So much here, Kirstie. You might dismiss this, but it strikes me forcefully - the courage you reveal: choosing painting 'because I couldn't paint' and the moment of posting, 'feels like a 100ft drop.' I do admire the way you deal with the remorseless inner critic. Samantha Clarke talks about this too in her Lifeboat substack. Lifeboat, also to the rescue. Another thing that stays with me is the unknown man. He climbed into the quarry which was surely not easy, and then took off his jersey to keep the boy warm. And waited, gave support. I keep thinking about this - the unknown passerby, or even the known passerby - so many ways this person can be understood, random, or the point at which we connect with the wider world, almost an aspect of our own being. Sometimes this random one has feathers, as in Sandie's marvellous poem, or is furry, or leafy. Maybe desperate need breaks down some barriers, allows this sort of connection.
Wise words. I really liked the way the story about the fall pulled me in, and then joined up with your theme and grew in the telling. "100 days of creativity" sounds like a huge challenge! But I suppose creativity (something about the word always makes me bristle!) does happen at many scales.
A bristling word. Wonderful. Yes, I think the artistic-making-of-things happens in many (most?) arenas. The challenge of a 100 days is vast, and also simple in its quiet engagement.
So much here, Kirstie. You might dismiss this, but it strikes me forcefully - the courage you reveal: choosing painting 'because I couldn't paint' and the moment of posting, 'feels like a 100ft drop.' I do admire the way you deal with the remorseless inner critic. Samantha Clarke talks about this too in her Lifeboat substack. Lifeboat, also to the rescue. Another thing that stays with me is the unknown man. He climbed into the quarry which was surely not easy, and then took off his jersey to keep the boy warm. And waited, gave support. I keep thinking about this - the unknown passerby, or even the known passerby - so many ways this person can be understood, random, or the point at which we connect with the wider world, almost an aspect of our own being. Sometimes this random one has feathers, as in Sandie's marvellous poem, or is furry, or leafy. Maybe desperate need breaks down some barriers, allows this sort of connection.
Wise words. I really liked the way the story about the fall pulled me in, and then joined up with your theme and grew in the telling. "100 days of creativity" sounds like a huge challenge! But I suppose creativity (something about the word always makes me bristle!) does happen at many scales.
A bristling word. Wonderful. Yes, I think the artistic-making-of-things happens in many (most?) arenas. The challenge of a 100 days is vast, and also simple in its quiet engagement.