The Seal of Curiosity

Inspired by the seals of Bardsey Island, my Seal of Curiosity is now available as a hard enamel pin badge. :-D

This litte quirky Seal was inspired by one of the seals I drew on the Bardsey Island Manuscript that I created after my stay on the island. The Lifesaving ring around the seal, for me, represent Creativity, Adventure and Nature as these are the three core elements that I consistantly return to when looking after my mental health. I see Curiosity as a part of creativity and so this particular Seal is a gentle reminder of what supports my own wellbeing.

What are your wellbeing life savers?  What three things would the life saver represent to you?

Hard Enamel Badge Product Details:

They measure 25mm, made in the UK and come with a metal backing clip. 

Each seal comes with a numbered backing card and is wrapped in hand-stamped tissue paper [colour of tissue paper may vary]. 

They are £7 each plus postage & packing 

To buy your very own Seal of Curiosity click below selecting the right postage option: 

Seal of Curiosity

Seal Badge x 1 £7.00 GBP Seal Badge x 2 £14.00 GBP

Postage costs: 
£2.95 [UK]
£3.50 [Europe]
£4.50 [Rest of World]

I can't wait to see what adventures you take your Seal on [and what you call it! Mine is called Jenny ;-P] - please do share with me on social media and use #sealofcuriosity ;-)

The Bardsey Island Manuscript

One of the seals from a first draft I created that inspired this badge

All images copyright Morwhenna Woolcock

[UK Islands Project] Coast Magazine - July Issue 2018

I'm beyond delighted and excited to share that this month's Coast Magazine [July 2018], features an article I've written about my UK Islands Project. 

It's this copy....(see pics below) 

If you do read it, I'd love to hear what you think and if you are now keen to go on your own Creative Island Adventures...! (or any other Creative Adventures for that matter) 

Huge Thank You to Caroline Wheater & Coast Magazine!

[UK Islands Project] Half-way through & planning fatigue

I'm just over half-way through this year-long project and I've hit my 'planning peak' (have you experienced something similar?) and since June (after Avalon actually) have been suffering from planning fatigue. I've been feeling below par for a number of weeks and basically All Planned Out. 

Not so long ago I was not a planner at all, in fact even the words 'what's the plan'  would send a cold shiver down my spine, ugh. Since my Art Relief Volunteer Adventure I'd become a slight planning ninja and had been enjoying it - until hitting this peak. Time to stop. I didn't want to plan a single thing anymore. So I stopped. For a while at least.

I looked at what was coming up - a holiday to Snowdonia, followed in quick succession by two Islands - Anglesey then Skokholm and decided to let go and just see what that was like. Most of the planning had already been done for these trips so its wasn't as hard as I thought and it's helped me to figure out what things I like/need to have planned to lower my anxiety levels about stuff and what I'm not so bothered about. Its been really useful.

Only useful though by having taken the time to consider and notice what was going on and to ponder on it. How about you? Do you need to stop and reflect/consider something yourself? Just taking half-an-hour out and writing or doodling down your thoughts will help. Trust me.

Having made this discovery and figured out what to do about it, I'm feeling more perky about the rest of the project and also about the pieces of writing and artwork relating to each island I've yet to create. I've also had to make some other decisions which would have seen me feel stuck before as it meant changing my plans.

One island I’ve had to ‘carry-over’ is Caldey.* I had an email a few weeks ago to say that all retreats were to be cancelled due to the refurbishment of the retreat house. That was a blow, as I’d been especially looking forward to that Island experience. The one snippet I’ve managed to glean as to why it was closed is that the managers left rather suddenly so there was no one to run the retreat centre for the guests booked in for the rest of the year. Curious though so if you’ve any info of the exact details – do let me know!

I did consider visiting for the day on my way back from Skokholm last week, and had even packed my bivy bag with an idea to sleep overnight there, when it came to it though we didn’t get back from Skokholm until later than thought and I just felt rather worn out so decided I’d come straight home and save that Island for its proper exploration once the retreat house is open again. Next year hopefully.

This brings me to looking at what Islands I've actually explored so far, and what’s next.

