Inspire work

My current creative efforts beyond being a mumma to a 7 month old! I had the idea to combine inspirational quotes with images years ago. Now they're all over the internet and I've finally got the courage to get over my crazy inner art critic and just create because I enjoy it. This makes me happy.

I took this photo of our friends ahead of us from the back of a motorbike on Pangkor Island in Malaysia, 2012. The smell of the verdant jungle was delicious. A lovely moment. 

My Mind's Eye

In my mind's eye, while doing ordinary things, I find myself transported. 

Suddenly I'm walking down that dusty, humid street in Indonesia; I'm looking at the sea on a particularly still day; I'm swimming in the sea off our boat in Thailand or lying in a relaxed pool of sweat after my yoga practice in Malaysia. 

I'm transported to these places - and so many more - and it makes me smile. 

I feel nostalgic - but also grateful for having lived the experiences and places, sights, tastes and smells of travel. 

I take a sip of my cup of tea, back in the present, and silently look forward to adding more places to my mind's eye. 

Remote Indonesian village

A calm day near the equator

Similan Islands, Thailand

Yoga in Langkawi, Malaysia

Gratitude

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.

Manifestos - old and new

I like this manifesto from author/entrepeneur, Robyn Scott. I copied this from her website because I love new age manifestos (I just wish it was a bigger file so the text was more readable).

I first came upon the word manifesto when I was in second year uni. We were learning about modernist art movements. Some of the founders of these art movements wrote rambling, somewhat difficult to understand manifestos and as we plodded through the art movements chronologically, our photocopied readings included each of the associated manifestos. I didn't think much of them back then, in art history. In fact, I found most of art history at uni completely irrelevant and near-impossible to understand. This is mostly due to faults within the system and our lecturers. I've recently thought that university art lecturers maintain a complicated rhetoric simply to make themselves feel like they have credibility. It certainly seemed to be a lot more about ego than understanding. Just a cynical thought. It certainly seemed true for our art history lecturers (and some of the more conceptually-minded students). 

Anyway - I've recently rediscovered manifestos to be something much more relevant and inspiring, to everyone, not just a select/elite group. A few of the more popular manifestos have been circulating around on blogs and other social networking sites for a while now. I may as well continue their cross-pollination here.

This is perhaps the most well-known, the Holstee Manifesto.

I first saw the lululemon manifesto at yoga studio, live and breathe yoga.
It is bursting with relevant advice to inspire and uplift.

I'll add more manifestos when I find them (I've seen many online lately and need to rediscover the sites they were on). 

Sailing With Dolphins

In 2011 we sailed from Australia through some of the remote islands of Indonesia. This video shares just one of our many amazing experiences. 

Time Out

Everyone should take the time to get out of the cities/suburbs and into nature and just be alone to reflect and think. It's so much easier to see things clearly without the confusion of the internet, tv, radio, jobs to do, family, everything. 

Just get away from it all.

Go deep within yourself and sort through the confusion of thoughts/emotions/feelings.
Without all the noise and distraction it's easier to listen to your intuition and inner voice.

- - - BREATHE DEEPLY - - -
--- LISTEN ---
- BE -

Cerae in Whangamatar, New Zealand, 2004.

It always works for me. Always makes me feel so much more complete. Closer to who I want to be.

Following Your Heart

"Always be a first-rate version of yourself instead of a second-rate version of someone else."  Judy Garland

The Unfinished Puzzle

Everything keeps moving forward,

so quickly.

We're always seeking more,

aren't we?

We're looking for something,

always searching, building, doing more.

We search for meaning, accumulating our own and other people's ideas, memories, things...

We end up with so much stuff.

 Occasionally we look back over it all and wonder,

what's it all for?

I guess it's all pieces of the puzzle which makes up ourselves.

Self portrait by Jeremy Nuske (1981-2010)

'If you want to find the meaning, stop chasing after so many things.' 

Ryokan

Dreams

Life Meaning

I have an uncontrollable urge to share.

What I

do

see

feel

hear

taste

learn

think

dream

create

discover

experience

My parents aren't particularly thrilled about this quality – they are private folk who feel as though sharing too much of oneself “out there” is somehow dangerous.

I disagree.

The stuff I'm bursting to share gives my life meaning. It lifts up my soul and fills it to bursting point. I want to share it so that in some way, hopefully, I can inspire and bring happiness to you.

Bursting with life!