Breaking the rules... all of them.

The Blue Window - Matisse

How many times have you told yourself "Well I guess that's how it's done" only to 

find out that in fact there are so many other ways to "get it done"

Anna Zborowska - Amedeo Modigliani

How many times have you felt like standing up in front of the crowd and yelling

"You're all WRONG!!"

The Park - Gustav Klimt

How many times have you stumbled upon a brilliant idea and then

sabotaged it within seconds ... usually by just ignoring it and not acting upon it

The Olive Trees - Vincent Van Gogh

Have you ever found yourself defending your viewpoint and then 

realising "Hang on! This a VIEWPOINT... how can I be wrong??"

Church at Murnau - Wassily Kandinsky

What about those days when you begin creating and the world just melts away...

....minutes turn to hours and you forget to eat your lunch....

... the light dims outside but your eyes are adjusting so you don't notice...

Road near L'Estaque - Georges Braque

.... then someone walks in and turns a light on and you realise that time

has stood still for you and that, for even just a few moments... you had melted into

the canvas of life and fused with all the other beautiful colours...

Illumined Pleasures - Salvador Dali

... but the dishes are dirty, but that idea has had it's day, but there's no time, 

but I don't have the money, but... but... but.....

La Goulue at the Moulin - Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

In times of crisis they say we humans either fight or fly

I happen to think that some of the greatest art comes from these moments of crisis...

I still use brushes - Arman Pierre Fernandez

... and then what we see on the canvas, in the photo, within the statue...

Untitled 1980  - Cindy Sherman

.. is a symbol of flying or fighting...

Rocks Upon The Beach Upon the Rocks - Lawrence Weiner

I make so many mistakes when i'm creating and very often

when I look back on my previous works I realise I was my harshest

critic. Art has no boundaries people. Therefore it has to include the mistakes.

Repository - George Brecht

The greats knew... KNOW... this. 

An innate sense of what it is to express you're authentic itself

without caution nor concern for what the observer may say or do...

Self Playing Violin - Laurie Anderson

... a desperate drive to make, build, paint, sculpt, write, sew, 

speak, film, play... breathe the art that needs to be seen...

Elizabeth - Chuck Close

... that's the purest form of magic I have ever seen...

Colorado Springs, Colorado - Robert Adams

FACT: The greats broke the rules...

ALL of them.

Untitled - Urs Fischer 

My trip to the state gallery to see a guest exhibition

"Van Gogh, Dali and Beyond - The world reimagined"

had me in utter, speechless awe. 

Exquisitely curated and thoughtfully assigned it presented

works by well known and lesser known artists who all shared

a valuable common thread. The fine gossamer line of rebellion.

The "in your face" flip of the middle finger.

The careful, shy and deliberate thumbing of the nose.

The disdain for the norm.

The rules learnt, then shunned, then broken.

Peoples I cannot begin to sum up this exhibition and as for the photos taken

with my camera... well they are just token.

I will however, leave you with a note on the third last image.

The portrait by a man called Chuck Close.

A man who suffers from Prosopagnosia

Also known as Face Blindness.

Yes... you read correctly... a portrait artist who struggles to recognise

faces (and remember them even when he does) decided to paint portraits. 

A man who, at one point, threw away all his 

tools in order to force himself to undertake artistic challenges

he knew he had no facility for.

And ... wait for it... 

A man who in 1988 suffered a seizure which left him paralysed

from the neck down.

A man who now paints with his brush taped to his wrist.

*******

Today peoples let's all try something new...

....let's honour the greats...

Those who walked the walk before us, faced the 

ridicule and then turned around and taught us all a valuable lesson...

Break the rules... all of them.

Perspective ....

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” 
― Abraham Lincoln

“Fairy Tales always have a happy ending.' That depends... on whether you are Rumpelstiltskin or the Queen.” 
― Jane Yolen, Briar Rose

“It is a narrow mind which cannot look at a subject from various points of view.” 
― George Eliot, Middlemarch

“The most fatal illusion is the settled point of view. Since life is growth and motion, a fixed point of view kills anybody who has one.” 
― Brooks Atkinson

It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.” 
― Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space

Healthy Perspective 101

Always choose being happy over being right

(ALLLWAAAYS)

You never know someone else's story completely 

(what appears as rude behaviour may indeed be overwhelming grief)

Poor people with very little education or style are 

still streets ahead of anyone who notices this about them

Kindness really does cost nothing but oh boy 

can it feel like a million dollar gift when you receive it

Whatever you think the worst that can happen IS...

.. is really never ever as bad as you think it will be.

****

Peoples I hope you are finding yourself growing and learning

and discovering - it reminds us we're alive doesn't it?

I have had a week of wonderful growth

All the lessons and experiences have reminded me that 

we always have a choice when it comes to the perspectives we can take

I'll leave you with a video link to a collaboration between

two amazing minds... David Attenborough and Bjork.

(yes you read correctly)

They are mutual fans and the result of their meeting is just amazing.

http://youtu.be/_H8OKZ0VQpM

PS - it's pretty long so you may want to stream it when you 

have time to relax and absorb the awesomeness Xx

Oh and one more thing... there's an APP as well...

Yes... an APP created by Bjork and it is crazy cool

Perspective ... wow.

Everything is going to be ok...

Trying to remember that things always work out. Whether you enjoy the ride or not you're here and that's life. It's not a question of when. When is now.

