Make Do Play - Week Three

It's the third week of the 'Make Do Play' Challenge! After ending the week on a high last time, I was excited to get started with the next seven days of creative prompts...

Day Fifteen

Singing

I didn't feel brave, so I'm not going to film myself singing! However, singing in the car is something my boyfriend and I do all the time anyway. As I mentioned on Day Three, I'm currently obsessed with the soundtrack for The Greatest Showman, so we popped that on and had a lovely old sing-a-long as we drove to the shops.

One of the reasons I enjoy singing (badly) in the car is that it makes even mundane tasks, like the weekly shop, a little more fun. And, the music from this particular soundtrack is so uplifting, it never fails to raise my mood.

Day Sixteen

Dancing

I didn't complete this task on the assigned day: because I support the strike action taking place across the Universities, I didn't want to cross the picket line. And, in all honesty, I don't actually spend that much time on campus anyway, so I can't really think of a 'favourite' place, as such.

However, one of the places that I do think is really beautiful is the arcade entrance to Bush House, which is where we staged our protest performance during the second week of strikes. I like this spot because it is classically proportioned, and as you walk through the pillars there is a real sense of entering a 'different' space that is both physically and decoratively removed from the busy, modern, noisy surroundings.

A really bad picture of me reading outside Bush House as part of the 'In A Days Work' protest performance.

Day Seventeen

Craft Making

This was a beautiful prompt. It's nice to reflect on just how much our hands enable us to do, from creating and making things, to touching a loved one.
I read recently that we are living through a 'crisis' of touch, as people become more removed from physical contact, and that this is having an impact on our mental health. I love being cuddled, having my hair stroked, holding hands, etc... and I feel that touch is definitely one of the most important factors, for me, in maintaining healthy relationships.

Day Eighteen

Singing

I went one better on this challenge - I sang as I walked down the street on my way into work! Admittedly Covent Garden is pretty quiet on a Sunday morning, but I still sang in public, and not under my breath either!

I think I even had a little bit of a dance as I walked!

I have to admit I felt a little bit self-conscious, but headphones helped with that, and since there were so few people around, not too many people saw. And even if they did, maybe I made them smile - I certainly felt a lot more upbeat by the time I got to work, and I had more energy during the day (even though I was definitely coming down with a cold - it's an example of the way that creative practise can affect your mood, even when you're feeling run down and a little bit unwell, moving and singing can help for a while!)

Day Nineteen

Drawing

Oh this was fun! I've already established that I really can't draw, although I do enjoy it and wish I was better. Well, they say that practise makes perfect: it didn't in this case - I couldn't even work out how to hold the pencil!

I settled for a brief line-sketch with my right hand (believe it or not, my 'good' hand!) and attempted to mirror the image with my left hand... in one respect I quite like this image as I am a Gemini, and that star-sign's symbol is the Twins... let's go with that...

As much as I have previously enjoyed the previous drawing challenges, this one made me feel quite frustrated, even as I was laughing at myself and my attempts to complete it - this proves that even when you are being pushed and challenged, you can still have fun and find humour in a failed attempt.

Day Twenty

Dancing

Yeah... I'm not going to be sharing these results! I've been feeling quite ill for a couple of days now, and haven't really had any energy to spare on dancing. However, I have been using YouTube for gentle yoga videos to relieve my aches and pains from feeling poorly.

One of my favourite YouTube Yogi's is Yoga With Adriene - for me she is the perfect blend of quirky and informative, and her videos cater to all levels. This has been my go-to video for a few days now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5YvtYXSocw

After I discovered this channel last year, I really got in to Yoga, and I try to practice most days. I'm not very good (I'll never be a super-flexible Inst-worthy Yogi), but I find it relaxing, restorative, and when I feel up for a challenge I know I can push myself. It's so important to keep the body flexible, and equally important to connect, and check in, with your body and mind regularly. Yoga is brilliant for that. 

Day Twenty-One

Drawing

Right, this one was quite challenging: I am terrible at drawing, and have a terrible memory! 

I gave it a shot though - I just hope that my cat can forgive me!

 

Conclusion: End of Week Three

The prompt that pushed me most this week was definitely the singing in public! I remember when I was younger I used to sing in the street all of the time as I walked home from the school bus (I think it was the Les Miserables soundtrack that provided most of my impromptu concerts at the time) but as I got older I became more self-conscious and stopped. It was nice to throw caution, and song-lyrics, to the wind but I don't think I'll make a habit of it!

My favourite prompt this week was Day Seventeen: the 'craft-making' challenge - while it wasn't specifically 'making' a 'craft' I was encouraged to reflect on all of the things that I have made with my hands, and I'm grateful that my body enables me to do all of the things I want to do (except drawing properly...)