Here’s the run down (some pictures at the bottom of this post)

1. January - Isle of Portland - Tick!
2. February - Isle of Sheppey (via the Tate) - Tick! 
3. March - St. Agnes (Southernmost settlement of the UK) - Tick!
4. April -   Lundy - Tick!
5. May -    Skomer - Tick!
6. June -   Avalon - Tick!
7. July -    Anglesey Tick! & Skokholm Tick!

Still to come are:

August – Bardsey
September – Looe
October – Jersey & Kirrin Island (Yes, Really!)
November – Brownsea aka Red Squirrel Island
December – The Island of Reflection

I'll be creating art postcards from each island - so if you'd like one created just for you click here to sponsor one ;-)

Having reached my planning peak and worked out what helps me get through it (Stop, review & take intelligent action) I'm feeling positive and excited again about the rest of these Islands and the project in general. Toot Toot! Yes indeed - the spark is back ;-) Even writing this blog post to you has helped, so thank you. 

Each Island is Different

Each experience has been so different and each Island so rich with history – both social and natural that at the moment I don’t have one I love more than the others. Well, erm, that’s not strictly true. My first experience of seeing Puffins ("Look there are sooooo many F**king Puffins", I exclaimed excitedly as we arrived at Skomer) is very special, and not only did I get to hang out with Puffins on Skomer in May – I had the chance AGAIN on Skokholm just last week. That’s Skokholm – off the coast of Pembrokeshire, not in Sweden..(do go find it on a map). The Puffins and their Pufflings, yes their young chicks really are called pufflings, are set to depart any day now, in fact they’d already started to change their behaviour in readiness for their own ‘holidays’ out at sea whilst we were there. Skomer and Skokhom, two islands so close together and yet so totally different.

I’ve got some breathing space before my next Island (Bardsey in mid-August) to write up about these Island explorations and also create some artwork. I’m discovering that as each Island is different each medium I use for each will be different, something I think I’ve touched on before. Skokholm felt very textural – like an embroidery or tapestry piece was calling about to be created, although there was also a hint at a stained glass window as there is such a beautiful one in one of the compost toilets on the island! That could even be another project...Toilets with stained glass windows..or interesting toilets of the world...[Off on a tangent]

If you are already following along on social media (I post on Instagram mainly as I love the photo format) then you’ll have already seen pictures of these island explorations. If we aren’t connected yet – do come and say hello - @morwhennawoolcock

Coming up

Aside from UK Islands Project, I’ve a couple of other things coming up:

One this week (Thursday 27 July) – a Local Creative Adventure in Burrington Coombe – details here and I was interviewed on BBC Radio Bristol about these creative adventures – which you can listen to here – (my chat starts at around 1.25.40 (ish) before Amy Winehouse Valerie - which is what I've called my car! Valerie Volvo!! - spooky) then a there's bit about a lawnmower museum (interesting) - then it's me! Thanks to Becky Walsh for this.

Then starting in September is the ‘How to be a Creative Adventurer’ Exploration(course) I’ll be sharing more about this as I gear up to this over the next month. If you’ve any friends you think might benefit from discovering how a spot of Creative Adventuring can help them in their daily life – please do share it with them.

Bye for now!

Pip Pip

Morwhenna
xx

ps - can you tell which picture is from which island?

[UK Islands Project] Don't be Scilly

The sand bar between St.Agnes and Gugh. The place on the island that I kept returning to

I've gotten the bug. The Isles of Scilly Bug

My short visit to St.Agnes last month has developed into a slight obsession with all things Scilly.

I stayed only three nights on St.Agnes and yet this Island trip felt as if I'd been away for months - such was the 'magic' of the place. 

It was all a bit hit and miss if I'd even get there as a number of flights had been cancelled that week due to the weather. I drove down to Cornwall the night before I was due to fly and there was hail and rain on a rather epic scale.

Wednesday dawned and so did the blue skies and the sunshine.

I knew then, in that instant that it was all going to be grand. Just grand

And it was. On so many levels

The people I met

The beauty of the place - the light, the colours the wildness

The tranquility

I loved it

With all the notes and photos I'm taking, boiling it all down to one blog post just isn't happening (as you may have noticed!) and I think this is, I expect, influenced by the fact that I am going to be writing all these Islands explorations into a book.

