Dreaming Mind – What Freedom Looks Like

Where did August go?

August is a down month for me – my learning subsides as my writing and my art tutors take a break and Vonnie, my yoga guru, suspends her classes. Usually I keep up my practice in all three delicious things, but this month I have let my writing go and have played around far more with different art materials to explore the style of art I would like to create going forward.

I have found my enquiry into mixed media and ‘playing’ has continued and taken over my writing. It’s been a delight not to think about words and how to craft them into a finished piece and allow my mind to dream in colour, shape, light & shade and discover what brings me joy … to discover what freedom looks like.

Slowly, like the depiction of the trees above, I am discovering my own unique style and building a body of work that one day, I may decide to share.

There have been no rules, no pressures, no expectations, only a desire to keep showing up … but only because the process brings me pleasure.

Creating pieces of art (and writing) are totally transportable activities. I only need a few simple art materials – pens, pencils, watercolours, a sketch/note book and I can fall into my dreaming mind and find freedom wherever I am and whoever I’m with.

These small materials, packed away in my bag, make for a wonderful travelling companion, as I discovered recently when I ventured away from home on my first solo holiday. I travelled to Germany to join a small group of people on a cycling tour of the Bavarian Lakes. I carried a 6×8 inch sketchbook in my pannier during the day that I took out at every coffee and lunch stop to play around with colour and form as a way to relax and remain centered. In the evenings, I popped a tiny 3×4 inch sketch/notebook in my handbag and at the table as we dinned, had fun playing with pens and crayons. Nobody seemed to mind as I doodled and wrote a few words and even if they did, I was free in my dreaming mind regardless of what others they might say … or think … this wouldn’t matter to me … their energy would not disturb my peace …

golden canopy

shimmering birch leaves shelter

a green damselfly

under orange skies

dancing, skating, being free

earth cries while trees weep

I adored my mini cycling adventure in Germany and being with my travelling companions (my sketchbook, pens, pencils etc) and I loved rolling out my imaginary mat morning and evening to practice my yoga which I cannot be without.

As always, it was wonderful to come home and this month, I am excited that all my classes resume and I can go back to learning from my teachers and creative friends.

Yesterday, I rolled out my physical mat to join Vonnie in her first zoom class. She began with a quote:

“Peace – It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart.” Menaka Desikachar

How lovely and how serendipitous.