Dear, Subscriber First Name,Hope this finds you well and enjoying the cooler days and autumnal hints. I am loving them but so invested in autumn that I am frequently overdressed for walks, given the recent humidity and warmth. This has resulted in me stripping off and dropping t-shirts and hats in the back fields and only realising they are not with me anymore once I’ve returned home (fortunately they have all been recovered!). I obviously need more patience and to allow the season to emerge when it is ready. Do you find allowing things to emerge is a challenge? I do, and often face it in my creative work. The making of natural pigments and materials takes a long time, so by the time I’m using them there’s a pressure or tension (all self inflicted!) about whether any work will result that expresses what I want or that I like. I have found this is where discipline is a friend - whether that is time being ring fenced to create, looking for inspiration in others’ work, making and reflecting, seeking others’ critique - but also the mindset to trust the process and play. Hope truly is a discipline - not just wishful thinking something will arise from my interactions with natural materials, but giving space and time for the to and fro of creativity. I find it in my everyday life too - especially when I, like many of you I am sure, have intractable situations to live with. Emotionally I can oscillate between despair and hope so these words help: Opting for hope is a continuous, daily decision. It requires a stubborn refusal to let the current reality have the final word."
— Desmond Tutu
I don’t know what helps you to make that decision but, for me, these all play a part: gratitude, connection with others, the natural world and recognising the small things in life that encourage or delight. The latter was wonderfully illustrated to me yesterday. I was at one of the quarterly creative sessions I voluntary offer for the Family visiting sessions at Wayland Prison. One little boy, nearly 3, was obsessed and delighted with using safety scissors. After every, and many, snips, he turned to me with an expression of wonderment and articulation of joy that was totally delightful. He was a living embodiment of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s assertion: ‘It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all. ’ Talking of sweet things (excuse this transition!), work is progressing for the Sweet Briar Marshes inspired exhibition “Intertwine’ that myself and artists Rachel Wright and Natasha Day are holding at Artdepot NR3 Gallery from 24th October to 30th October . It will be open 11am - 4pm each day, with an Open View on the Saturday at 4pm - 6pm where Norfolk Wildlife Trust will talk about the work and hopes for Sweet Briar and we will share briefly about some of our inspiration and processes. Love to see any of you during that time. In conjunction with the exhibition, myself and the other Rachel are holding workshops at Sweet Briar Marshes - links below. More delectable news was the success in two funding bids. I have already started the COOP creative nature workshops, at the wonderfully inclusive price of £5 a session, thanks to the generosity of Our Coop. They are booked up at present, but if you’re interested do drop me an email and I can put you on the waiting list in case of cancellations. Then, thanks to Norfolk County Council Norfolk Arts Fund, I am able to offer 4 seasonal workshops on a ‘pay what you can’ basis at Flordon Community Centre. Follow the link below to find out more. As my year of ‘pay what you can’ Creative Nature Saturday workshops come to a close, I reflect what a sweet joy they have been to meet all those who have attended; witness others’ creativity emerge or develop and how being with such lovely groups of people have contributed to me holding onto hope. I will be working on another funding application to the Arts Council of England to see if I can continue those in the new year as a ‘pay what you can’ model - watch this space! May you enjoy autumn when it fully arrives, you know I will, and also find ways to stubbornly embrace that which brings hope and joy into your lives. warm wishes, Rachel Do what best awakens you to love Teresa de Avila
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