Seeing that my posts are random I've just added an Instragram feed to my blog as that's where I'm sharing more 'live' moments from these island adventures, so if you'd like a more interactive part in this project - instagram is the best place to follow me @morwhennawoolcock Do come and say hi! 

The next Island I'm visiting is Lundy. Would you like to receive a special art postcard from Lundy Island? Click here

Hanging out with The Old Man of Gugh. Going 'Off-peak' meant I had the whole Island to myself

Up your courage

Have you done anything recently that you’d considered had ‘upped your courage?’

Or is there something you are thinking about doing that requires you to ‘up your courage?’

Do tell

I’d been thinking about how I could up my own courage recently and the thought came to me about giving talks, like, in public.

This is something that gives me the heebie-jeebies.

I really don’t relish the idea of being up there on a stage in front of people all looking at me.

However,

I know that if I want to move forward with my ideas and plans for my Creative Adventures and to encourage others to either join me on mine or help them in creating their own, this is something I feel I need/and actually want to do.

Once I’d kind of decided this was something I was going to explore further a curious thing happened - An opportunity plopped right into my lap – almost the next day.

The charity, Creativity Works, who I work part-time for, have been in conversation with Bath Spa University and Dr Samantha Walton, Senior Lecturer in English Literature, about her current research programme on Nature and Wellbeing and this interested me greatly (as you can imagine).

I decided I also wanted to attend the event but with my ‘Creative Adventurer Hat on’ and so emailed Dr. Sam to ask if I could. I briefly explained my interest in the subject and pressed send.

Her reply was along the lines of ‘would you like to contribute to the talks? These can be between 5-15 minutes and involve an introduction to your work and interest in the theme.’

First reaction was - YES!
then - ah but I'm not an expert or a professor or such
then - hmmm how will I be perceived by others there
then - what if I make a twit of myself
then - AGHHH I need to do this

Come on now I said to myself (and after sharing my fear in the mentoring group I’m in)

didn’t I ask for this?

So I replied

‘Yes Please – I’d love to do this, thank you for asking!’

Once I’d sent this reply I thought – YES! This is going to be great! Also feeling pleased that I'd 'felt the fear and done it anyway' (Not before having a slight panic that it was going to be in a massive lecture theatre with 100s of people staring at me) I checked and it will be a group of around 35, in a semi-circle and there will be cake.

Well I thought – If there is going to be cake – it’s all fine!

The event is taking place on the 8^th May and there will be some very interesting speakers there. If you’d like to know more about it please follow this link: Cultures of Nature and Wellbeing

So do tell me about your own courage upping that you’ve been doing – or that you want to – maybe I can help you to take that next step?

The 40/40 Project. No.23 Go on a Game Show (Part 1)

Will I get selected to be on Deal or No Deal and get the chance to Open Box no.23? I hope so!

I've applied to go on Deal Or No Deal. 

Go on a Game show is no.23 on my 40/40 list...

I'd spent much time considering which game show to apply for and seeing that Supermarket Sweep is no longer running decided to apply for Deal or No Deal for a few reasons. 

1. I don't really understand the logic in it - is there any? 
2. It looks fun! 
3. It doesn't require me to have a super brain chock full of general knowledge but just to be myself ;-)
4. Its filmed in Bristol 
5. 23 is my birthday, there is a special Box 23 on the show, and it's no.23 on my 40/40 project list. That spells LUCKY to me!
6. There is a chance to win a VERY tasty £500,000 jackpot which would help me complete my 40/40 project, enable me to buy a woodland for my Healing Woods vision to help others and generally fund lots of Creative Adventures! Oh yes!!! EPIC!

The application was quite long with 12 sections and I had to come up with interesting facts about myself, my most embarrassing moment, the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me along with a whole host of other questions! Filling it out did make me chuckle.  

So now I have to wait and see. I'll only get a call if they think I'll be good for the show....Will it be the Banker that calls me?? I'll let you know!

Have you ever been on a Game Show?  Tell me about your experience - I'd love to hear about it. Or do you have a burning desire to go on a Game Show too?