Today I took the whole day off work as a holiday and cleaned the house from top to bottom. It is so soothing to the soul to have everything gleaming and fresh. It has done me no end of good and I feel like I can breathe again.As you can see from the photo, nobody escaped my attentions... I think they quite enjoyed it actually... they had a nice long soak and then lots of fun swinging from their ears outside in the sunshine.
Earlier in the week I went to Liverpool to see two exhibitions. Picasso: Peace and Freedom at the Tate, and The Rise of Women Artists at the Walker Art Gallery.
I'm always a little bit surprised to discover that whenever I go to an art exhibition, whether it's big or small, whether the subject matter draws me initially or not, I almost always find some wonderful thing that opens up a string of possibilities in my head and has me fumbling for my little notebook. I just love this. It is so exciting and I suddenly become full of energy and wonder that life is so incredibly interesting. I think this is partly because any exhibition of an artist's work inevitably contains a kind of stored-up energy, a bit like a seed or bulb: these are works that have been conceived and gestated and brought to birth over a long period of time, the results of hours and hours of drawing and thinking and inspiration and experimenting, and then suddenly you see them, all together, and this energy kind of bursts out and grabs you.
It's good to recognise what you need and to be able to do it, whether it's a clean and tidy space or a shot of creative energy.
14 comments:
and it's neat that each of us can be struck differently by seeing the same thing. that's why it's fun to see a show with a friend...so that you can talk about things over tea.
love your critters on the clothesline!
I feel like that whenever I go to Kettle's Yard in Cambridge. Have you ever been?
Your image of the two teds is just brilliant.
I need to clean the house from top to bottom. I really do.
I am in awe of your cleaning capabilities. Either you are superwoman or you have a very small house! I think all teds have to suffer the ear dangling humiliation. Mine too.
http://dogdaisychains.blogspot.com/2008/07/this-ismy-most-precious-childhood.html
My goodness..the verification word is wamsocki..I think thats what you did yo your house.
Sue, I also had the day off ... and it was yet another unusually hot July day. I did not do a speck of apartment cleaning.
Rather, I got out my sketchbook and did a few colored pencil sketches of some flowers from a gorgeous arrangement I'd been given. (I admit that the flowers were a bit past it, so I did later on sort out the lively from the wilted. And then... caught a glimpse of some dried out asters, and found that they were great fun to draw with just an HB pencil.)
Errands midday. Crocheting in late afternoon.
Felt a bit of peace and freedom myself. xo
Sometimes even cleaning can be satisfying - and you feel justified in taking time out to do better/other things. My mother could never bear (no pun intended) to peg out toys by their ears, so she used to hang them to dry in the net bags you get fruit and veg in!
I know exactly what you mean, it is always so much easier to create after a good clean and tidy. I am not sure if I believe in Feng Shui but the principle of allowing energy to flow through the house seems to work. Zen monks also prepared their work spaces as part of the meditative and creative process.
I enjoyed reading about your thoughts on inspiration and the energy contained in artwork, they say that inspiration and creativity are forms of energy. Science states that energy does not die, it can move and dissipate and grow just like a living thing. It is great to have a drink from that inspirational fountain.
There's nothing like a good cleaning....though I think mine may wait until after the Summer hols.
Have a fabulous weekend,
Nina xx
now you are just trying to make me feel guilty!!!!!!! our house needs a good clean
So very true Sue! Well done on cleaning the house from top to bottom, something that badly needs doing here! Lesley
The "Rise of Women" exhibition at the Walker sounds really interesting! I really must try and get to some more exhibitions!
A nice clean Teddy, plus a nice clean house is very satisfying! They certainly look happy on the line!
I would love to have your nice clean house and some peace and freedom! Just come back from holiday where I had conveniently forgotten about the chaos at home created by the long drawn out process of trying to sort out the kitchen. Everything is spread out everywhere and there are piles of things in the wrong places, dust all over everything, nowhere to sit down. I might have to go away again.
Here's my contribution to the collection of hanging teddies:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3193/2872409484_f77fc1ff0b_z.jpg?zz=1
hope the bears have recovered
I haven't visited your pages in a while and what a joy to see you little fellas hanging by their ears. Thank you for the smile! Makes me want to go home and wash the pets too.
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