been curating short 10 second films around water. These will be available to watch and add to during 2018.

February was the beginning of my exploration of voice. Having been chosen to take part in an Arvon foundation residential course for writers wanting to make change happen, I met a whole heap of interesting people who supported me on my journey of claiming and using my authentic voice around the theme of my body in the environment. This led into further publications of my creative non-fiction poetic writing here. I was also exploring my voice through painting by completing Painting the Feminine with Connie Solera. This was another opportunity for me to embody my multi-layered identity, providing the tools and techniques to support my self-expression.

March saw me return to Iceland as part of a self-directed residency with The Westfjords Residency. To spend an extended amount of time in an isolated village miles from a major town was testing. I questioned what I was trying to achieve by doing this, in terms of my creativity as well as my life. It was unsettling to some extent as all my usual boundaries were missing and for a while there I did flounder. I also experienced some racial abuse while in Reykjavik which made me question my relationship with the whole country. March was definitely a learning curve which manifested in a deeper love of Iceland which meant before I left I made plans to share this love with my family.

April was another month of learning as I not only completed a Woodland leader training course in the Highlands of Scotland but I also went live with my new website and brand name Living Wild Studios. I’d procrastinated enough and it was time to be seen, showcasing all of my creative adventures under one roof.
It was a scary time but one that I wouldn’t change as I went with my gut and created a beautiful website I’m proud to call my home. It’s varied and dynamic and changing to reflect how I’m changing.

May seemed to have gone in a blur. I know it was a time of disrupted plans due to Alan’s mam being in hospital for an extended stay. It was a time of sticking close to home and putting my family first and foremost. But I did try to keep moving forward with Living Wild Studios as a business, extending my reach through social media. To be honest, I didn’t really enjoy this month as I was trying to operate in a way that wasn’t being authentic to me. I had to explore my relationship with social media, with the pubic arena at large and withdraw to do so. This was good for me, for my sanity.

I continued my social media hiatus into June. I felt I was just settling into my own space and voice by the end of May so wanted more time away from distractions to listen within. This was an important month for me to dive deep into the Creative Facilitator Training I had started with Lisa Sonora this year. I had been building up a resistance to the course as it wasn’t as I had thought it would be. I expected more. But then I realised that this is an experiential course and I get out of it what I put into it. All along I’m using myself and my experiences and beliefs as the learning examples so in order to learn and move forward I had to be more engaged. A light bulb moment which saw me returning at the end of the month to social media to share my visual journaling practice, the foundation of my creativity, much more extensively and thoroughly than before.

#SheOfTheWildWrites

Posted on January 1, 2018January 3, 2018 Posted in body, challenge, creativity, event, nature, poetry, power, Reading, research, Uncategorized, well-being, writingTagged alchemy, art, atthecrossroadsofshouldandmust, authenticsheshe, body, changes, compassion, creativity, experience, exploration, gratitude, ideas, inspiration, journal, life, moments, nature, patience, poetry, present, process, reflections, self-care, self-love, self-worth, space, truth, water, work, writingLeave a comment

She of the Wild announced this challenge at the beginning of the year. We’re doing a daily writing challenge for January 2018.

Use the prompts to fuel each day’s writing, then you can share what you write with the writing community on social media, Instagram mostly, using the hashtag #sheofthewildwrites.

This is a great way to get back into a daily writing pracfice. I am most grateful to Beth Morey for organising this as I know this challenge is going to stretch me but in a good way. Join in.

ten: four

Posted on December 12, 2017 Posted in body, challenge, creativity, event, exploration, family, nature, opinion, photography, poetry, The Wheel of the Year, well-being, writingTagged authenticsheshe, body, changes, compassion, creativity, day mily, exploration, family, freedom, gratitude, home, inspiration, journal, life, love, moments, nature, patience, poetry, practice, present, process, reflections, self-care, space, time, truth, walking, work, writingLeave a comment

1. The roof opposite holds the snow steady.
2. Our central heating blows out slow white smoke.
3. I don’t seem to be able to get warm.
4. I switch the Christmas lights on to create some cheer.
5. Slow is the pace for everything this morning.
6. Let me make peppermint tea and spend half an hour curled up with a book.
7. No school today even if we are up in time. To the doctor’s instead.
8. We slide along the street all bundled up.
9. We sit. Her small chubby hands small in mine.
10. Our deep brown eyes meet and smile.

