At the turn of the year I recorded a lodestar podcast meditation and reflection to help us identify our guiding beacon for the year ahead. A word of two to exemplify qualities and values we would like to develop and cultivate this year.
My two words were harmony and creativity.
Harmony
Harmony involves humility, standing back, listening deeply, looking with care, seeking common ground, identifying common humanity. It is a deeply felt sense of inclusion and peace. There is an intrinsic nature to this: how can I feel internally harmonious with everything that is going on right now. (There’s a lot going on right now) How can I be with it all in a balanced way. And there is an external nature to this: How do I contribute to and create harmony with those around me in different circumstances.
Creativity
Creativity is an innate human energy. It involves self expression, communication, connection. When I am creative (like writing this column) I feel a sense of connection with my readers and wellbeing in expressing myself. It allows my imagination and interests to flourish. It enables me to thrive. But it could be other forms of creativity - making, doing, painting, singing. I work in the arts. I am surrounded by creativity all day and it is a wonderful and privileged world to be in.
As organisation 64 million artists says:
When we use our creativity we can make positive change in our lives and the world around us.
I’ve been receiving emails to inspire me from 64 million artists as part of their January challenge to unleash a little creativity in all of us. I love that they say:
We're often driven by the idea of 'getting things right'.
Creativity is a chance to get back in touch with a part of ourselves, often long-buried, that allows us to connect with the world around us differently.
This fits so well with the beauty of imperfection that wabi sabi exemplifies and the idea of miksang - looking at the world differently.
Here is one of the daily challenges:
Spill
Use a spillage, stain, tear or something 'imperfect' to inspire your creativity. You could write a haiku about the stain on the floor, add a smiling face to a coffee ring stain, or use a tear to inspire some embroidery. If you can't find anything - splash a small amount of cold tea onto some scrap paper. Let it dry and let the shapes inspire a doodle.
Taking Embroidery to the Streets
I also recently came across the work of Raquel Rodrigo a Spanish artist who applies embroidery on an architectural scale. The Guardian wrote a great article about her. She talks about taking the domestic work of embroidery to the streets. Stitched carefully onto metallic mesh this is then mounted onto walls and facades. She describes it as a way of asserting hidden feminist art. Her work can now be seen worldwide and she says embroidery is an international language. As an embroider I love this application of it on a wider scale, it’s not only the domestic made public, but craft made art.
I did once get this fantastic Feminist Embroidery book as a present and made quite a few. There are lots more on the market now too. I love a bit of radical stitching.
I’d love to hear about your own Lodestar words for 2023.
If you haven’t got them yet, check out this meditation/reflection.
A little music
I recently discovered musician Bibio. A producer/instrumentalist with an adventurous, atmospheric style, Bibio's Stephen Wilkinson blends electronic, folk, hip-hop, and rock into vivid musical collages. On early albums his evocatively lo-fi mix of acoustic guitars, analog synths, and field recordings called to mind half-remembered times spent in the great outdoors. This is one of my favourite tracks, a little reminiscent of Johnny Flynn.
Wabi Sabi Life Reading Group
Have you joined the Wabi Sabi Life reading group yet? In Feburary we are reading The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka.
Between the first and second world wars a group of young, non-English-speaking Japanese women travelled by boat to America. They were picture brides, clutching photos of husbands-to-be whom they had yet to meet. Julie Otsuka tells their extraordinary, heartbreaking story in this spellbinding and poetic account of strangers lost and alone in a new and deeply foreign land.
To join in download the Threadbable app a new social reading platform (only available on iPhone at present) and use this invite code: 45281.
Gratitude
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