Final preparations and childhood dreams coming true

The Red Shoes. I used to LOVE watching this film with my mum when I was a much younger creative adventurer!

A week today and I'll be off on my first ever Creative Charity Volunteer Adventure. WOW!

After all the full-on-ness of the past 7 weeks (making the decision to go, booking it, fundraising, Art-A-Thoning, vaccinations and more)  I've come to a bit of a standstill and a bit of a low energy ebb.  Hardly surprising. 

There are a few things left to do, such as:

• Travel insurance – I am covered for health with Cultural Canvas but that doesn’t cover my luggage and camera etc..
• Finalising my workshop ideas and plans
• Stuff I need to do HERE – like – car insurance is due while I’m away, Renew website hosting, what else?? ity bity jobs.
• Decide where to go for my week of solo exploration. I’ve extended my stay after my volunteer placement to explore by myself.
• See how much more ££ I can raise.
• Packing – I have everything I need (I think) so it’s a matter of actually packing it! I’m waiting for the fabulous art materials parcel from Great Art who are supplying some brushes and watercolour kits for me to take with me. THANK YOU!

I’ve bought some new things for my trip – but these have actually been small items, two in particular:

• Sleep mask (tested and works just fine) only thought about getting one after reading the fabulous blog Never Ending Voyage. Really worth checking out if you are considering a long trip. Mine is rather short in comparison!  I bought this one: Daydream Sleep Mask
• Travel slippers.  I realised that I could actually buy some RED BALLET shoes as my travel slippers!! I’ve bought some of these: Rickol Red Ballet Shoes 

There is a bit of a story here, about why I'm so excited about these red ballet shoes.

Ever since I was a child I’ve been rather obsessed with the film The Red Shoes. Every Christmas in my letter to Santa I would ask for some red ballet shoes. I never received any. I don’t know why. I did ask my Dad once but he couldn’t remember!

Now and again I would think about them and one day realised – I could actually buy my own…

I started looking for some but never quite found what I wanted, after all I did want some I could wear - not the actual hard toe versions. I stopped looking – even though in the back of my mind that desire was still there. 

The hunt began for travel slippers. And there were some RED BALLET shoes that would be perfect! I could have my red ballet shoes! Finally!

I looked at them – my heart jumped.

I bought them.

I've never been so excited to spend £11.95.

Not much at all when you consider I’m actually making one of my childhood dreams come 

true.

Now I’m awaiting their arrival.

I am excited!

Ps I’m not planning on actually being like the character from the film, in fact as a child I don’t think I even really knew what the film was really about. I was captivated by the colours, the dancing, the red shoes and the fairy tale. I can’t actually remember the last time I saw this film. I don’t think I've watched it as an adult so would love to see it again.

Do you have a childhood dream that you could now achieve for yourself?

Fundraising Update!

Total Raised so Far! £1,017

whoosh! BRILLIANT!

Target £2,500 - Amount left to raise: £1,483

Art-A-Thon update – have come to the decision to do Part 2 when I get back – so if you’d

like to be involved – please let me know! It’d be FUN!

We Did it! (Almost)

So what did we get up to?? Watch the video to find out! 

24hr Art-A-Thon. Be Part of The Art

This weekend I’m going to spend 24hrs creating art and I want you to be part of it.

At 10.00 on Saturday I’ll start at my home studio by drawing on the 20m roll of paper I have been given by Wickes (thank you!) Then along with my trusty sidekick Claire Westwood, we’ll travel into Park Street, Bristol to start inviting lovely folks to join in and lend a hand (literally!) at 12.00 I will be at nomad drawing whilst having part 2 of my rabies jabs!! Be interesting to see how that works out!

Then we’ll be ‘Out and About in Bristol’ inviting you to be Part of The Art!

How? HOW!!

Come and find us (timetable below) make a donation and then draw around your own hand on the paper, decorate it however you choose and you’re ‘Part of The Art.’

We are aiming to fill the whole 20m roll in 24hrs!

At the end of the 24hrs there will be an opportunity to bid on and buy parts of the totally unique artwork! There could be some famous hands on there too!! oooooo-eeee!

This is a Fundraising Event! 

We are raising funds for Children’s Hospice Southwest and Art Relief International who I am volunteering with for 4 weeks in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I’ll be developing and running art workshops with socially excluded groups. All donations from this 24hr event will be split 50/50 between the two charities.

Any artwork not sold will be split and half will go to the Children’s Hospice and I’ll take the other half with me to Art Relief International to use in an art workshop while I am there.

Keep checking back for more details!!

Where will we be?? (rough outline!)

10.00 – Start – at my home studio
11.00 - Children's Hospice South West Shop - 40 Park Street

12.00 – nomad, Bristol (injections!) 38 Park Street

12.45 – Folk House Cafe - 40a Park Street
13.45 - Bristol Hippodrome

15.00 – College Green

17.00 – Harbourside

19.00 – Back to home studio

19.30 – 10.00 Live broadcast from studio with guests by invitation only

10.30 – REST! Followed by sleep...!

