rare pear studio blog: 2015-06-07

Thursday, 11 June 2015

YOU JUST HAVE TO START....

Okay,I admit it. Time management is not one of my strengths. And I am a procrastinator, always have been, probably always will be(not sure about this though, maybe I need to think about it for a while longer!)I am also often scared of the new, terrified of failing and hesitant to take risks. I am pretty much intrinsically risk adverse.I am often daunted by things. I am fearful of failure. All the time.

However, I reckon that I am gradually pushing those boundaries. One of the benefits of aging is that I can look back and see that there are plenty of things I have achieved that I am proud of, lots and lots of stuff I HAVE done, and surprised myself with it. So maybe, just maybe... I am well on my way UP on that learning curve.

But these days, having taken a bit of a detour on the expected life plan ( nd that's another story altogether!) I am pretty much constantly looking at doing stuff that makes me feel a little bit uneasy. Way, way out of my comfort zone.

Sometimes yep, I do just stay on the comfortable side of living and the predictable and the safe. I stay within the confines of what I know, not pushing myself at all, just moseying through everyday.

And let's face it, a lot of the everyday is still pretty challenging, and not necessarily easy to navigate. The everyday easily sucks up time and energy.

But then inevitably I realise I am feeling all fudgey and dowdy, a bit flat and bored. And I feel the need to challenge.

So I take a deep breathe and push on, and begin seeking inspiration. I look at the inspirational little words I have pinned and displayed or written out, maybe even painted.

OR

I read a book that makes me smile and feel brave.

OR

I walk in my garden.

OR

I go for a walk.

OR

I think of the things that I have achieved, and how good it felt to do them. Maybe chat to people who keep me moving forward and are positive and bouncy type of people. Maybe I sit in the sun, close my eyes and focus. Maybe I feel the fear and potential consequences of being stagnant, sludgy and stuck.

Whatever it takes, I try to build up my psyche and plunge right in. I look for inspiration. I try to remember that achieving dreams is a marathon, not a sprint.

This usually nudges me forward.

And then... if all else fails,there is always cheese!Or coffee!Or chocolate!

So what do you do to get out of a rut,a well worn path,and fears of the new? Are you a challenge orientated human, or a leave-me-here-thanks-where-I-am-nice-and-comfy kind of person? Who inspires you? What inspires you?

BRAVE, watercolour and ink

AND THE DAY CAME WHEN THE RISK IT TOOK TO REMAIN TIGHT INSIDE THE BUD,WAS MORE PAINFUL THAN THE RISK IT TOOK TO BLOSSOM -Anais Nin

DREAM, CREATE, INSPIRE, BELIEVE

Monday, 8 June 2015

A Dozen Flowers

from the train tracks

A Dozen Flowers

Here are a dozen flowers,just for you.To make you smile,to make your eyes happy.To bring a bit of colour into your day(or night!).

Flowers are always in my home,on a sideboard or table,a ledge or a stool.

In vases,empty ordinary glasses, teapots,preserving jars ... anything that will look lovely or whimsical with a bunch of blooms.

Sometimes it can be one little sprig.Sometimes whole big bunches.Sometimes little posies.Sometimes dried and crunchy.Usually fresh and sweet,splashes of loveliness.

Occasionally I pay for these flowers.Often they are from my own garden.Then there is the roadside forage,the train track reaping,a visit to the CWA for some floral beauty fresh from someone else's local garden.And very occasionally,bought for me!

I gratefully accept all the little offerings my little girls bring me,gamely plucked from things growing over fences as they walk home from school(with minimum stalks often...), but with a quiet word to them about not picking flowers from peoples yards!

So now I offer these to you...a dozen flowers.I hope you like them...