From Then To Now

Do you every sit back and travel back in time over your life and wonder, how if you had made different decisions at different times, how differently your life may have worked out?

I often time travel….way back and see that every decision no matter how small and how each even has made me into the person I am and the life that I have now and I am grateful for every little experience that has brought me to here. Sometimes life has been hard, events have caused me to question my faith and wonder ‘why me’. The answers to my questions are always the same….Why NOT! And everything is working out for my highest good no matter how bad, tragic, painful or upsetting they seem at the time. From these things great lessons can be learnt.

Luckily, I have always seemed to have a bounce back spirit. I know that nothing lasts forever. Events, dramas, depression…. Whatever the negative situation you WILL come out of the dark cave eventually. You just have to hang on in there, try your best to go with the flow and wait patiently for time to heal and things to become clearer.

One of the greatest gifts I have in my life is my calligraphy. It ties up my spiritual side of my personality with my creative side. It’s more than a job, a hobby or an interest….It is my life. It’s something that has got me through the darkest and most troublesome times in my life. It brings joy in the creation and manifestation of an idea into a visual form that hopefully will touch others who need it in the same way. Through calligraphy I have learnt more about philosophers of the past, the spiritual teachers the writers of times passed and their words that touch the very core of our souls. More importantly than this I have learnt more about myself, what floats my boat, brings me to tears, makes me laugh and gives me Goosebumps! Through reading quotation books and then trying to find out more about the people who write such profound words I have learnt about Buddhism, Paganism, Druidism and all manner of spiritual paths. Through the philosophers I have learnt a self belief, self awareness and self improvement that has made me stronger in myself and the permission to love and accept myself just the way I am. I have learnt through calligraphy to meditate, contemplate and find that quiet place inside me that looses all fear and judgement of the ‘self’. Through y calligraphy and Lettering Art I capture the essence of what is me every time I put pen to paper. I know that only other spiritual people who have a deep connection in creating and the arts will understand any of this. The ideas, pictures and images in the mind transfer onto paper so that others can effectively ‘read you mind’ creates magic. As artists we need to loose our fear of being wrong. We have to open up our very souls and leave them wide pen to criticism. What is art anyway? What one person loves in a piece of work can so easily be criticised by another. Artists are touch cookies…. We have to be.
Creating a piece of work is like giving birth. From the original seed of an idea comes a concept and many ours churning over what to bring to a piece and what to leave out. The gestation period can be quick and almost instant or slow and progressive. Eventually the work evolves and grows and finally the birth is the completed piece.
I and I know many other calligraphers, have great difficulty letting go of a newly created piece of work….almost like it is a baby and it has to stay with it’s creator until such time as it’s through it’s difficult childhood years being loved and treasured and then eventually l the attachment wanes and you are ready for it to find a new home with new people and to give joy in a new way.
There’s no wonder artists and crafts people connect so much with the ‘spirit’. Their work comes from their spirit, the energy used to create is spirit and the completion itself is spirit. So all you artists and creators out there, loose your fear of being judged, loose your fear of being wrong. Value your self and your work, it is your highest gift. Let everything you make be made with love and joy and the spirit of what you do will be passed on to the person who receives it.
Believe me, your creations are your highest treasures.

WOW! Well that was a bit profound for a Saturday lunchtime! The above post was not what I was going to write about at all. I had no great plan of action on this blog posting and intended to take it down another path….as with many posts (and I’m sure people can sift out the differences) I don’t quite know where that all came from and I'm left slightly bemused! . I’m not sure that I really want to post it now I have re written it….but hey ho….here goes!
Enjoy your weekend everyone.
Brightest blessings,
Sue