This is a rough outline and I’ll add in more exact locations once they have been confirmed.

So keep checking back for the latest news!

*EXCITED* 

ps. I can't remember the last time I actually stayed up for 24hrs!! eek!

Here's a little film about getting things prepared for the Art-A-Thon and the room I'll be starting off in! 

Creative Adventurer 24hr Art-A-Thon outfit nearly ready!

Thai Consulate, Flights & Acceptance

This past week has all been about Acceptance. Not giving up, but accepting somethings aren't going the way I'd have liked, accepting that and being able to move on. Has been a week full of learning for me. Have also got some of the BIG things for my volunteer trip ticked off. That feels GOOD!

• I have my VISA!! traveled to Cardiff on Wednesday to get that. That was a painless experience. After filling out a form and handing over £25 I had my visa. Easy
  
• I have BOOKED MY FLIGHTS!!! I've spent a lot of time on the phone and the internet the past few weeks trying my best to get really cheap or free flights. It just wasn't happening. I was feeling defeated as I was SO SURE I’d be flying for free!! Part of me didn't want to give up, but it wasn't really the best use of my time. I've been doing Stephanie Harrison's Soul Journey’s Course and a few times this week have pulled the card Acceptance. (You can get a free reading on her site here).
  
  So I realised I had to ACCEPT this expectation probably wasn't going to happen this time around and that I needed to take action before it stopped me in my tracks. I selected the best deal and flights for me and booked them on Wednesday evening.
  
  Yes, I’m still going to contact Etihad Airways who I am flying with to tell them what I’m doing so there is still a feeling *something* will happen! Will keep you posted! ;-0
  
• Remembered to STOP. BREATHE. TAKE A WALK when feeling overwhelmed
  
• Rest of my injections booked in *phew* in fact you’ll probably be reading this as I’m sitting in ‘the chair’ at the travel clinic having them!  I’m booked in to have rabies, Japanese Enkefilitius, Cholera and to get some Malaria tablets. After much debating, I decided it wasn't worth the risk of not having them – even though I’m not keen on being a pin cushion.
  
• 24 hr – Art-a-Thon – 19 April. Now I've got my Visa and flights sorted I have more brain capacity focus on this, as had been finding it hard to with the other things floating around in my mind. *good*
  
• Car Boot Sunday! Will be doing my first ever Car Boot in Cheddar on Sunday.  Hope to shift a LOT of STUFF and get some extra ££s. Getting ready for my trip and fundraising for it has also been helping me to let go of things I've been holding on to and that feels great! Even my Welsh books from when I was 11 have found a new home!! That makes me feel happy that they will be used.
  
• AUCTION! Have been running online auctions! This has been going really well and lots of the sari and leather books have been going off to new homes. I still have quite a few left so if you’d like one – let me know! Pics below of just some I have on offer. 

Art Relief International Volunteer Update!

Current Figure Raised: £720! WHOOP WHOOP!

Target to reach: £2,500

Every day I'm stepping closer and closer to my fundraising target - so a massive thank you to everyone who has supported me so far. xx

In FOUR WEEKS time I’ll be in Chiang Mai about to start my volunteer art role with Art Relief International. 

Is there a situation in your life that would benefit from some acceptance to allow you to move on to the next step?

Kaffe Fassett - A life in colour

My first lesson in design, if in doubt try it! - Kaffe Fassett

I've been to see (absorb?) the Kaffe Fassett Exhibition at The American Museum, Bath and it was an amazing assault on the senses. Walking into the rooms bursting with colour was extremely uplifting, even the chairs were painted! Which I loved!

I think the team who put this together did an exceptional job. I was VERY impressed. They even brought the exhibition outside and decorated lampposts and trees. Everywhere was a feast for the eyes and soul!

I didn't appreciate that before becoming the king of coloured textiles, Kaffe Fassett was foremost a painter, and a very skilled one. I don’t think I've ever seen a painting of coloured jugs and vases that so captured me. I wanted to drink it all in. Delicious!

I loved the vibrancy, the mix of colours and also reading some of the quotes that were positioned on the wall, I’ll be adding his biography to my reading list. Having discovered the joy of reserving books through the library – that’s what I’ll do!

After spending time there I walked away feeling as though I’d been wrapped in a blanket of colour and everything seemed bright and possible. Amazing what an impact colour can have.

Tell me - where can you add some more colour to your life?

Creative Charity Adventure Update!

Total raised so far £425.00!! YES YES YES!

I've smashed through the £400 hurdle (YIPPEE!!) now am aiming to get over the £500 mark by 00.00 tonight! 

I am SOOO GRATEFUL for every single penny and all the support I've been receiving. 

I've also overcome the shock of the amount of injections I’m going to need (loads!) and also the costs involved. This was a BIG shock to me as it looks like this is going to cost around £300+ eek. I hadn't accounted for that.