best day of 2017

Posted on December 3, 2017 Posted in art, body, challenge, creativity, event, exploration, Meditation, opinion, poetry, power, Reading, self portraiture, The Wheel of the Year, travel, well-being, writingTagged alchemy, atthecrossroadsofshouldandmust, authenticsheshe, body, changes, compassion, creativity, freedom, gratitude, ideas, inspiration, journal, life, moments, nature, patience, poetry, practice, present, process, reflections, retreat, self-care, self-worth, space, strength, time, travel, truth, unique, voice, work, writingLeave a comment

Day 3 of December Reflections and the prompt is : best day of 2017.

This year has been long and short, amazing and disconcerting, a breeze and a challenge. But I started with an intention – this year was one of the ‘voice’. My voice.

In January I attended a writers’ retreat for finding our voices to talk about the issues we care about.

Visiting #Iceland twice, strengthened my relationship with the land, my vision as well as my voice talking about my body in the world.

And now into the final month of the year, my time with @Idlewomen #shiftingloyalties is coming to an end and the signs I have been receiving are that I am on the right path. Sometimes that path might be lonely, I might be the only loud voice quaking ( we have ducks here) about an issue but support and encouragement is not to too away.

Last night I shared my poetry for the first time since I lost my voice in 2015. I’m emboldened. I heard my voice. My voice is strong and true and she is me.

December Reflections

Posted on December 1, 2017 Posted in art, challenge, creativity, event, exploration, Meditation, nature, photography, The Wheel of the Year, well-beingTagged alchemy, authenticsheshe, changes, creativity, experience, exploration, ideas, inspiration, journal, moments, nature, patience, photography, practice, process, reflection, reflections, self-care, space, time, truth, writingLeave a comment

This year is drawing to a close. The time is coming to go within. This is the time for taking stock and reflecting on what has gone and thinking about what is to come.

Susannah Conway offers for a free a December Reflections prompt for each day of this month. I dipped in and out last year but this year, I’m feeling the need to bring in some more reflection and ritual. I feel the need to have something to hang all my thoughts and feelings about 2017 upon. This free offering is an ideal vehicle for just that. Hopefully, I’ll come back here each day to share my insights as the month progresses. Happy December.

Today’s prompt is : early.

ten:one

Posted on November 21, 2017 Posted in body, challenge, creativity, event, exploration, Meditation, nature, photography, poetry, self portraiture, tenTagged alchemy, authencity, authenticsheshe, changes, compassion, creativity, experience, exploration, faith, hiatus, hygge, ideas, inspiration, journal, moments, patience, poetry, practice, present, process, reflections, rest, sacred, self-awareness, self-care, self-love, simple, space, time, travel, truth, writingLeave a comment

1. He goes into the bathroom and slams the door.
2. The candle flickers in the draft.
3. My shirt with black blobs of paint is creased.
4. The coffee beside me smells hot.
5. I curl my legs up under my bum and feel my muscles stretch.
6. A car drives past outside.
7. There is cloud. There is weak light.
8. A fine drizzle speckles the window.
9. The central heating rumbles into life.
10.The house groans in its spaces.

New Practice : Ten@Tuesday

Posted on November 21, 2017 Posted in body, challenge, exploration, Meditation, poetry, power, self portraiture, ten, well-being, writingTagged alchemy, amplify, authencity, authenticsheshe, beyourownbeloved, body, changes, compassion, creativity, dark and light, experience, exploration, faith, freedom, gratitude, hiatus, home, ideas, letitgo, life, love, mindfulness, moments, patience, poetry, practice, present, reflections, rest, self-awareness, self-care, self-discovery, self-love, self-worth, space, therapy, time, trust, truth, voice, water, writingLeave a comment

I’m planning to share my new practice with you, just on a Tuesday, even though I’m completing this task everyday. This practice came to me first via Alisha Sommer and her beautiful writing and photography. And this practice came to Alisha via Marie Howe being interviewed on On Being.

Within this podcast, Marie Howe talks about the power of poetry and the sacredness of the every day. Sacred space is there always just waiting for us to stop and pay attention. To stop and hold space for the now.

