The older I get the more I realise that either
a) I walk a fine line between creativity and madness or
b) I have the courage to do things I wouldn't have done when younger.
So, I took my healing bowl up to the top of the hill and played. The sound of the bowl out in the wild is something that would lift the heart and soul of any who hear it. To see pictures travel across to the cat blog.
I have to paint.
So, I painted all day Sunday and then I sat back and looked and what I had painted was ugly and clumsy so now I have to do it all again. Only this time, better.
So far today I have found a moth, and a wonderful bog where soon there will be a river of irises, helped to organise schedule for October when I will be at the Norfolk Childrens Book Centre and Madelaine Lindleys in Manchester and Southend on Sea and the Starlit Festival in Hackney. Beautiful moth, soft winged and sleepily blinded by daylight.
The line that artists walk is madness in all its beauty and anguish. If we didn't feel this world strongly enough to tip into the lunatic lair, we'd not be able to paint or sing or tell it.
ReplyDeleteDo you know this book? http://amzn.to/3VJk6
You tell and paint your tale beautifully Jackie, I always enjoy reading your bloggings. I hope all is well with you and your menagerie over there on the edge of Wales.
Love from Dartmoor and me x
I am an artist and a sound healer... I think one of the more powerful tools for me to find my balance again when I need to is sound... I take a drum, rattles and/or Himalayan singing bowl out to the forest and sing my heart out. This really helps me feel rooted and connected. I move so much energy - a prayer without words. When the ravens and chickadees and other creatures answer,its a lovely blessing. Glad you found singing bowls.. they're wonderfully healing....
ReplyDeleteHave you ever played a crystal singing bowl? They are also quite amazing. Not the easiest thing to transport around your rocky walk, but still very worth playing and using as a tool for transformation... Don't know of dealers in the UK... you can check them out at www.crystalsingingbowls.com I have one and love it. Even my parents love to hear it when they visit.
And, yes, as I see it, we artists live close to the bone... not an easy path, though full of depth and beauty.
Many blessings....
Valerianna
I once saw documentary on the idea that creative genius and madness are linked...discussing whether it was true or just a stereotype. And apparently creative people's brains actually do have a lot of similarities with people who suffer some kinds mental illnesses. I seem to remember it was a lot to do with being able to imagine things that don't exist, to see them in your head, to be able to see multiple possibilities at the same time. The difference was only in the ability to determine for sure which was real and which was imagination. Having said that, I think I am definitely becoming less inhibited as I get older!
ReplyDeleteI love your singing bowl, I have a small one similar. I am an absolute believer in the power of sound, especially sounds we have generated ourselves...I used to sing in a group and sometimes we would just hit a particular note, everything would be perfect, and I would feel as if I was floating up, all the hairs standing up on the back of my neck. It's sad that we have lost the confidence to sing and make music ourselves these days, handing it over to 'professionals'. It's not quite the same being a spectator.
An artist's madness is what makes her an artist. Take a breather and seek inspiration. You are Amazing.
ReplyDeleteThe moth is incredibly beautiful. What a perfectly co ordinated colour scheme. Those tiny hints of red simply make the shades of grey sing.
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