I've had quite a few nos from companies on the corporate sponsor side which, yes, I must be honest had been getting me down a bit – but there have been some AMAZING things happening too so am focusing on those! ;-)

P.S I’m sharing much more detail about this trip in my weekly Playletter – as well as some fun short films and creative techniques – so if you want to know more nitty gritty please sign up! ;-)

OK so I need £75 by midnight TONIGHT to get me over the £500 hurdle! Could you help me please?

(Earth) Mother's Day

Today it's Mother’s day in the UK. As my mum is no longer here to share this day with I’m renaming it to Earth Mother’s Day.

I was planning on creating a natural mandala, yet this morning I wanted to paint. So that’s what I did. I meditated and thought of my mum, then started to draw. I drew a squiggle and let the picture emerge as I added the colours. I didn't know at the beginning how it would look. I didn't have a pre-determined picture in my mind. I let it evolve.  I love it.

Earth Mother's Day Artwork

To me it says nurturing, love and grounding.

A wren also appeared in the garden. I associate wrens with my mum ever since one appeared in our porch on the day she died. Hi mum. ;-)

I like to remember my mum before she was ill with cancer. Those days when I’d come home from school to some homemade coconut macaroons or coffee and walnut cake.  My mum was a talented dressmaker, knitter and cake maker! She died when I was 15. I miss her.

So in memory of my wonderful mum and to our abundant Earth Mother - Happy Earth Mother’s Day.

Just look around you and see how abundantly our Earth Mother is nurturing, loving and grounding us with her dancing daffodils, happy primroses and shiny celandines. These are for you. Lots of yellow loveliness! Enjoy xx

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Would you like to develop a closer connection to nature and mother earth in a creative way? Join us for a 4 week Connect to Nature: Connect to Self course starting on 12 April. 

Not giving up (how to be an award winning business woman)

As part of my pre-Creative Charity Adventure research I spent a morning with Nicki Smith who runs the Creation Station in Bath. They run creative workshops aimed at nurturing children’s creativity through fun arts and crafts activities with their parents/carers. It was fantastic! We started with the rainbow song and then got stuck in to creating some rainbow paintings.

Colourful creations at the creation station, Bath. I LOVE that rainbow hippo!

As I don’t have children of my own, it was fascinating watching them really going for it with their painting. They seemed to have no fear and yes there was paint everywhere – even up some of the mum’s arms – which personally I thought was great! Next came the handmade salt dough (recipe at the bottom of this post if you'd like to try making it yourself!) to create some rainbow animals. What a colourful menagerie!

All too soon (for me at least) the 50 minute class was over and it was time to clear away. I could quite easily have spent the rest of the day creating rainbow paintings and sculptures!

Even though I only spent a morning with them it has certainly given me some ideas for my trip to Thailand in a few weeks time (6 weeks to go!) as well as giving me an appreciation of how short kiddies under 5s attention spans are. I though mine was short!

After the class I asked about the business side of things as Nicki recently won Franchisee of the year. I wanted to know what the secret was to running an award winning business.

Nicki receiving her Franchisee of the Year 2014 Award from Sarah Cressall, The Creation Stations Founder, and very inspirational woman!

"Not giving up," was Nicki’s response. "At the beginning there were occasions when only one person turned up to a class and other times no one. It was really disheartening but I was determined to make it work."

And three years on she has. How? By being determined, flexible, pro-active and by experimenting.

This business is very different from Nicki’s previous life. Armed with an English degree and being part of the Weatherspoons Management team (Nicki was an award winner there too), Nicki has run million pound businesses with teams working with her and has a wealth of experience, so thought the transfer to running her own business would actually be straightforward.  

If you have been through a similar change then I’m sure you’ll also know that isn't always the case. There are different challenges to face for a start as you suddenly become the person who does everything. This can take some getting used too!!

However, her zesty determination meant that Nicki kept going and learnt the benefits of being flexible. Flexible enough to change things when they weren't working – for example just by changing a venue saw her class grow from 5 children coming to 20 and enlisting the help of an assistant. Something as small as that, but it made a huge difference. Nicki’s success has also meant that she now trains other new franchisees so her hard work is paying off in other areas.

Being pro-active was also key and using social media when she couldn't get out and network in person as she was busy with her baby (Nicki has two young daughters, and they were the reason behind her becoming self-employed). Nicki seems to just work around everything that comes her way. I found her incredibly inspiring. 

What small thing could you change in your life or business for a greater impact? What isn't working for you right now that by making a small change would make a massive difference? It could be something as simple as spending 20 minutes outside in the fresh air before you start your day. Let me know below in the comments box what you'll do!

CREATIVE CHARITY ADVENTURE UPDATE!

(4 week Volunteer Art Placement with Art Relief International)

Fundraising Total update: £268.88 Yippee!

Target £2,500 – Can you help me reach my total by making a small donation? 

Every £1 helps! Thank YOU!