Trying to remember that time is a construct. You cannot run out of it. Just construct some more.

Trying to remember that my daily gratitude journal is one of the most transformative acts I've ever undertaken - so putting it in a drawer to gather dust makes no sense.

Trying to remember that my dark days are like sun-filled vacations compared to some of the suffering that's happening globally. Right now.

Trying to remember that all the things I've ever asked for I HAVE RECEIVED. Sometimes they were disguised, camouflaged or incognito - but looking back they were still what I needed.

Trying to remember that blogging is privilege .... when people read what I share it's a miracle to me.

Thank you. 

Lilies for Kashy...

I have a bestest buddy who lives just around the corner from me.

Her name is Jax. Coincidentally she has a bestest Mum who also lives just around the corner

from me. Her name is Jill. Do I love living near two rather fabulous ladies? 

Well of course I do.... BUT... (there's always a but isn't there?) Jax has a sister you see. Which means (obviously) that Jill has another daughter. 

A bestest sister. 

A bestest daughter. 

Her name is Kashy and she does not live just around the corner from me. 

She lives in the green and verdant county of Devon, in England.

Kashy has been over to visit with her husband Richard. They love Australia and they've had a marvellous vacation. Sadly though they return today. I'm off in an hour to say good bye.

I'm pretty crap with farewells. I want Kashy to live around the corner from me.

Then all our goodbye's would be temporary.

Lovely lady

I miss you already

We miss you already

Australia misses you already

As we discussed Lilies are traditionally given to mark birth and death.

Well I love them and I know you do too. 

So here's to the death of one vacation and the birth of

planning for the next one! 

Blessings, Light and Love... to you and yours.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

A theory for everything...

The latest findings in Quantam Physics now suggests that, what we thought was the most finite particle we could possibly identify, the ATOM - is indeed made up of sub atomic particles which, when broken down to its' most basic form reveals, ... essentially.. well... empty space. In other words...

NOTHING.

So it occurred to me* that whilst we are observing matter, breaking it down to its simplest forms and studying it until we discover that it is essentially nothing. We then postulate, theorise and interject our theories as to what this means, how it relates to us, how it affects us.

BUT.... 

If matter is essentially nought, and we are made up of matter are we nought too?

Is nothing looking carefully at NOTHING? Through a very powerful microscope?

How then do you measure human existence?

How do we quantify the "stuff that matters most" (pardon the pun)

Love, hope, heart ache, fear?

Can we split a kiss into enough particles only to determine it meant nothing?

Can we take the cry of a baby and study it until we realise it's not even there?

Can we theorise on love until we postulate that it's just a thought... nothing more?

How do we measure who we are when we keep forgetting that the measuring never

amounts to anything? What difference does it make what anything is made of?

If we cannot measure ourselves is it not logical to conclude that we are indeed, 

most definitely, without question, scientifically (and romantically and philosophically and crazily) speaking...

IMMEASURABLE

How lovely... I am immeasurable.

I have no limits

I have no beginning

I have no end

I am ... 

FOREVER

♥♥♥

* and please know this... I am by no means a right brain kinda gal so this epiphany is not mine to copyright... I am positive far more eloquent orators have mused on this before me.

Indeed these thoughts were inspired whilst tootling along listening to this podcast.

Fascinating.... truly fascinating.

Have you heard of Instagram?

Says Sister A to Sister B (I'm Sister B by the way) 

Sister B: "Well yes I have but I have my blog"

Sister A: "You'd love it"

Sister B:  "I love Hipstamatic - there are more effects, lenses etc"

Sister A: "You'd love it"

Sister B: "Yeah but..."

Sister A: "I just think you'd love it"

Sister B always hold what Sister A says with high regard but still lingers ... I mean do we really need MORE social media? 

(Aside: More people learnt of last weeks tragedy in America through Facebook then through any other media form... Twitter next... CNN last - Am I the only one who finds this monumental shift in our collective unconsciousness craaaayzeee?)

Then Sister B finds out you can follow celebrities on Instagram ... 

Style celebrities that is.

Sibella, Pia, Amy, Zooey, Rebekka, Todd, Megan, Rachel, Melissa, Jamie...

(insert exclamation marks here)

... and of course... Gorgeous talented and super spunky Sister A.....

Needless to say, Sister A is now an Instagrammer.
A few facts - the front door is mine, the pooch is mine and this gate below ...

.... is mine too. Blessed? I think so.

****

How are your Christmas plans coming along peoples? I had a minor hissy fit when I heard that it would be 40 degrees here in Perth. FORTY DEGREES peoples. My constant background playlist consists mainly of crooners singing about snow in one form or another..... hmmm.... the irony.

Still, I am safe, I have family, I have a pool, I have love. 

I keep thinking about the families who have lost a tremendous amount (in the spotlight of the media) and I'm reminded of how useless any complaints ever are. I guess that's another reason to embrace social media - it allows us to connect instantly and the more of us that post, tweet, blog or gram anything positive the more we tip the scales in favour of hope. 

Ok.. thats' my cheesy soap box moment. I'm off to feed my chooks and get ready for my Christmas work function ... Only 4 more sleeps peeps! ♥♥♥

Worlds within worlds...

Sometimes there's a whole lot of big...

 ... in very small things...

... and a whole lot of small ...

... in very big things.

Don't you think?