Looking forward, looking back.

It strikes me that wherever we are on our life's path, sometimes just putting one foot in front of the other can be the hardest thing. You (I) can build an empire (ok, a small one) but if there's a break in the flow, it's hard to move forward.

Looking back at 2015 it has been a strange year. At the end of 2014 my health took a nose dive and so I started the year feeling very run down. Winter is a reflective time, but the time I spent with myself was full of negativity and I knew I needed to make some changes. I felt lost and blocked; creatively and spiritually. There's that balancing act in life of the relationship with yourself, and the outer relationship with family, friends and the bigger picture of the world.

I started working with a mentor, someone who could be a sounding board for a head full of conflicting ideas; someone who put me at the centre of the picture who would help me shape my life according to my dreams. And so started a journey towards more self awareness.

In connecting to myself again, I learnt to prioritise myself and to care for myself. I started to write and to use positive affirmations to fuel my heart. I took my life and looked at each and every part and I came to a renewed understanding of being me. I went back to my centre. And in that space I was able to see clearly. From that place I was able to write about who I am creatively, my inspirations, and about how I connect to life. I found a resilience and a determination to use the gift of my creativity. With the encouragement of my mentor, I wrote from my heart about my connection to nature as my life force. I need my garden, my chickens, the sunshine, the landscape. So many of us suffer from nature deficit disorder and seasonal adjustment disorder because we are so disconnected from the energy of the land. So my journey became a project to express my needs, to express where my art comes from.

Listen to an extract here.

The CD that arrived as a result of these writings surprised me! It wasn't what I was expecting! I feel vulnerable sharing it with the world, saying 'Hello, this is me; this is what life feels like for me.' And yet, I hope there is inspiration in my words for re-connecting with nature, both to our own inner nature, and to the miraculous beauty of the world. In committing my response to the seasons into writing, and then as recorded spoken word, I found a new respect for myself, my creativity and the power of nature to heal. If we could all spend time with nature, spend time creating from our hearts, honouring our humanity I really believe the world would be a better place. Taking the time to honour my own needs has certainly made me better.

I invite you to share my journey this year in the form of the spoken word CD that was born from my reflections. On the CD I talk about each season. I notice the small details of my world, I talk of colour and the footsteps towards becoming inspired to create my art. I invite you to visualise the seasons, to dream and to imagine. And then there are some simple tasks for engaging with the outdoors - walking, collecting, noticing. In calling the CD 'I am Nature' I wanted to remind myself, and others of our own uniqueness, and the need to honour that creative voice.

So, looking forward to 2016, I am focusing my workshops on nature as source and running a series of seasonal workshops called 'Inspiration from Nature'. My workshops invite you, at any stage of your creative journey to come and put a foot forward, to have a beginners mind, to empower yourself that you can, to reconnect with your creative spirit and nurture yourself. They can be bought singly or as a series of four that will share the building blocks of my mixed media art. I will also be running an art holiday in the Derbyshire/Staffordshire borders on the 9/10/11 of July. Called 'Back to Nature', there are three days of walking, sketching and mixed media collage workshops. There'll be a supportive, creative, beautiful environment, including an outdoor hot tub experience in the shadow of the dynamic hills that surround the farm. It's going to be fun, creative and utterly restorative!

I'm ending this year on a high. I'm rested and reinvigorated and ready for all that 2016 has to offer.  I hope you can join me at one of my events or exhibitions.

Wishing you a warm and creative festive season.

Helen
x

'I am Nature' - Creative Visualisations CD Launch

In the last year I have lost and found myself creatively. Established ways of working no longer seemed to thrill me and I felt disconnected from my art and creative space. I felt like I was ticking the boxes but sleep walking through life.

It has been a period of great vulnerability for someone who has always trusted their creative flow. I had never had the feeling of fear before when I sat with a piece of paper or a new sketchbook. I had lost the feeling of my creative destiny. And it hurt. Feeling blocked disconnected me from my inner self.

Last winter I started to write again. I loved to write when I was younger but the business of my days meant I had stopped  Through journalling I was able to express my feelings and reflect. I was able to respond to why I create. I was able to listen to my heart. I unearthed a deep connection to nature as the source of my creativity. I recognised this in myself and my work but I had forgotten to honour it. I had forgotten to honour myself.

Through going in to nature I was able to heal my creative soul. I walked with my head up and saw the birds swoop. I sat in the garden with a blanket and absorbed the rays of the sun. The day of the eclipse of the sun was an epiphany; I treasured my life, my purpose and my place in nature.

I have taken sections of my writings and recorded them as a spoken word CD, 'I am Nature' - Creative visualisations for working with nature as inspiration.' The words are an expression of where my creativity comes from and how I use the seasons to create a rhythm for my life. In publishing this, I hope to share my love of nature and awaken others' creativity. It has been an exciting process to take my heart felt feelings and work with a team in bringing my words to life and into a format I can share.

Each section is a narrative of the season and is followed by silent time for creative visualisation. There are short tasks to centre you in nature and nurture your creative process. 

"I find myself in nature. It is my guide. I create with nature and my work celebrates my connection with the source.

My work is an expression of all that I feel when I connect with the earth. It captures a moment when all my senses are engaged in a creative epiphany. My expression of this is through mixed media art. However we express ourselves, art, music, poetry, we need to be open to receiving inspiration. We need to create a space, physically and spiritually to create from. There is a sacred space where our inner and outer worlds merge." HH2015

To buy 'I am Nature' at the early bird price of £10 (includes UK p&p) click here. And for international delivery here.

I would like to thank Fiona Pattison at Happy Press for believing in me and in this project. Also Craig Shaw at Happy Photography for his amazing photographs. And Piper Dawes at Calder Recordings for her patience in bringing my words to life.