I love the thought of this. I love the idea of gifting ourselves the beauty and grace of our present moments. All we have to do is slow down and listen. Slow down and observe.

Marie recommends to her students to write down 10 observations of the actual world each day. No metaphors, no comparisons, just detail the world as it actually is. Simple. Engage the senses and be up close with the world around us. Be present.

After embarking on this practice for a few weeks now, I have to say it hurts, sometimes, to be so present as the tendency is to look away. To want to distract myself and move on. Get moving, get producing. But at the same time as the pain and is the simple joy of being present. There’s pain but also happiness to be found in being present. And this is amazing. Try is yourself and see.

Marie Howe calls this ‘a gift of holding sacred space.’ And you’re doing this for yourself, no one else, just yourself. I claim this as self-care to the max.

Each Tuesday, I’ll share my 10 observations. Feel free to share yours too, here with me.

listening to the voice of my soul

Posted on November 20, 2017 Posted in body, Celtic, creativity, exploration, Meditation, poetry, power, self portraiture, well-being, writingTagged alchemy, authenticsheshe, body, changes, compassion, creativity, curious, dark and light, experience, exploration, faith, goddess, heart, hiatus, hygge, ideas, inspiration, intuition, journal, letitbe, letitgo, life, light, love, mindfulness, moments, nature, patience, practice, process, reflections, rest, self-care, self-discovery, self-worth, soul, surrender, time, trust, truth, voice, wild soul woman, work, writingLeave a comment

When my days are lived at a pace.
When my time is filled with noise.
When my eyes are lit up by a screen.
I feel a creeping dread up my spine.
Red ants invade my hairline
and I feel as if there is no escape.
I’m uncomfortable in my skin,
taking only shallow breaths.
Heavy and awkward, never feeling rest or calm,
I forget who I am.
I’m distracted.
When I withdraw to slow down.
When I turn off external sounds.
When my ears become accustomed
to the voice deep within my being,
I can feel my soul and she speaks
from heart of love.

learning to change

Posted on October 30, 2017October 30, 2017 Posted in body, Celtic, challenge, creativity, event, exploration, Meditation, nature, power, The Wheel of the Year, Uncategorized, well-being, writingTagged alchemy, authenticsheshe, beyourownbeloved, changes, compassion, creativity, dark and light, experience, exploration, family, gratitude, hiatus, home, ideas, inspiration, journal, letitgo, life, light, memory, moments, nature, patience, poetry, practice, present, process, reflections, rest, self-awareness, self-care, self-discovery, self-love, space, therapy, time, trust, truth, work, working, writingLeave a comment

Over the weekend, our clocks went back. We lost an hour and gained the darkness. Usually at this time of year, I go into a bit of a slump. With the night’s drawing in so does my mind and emotions. I get a bit grumpy as this is the way I’m supposed to act. I’m not supposed to welcome the dark, to enjoy the dark, I should be reaching for the light, or so I’ve been lead to believe. But this year, I sense a change.

This November I plan to go within, deep within. Cosy up and settle into my new home at the same time as explore my internal darkness. I’m looking forward to the rest, to the reduction in the pressures to perform and show up. I’m looking forward to just being. and don’t get me wrong, I’ll not be idle. I’ve got plenty of things to keep me busy, to be getting on with behind the scenes. But allowing myself to rest and to take care of myself, is a change, is an advancement for me that I will continue to cultivate as I reap the benefits of such. But of course if these plans get disrupted, I have also learned to be flexible.

This time last hear, I was knee deep in curriculum planning, marking and examination preparations. Self-care amounted to getting to bed before 10pm and most nights that wasn’t achieved. Things weren’t really going to plan and I was constantly knackered. What I can take from that time now is my ability to be flexible, to not make a fuss but to just go with the flow because I learned that it was me and only me who was hurting. It was me and my unrealistic expectations that was causing the ruckus, not anyone else.

I carry this nugget of knowledge with me now, when my best laid plans go up in smoke because of unforeseen circumstances. I become disappointed and hurt and yet I also see that these things happen and I’m more adept at being centred, rooted in myself but still allowing my trunk to bend, and my branches to sway in an unexpected wind or storm. These things happen, it’s nature. It’s how I perceive and handly these changable circumstances is the development, is an indication of my growth as a human being.

Sheree Angela Matthews

Tag: moments