Last week’s word was connection: from the Latin connectere, meaning “to bind together.” It began as something physical: tying, linking, fastening, and has grown to describe everything from relationships to any place two things touch. I’ve been playing with acrylic and watercolour inks this week, wetting the paper and dropping inks and letting them findContinue reading “Finding connection”
Tag Archives: Mindfulness
Roots!
This week’s word is roots, quiet, steadfast things that hold life together. You rarely see them, yet they do all the work, anchoring, feeding, connecting. The word itself is ancient, from Old English rōt and Latin radix, which also gives us radical — literally “to go to the root.” I love that: to be radicalContinue reading “Roots!”
Standing on the threshold……
This week’s word is liminality, from the Latin limen, meaning threshold. It describes the space between what was and what’s next: the moment of suspension before transformation takes hold. Doorways, bridges, shorelines at low tide. They sit between states, quietly holding their breath. Portals. It feels especially relevant now. The year itself stands on aContinue reading “Standing on the threshold……”
My creative hug for October (and a peek at my big project)
October’s been full of small experiments that have made me get excited about my art again. My Creative Hug project, a loose structure built around a “word of the week” and a larger project, has given me that nudge I’ve needed. Each word sparks fresh activities, readings, or just little shifts in how I seeContinue reading “My creative hug for October (and a peek at my big project)”
Serendipity and the Art of Letting Go
This week’s word is serendipity – those happy accidents that seem to find you when you’re not looking. The word itself comes from an old Persian tale about three princes who kept stumbling upon discoveries by chance, guided by curiosity and awareness rather than control. In my art, serendipity feels like the moment a dripContinue reading “Serendipity and the Art of Letting Go”
My Word of the Week: Curiosity
As part of my Creative Hug, I have a word a week to inspire my art. This week, I’m doing everything with curiosity – in my drawings, my walks, daily life. I have enjoyed learning the etymology of “curiosity”. Historically, curious took quite a journey. In medieval times, it was almost an insult – suggestingContinue reading “My Word of the Week: Curiosity”
One painting, over and over – seven layers of me
A Continuing Painting This winter, I’m inspired by Judy Tuwaletstiwa’s approach of returning to one painting again and again, layering it with time, thought, and presence. Instead of creating many “finished” works, I’ll be living with a single canvas — an ongoing conversation rather than a product. This idea has been bubbling away for monthsContinue reading “One painting, over and over – seven layers of me”
My Creative Hug!
Winter can be a difficult time for me as I navigate chronic fatigue and longstanding SAD (seasonal affective disorder). But I’ve learned that the rhythm of the seasons can also be a guide, a way to create structure, meaning, and light in the darker months. This year I’ve designed a Seasonal Daily Art Practice toContinue reading “My Creative Hug!”
Art is a daily mental health boost!
Art is connection, not decoration We underestimate the power of our surroundings. The things we see every day—walls, colours, textures, shape our mood more than we realise. That’s why art isn’t just “decoration.” A painting you truly love can shift your whole state of mind. Maybe it’s a calm landscape that soothes you after aContinue reading “Art is a daily mental health boost!”
What can real art do for us?
(Why Imperfect Art Might Be Exactly What You Need) Mark Rothko once said, when pressed about the meaning of his art: “You’ve got sadness in you, I’ve got sadness in me – and my works of art are places where the two sadnesses can meet, and therefore both of us need to feel less sad.”Continue reading “What can real art do for us?”
Ailsa Brims Art 