Moving forward instead of in circles.

On Fire :-)                                                                                                18.4.2022

I've had another busy week; and have been trying to pull myself up, and remember the insight I have been given by Tasha (NJC Life Coaching).

I had an urge to paint my impression of Boris Johnson and #Partygate, (above is the finished painting).
I then stepped outside my comfort zone and posted the finished painting on Grayson Perry's facebook page.
It has now proved very popular, and I might even be considered to be slightly trending.

I haven't managed to do any more re-decorating inside the old showman's wagon this week; but I am managing my time better and have concrete plans. I do feel like I now have the tools to move forward in a positive way.

I'd like to say a big thank-you to Tasha for all her help. Summer is on it's way, which is always uplifting when you live in a caravan; and at the moment I feel like Boris's pants in the painting ...........
On fire!. 
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Life is a Circus                                                                                          6.4. 2022

I've been pressing ahead with the make-over of the showman's wagon, and I've now finished the fireplace and the beam above it.
I've painted 'Tiger Lolly's Fantastic Fantasy Circus' on the beam because that's how I've always envisioned it. 

When I was at Art College in Yorkshire my form tutor asked me 'How do you see yourself in twenty years time?'. I said 'Living in an antique gypsy wagon that is covered in paintings selling my art'.
'Hmm' he said 'That's all very romantic but, what do you really see yourself doing?' and to be honest I couldn't see anything else. We are all fortune tellers of our own destiny. This is something I've been re-learning with Tasha of NJC Life Coaching, to follow your dreams and don't let others put you off track.

I've hung a lurex curtain over the computer and printer as it really didn't sit well in the room. Now it's far more intriguing, making you wonder what lies behind it.

I painted my daughters holding big cats with ribbons on the ceiling 20 years ago, and it has now suffered over the years due to damp; so I will be restoring this, and also the roll top desk. (I might even paint 'Roll Up, Roll Up!' on it.

It makes me very happy bucking the trend of traditionalism and letting my imagination run away with me. This might just even be The Greatest Showman's on Earth!, (well in my opinion anyway ;-) 

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Got my swag back on                                                                             29.3.2022

I thought I would have finished the overmantle by this week's blog, but it still needs a bit of tweaking. However; this week I find myself accepting that I've done as much as I could in the given time, and am praising myself for the work done. All thanks to Tasha from NJC LifeCoaching.

I think the mantlepiece will be having purists pooping their pants. Neither the electric blue paint or holographic glitter are considered heritage colours; and when I've repainted the carved wooden swag, some of the round flowers I've changed into eyeballs! I will have completed it by the end of today, and then I will be starting one of the new projects I have written down in my ideas book. Unlike previously, when I would have had several unfinished projects on the go.

Re-jigging my life and tackling annoying jobs that have needed doing for years is leaving me feeling more content. I am ACTUALLY feeling like I'm getting my swag back on!


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Getting my swag back                                                                            21.3.2022

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Alongside the artwork I'm producing at the moment, I'm also restoring the 1930's Showman's Living Wagon I live in. 

Years ago I bought a carved wooden swag from a car boot sale for £1, always intending to use it as decoration in the caravan; and I also bought two carved animal heads with the same intention. I say animal heads, as I've never been really sure what they are? they kind of look like lions crossed with monkeys.                                                        I don't know if it's an artist thing?  but I often plan to revamp something or somewhere; buy the items I need to do the job and once I've got a plan of action, don't actually get around to completing it. It's almost like once I've envisaged how it will finally look; I know I can relax, and then the job doesn't seem to be so urgent. That is until I get an unexpected visitor; and suddenly the jobs that I'd dealt with in my head, but hadn't got around to doing are very visible again. 

A few months back I decided to put the carved items together to make a more ornate mantlepiece.                          I remember seeing a photo of Paula Yates stood next to her fantastic fireplace; (which I think she'd painted herself) and thought it looked fabulous. I cut out a piece of wood for the backing and attached the swag and the heads to it.  I then fixed it to the fireplace. I was happy with the effect but it needed a repaint to tie everything in. 

The next job was a bit like the Life Coaching lessons I'm getting from Tasha (NJC Life Coaching). I basically had to deconstruct the bits I'd made,  and re-work them to get a better overall effect.                                                      I'd roughly started painting the fireplace uprights too; but taking down the swag made everything easier to access, so this should prove to make the job smoother too.

I'm feeling so optimistic about finishing this job and seeing it through to the end; because it will be such a joy to look at it everyday with pride, rather than looking at it with the heavy feeling of a job half done.                            The above pics shown the swag constructed, then taken down for painting. I'll show you the finished fireplace hopefully next week. It may take longer than first anticipated, as most jobs do. There are usually some little unexpected hiccups. Pretty sure that it will be well worth it though, to get my swag back better than it ever was.
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I'm not 'my' kind.                                                                                     13.3.2022

It would have been hard to see the news during the last couple of weeks; and not be affected by  the events in Ukraine. Social networks are full of yellow and blue posts in support of Ukraine; with the odd argument popping up when someone quotes a bit of un-fact-checked whataboutery.  

We are told that Russians have had their access to the world wide web restricted and are not fully aware of the situation in Ukraine.
So; with this in mind, I decided to write to random places in Russia, with letters of peace. A letter to the USSR with Royal Mail costs just £1.70 at the moment, so I decided to post five letters. The letters may not have any effect at all but; little deeds like this done on a large scale, can have a massive effect. If you want to read more on this and get involved then go to the Facebook page I set up.  www.facebook.com/groups/667240710994383 

During the Life Coaching session I had last week with Tash ( of NJC Life Coaching) I mentioned that I was angry with myself for not getting enough  work done that week. She pointed out that I had actually got quite a lot done, but I just hadn't stopped to acknowledge it. Then she asked me if I regarded myself as a people pleaser ? and I replied 'Yes'. That's when it struck me; that even though I often bend over backwards to help others, I am quite happy to beat myself up, rather than to pat myself on the back. I think peace and harmony comes from kindness; so from now on, I will strive to show kindness to myself too.

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I'm a pea in a barrel...

It's been a while since I blogged about things going on in my crazy world; I guess now that all the craziness in the rest of the world has caught up with my craziness, it's a good time to start again.
I've always felt there are not enough hours in the day to produce all the artistic ideas I have; so I constantly press forward, flitting from one project to another. This leaves me feeling I am never moving forward, but just going around in circles, like a pea in a barrel. I am aware I need to focus in the right direction, but when you are on the roundabout it's hard to jump off. 
I've heard how many artists have gained more focus and actually turned their careers around with life coaching; and I've been feeling so lost recently, I'm giving it a go.
I had my first session this week with of NJC Life Coaching. Her tag line is 'Working with creatives to bring forward the muse' .
I didn't know what to expect, and Tash started with a bit of meditation. (Something I spent a lot of time giggling at, when we had to do it in P.E. at school). We talked about my life goals and the things that were holding me back; and even in this first zoom one-to-one session it helped me look at my self-set stumbling blocks, from another direction. We finished with another meditation session, and I left the meeting feeling upbeat and more in control of myself. That evening I felt so relaxed and tried to think what I'd eaten or done that had left me feeling like I'd had a swim in a warm melted chocolate. Then I remembered the Life Coaching session I'd had. I'm now feeling that like chocolate, this life coaching malarky could get addictive.