Do Think Share: January Challenge - Week Two

Last week was a lovely way to tap into a sense of creative play as I began the New Year. This week was a little more challenging as I hit a definite slump and found it very difficult to become motivated to do the challenges each day.

However, I enjoy crochet and knitting, and on the days when I had very low power levels, I did manage to make a couple of amigurumi toys, following a pattern I use regularly, so I feel as though I'm exercising a very little creativity through that without expending too much energy.

Day One

What was your reaction to this challenge? Did it come naturally to you, or did it take some thought?

Reflect

I wasn't planning on leaving the house today, for a variety of reasons, so it did take me some time to consider how to approach this challenge. Through working in retail I have become comfortable speaking with strangers, and often being quite complimentary, although outside of this, and a few other specific scenarios, I don't often interact with strangers. Although, when I do, I realise I am often quite nice, opening conversations with a comment on a nice scarf or bag. 

I read somewhere a while ago that a seemingly innocuous comment on something like that could make a real difference: that individual may have been nervous about wearing a new colour, or changing a style - or just be feeling a little blue - and a second of my day may just make theirs.

I posted my message on my social media channels: I do enjoy Twitter and Instagram as I have curated my feeds to only show me things that make me smile, or make me think. I am aware that this means I'm often in a 'bubble', but if I do want to seek out other voices there is that option: however when I am just aimlessly social-media-surfing, I only want to see things that make me happy - and hopefully, this made a stranger happy today.

Day Nine

Did you revisit any childhood memories, and were you proud of your creation?

Reflect

Many years ago I was part of a youth theatre in the town I grew up in. One of the plays we performed was More Light by Bryony Lavery - quite a daunting piece for teenagers! One of the skills we were required to learn for the play was how to fold paper birds, and so I taught myself how to make origami cranes. Since then I occasionally fold birds, flowers, and other pretty things out of paper, to pass the time or to give as a little gift; but I honestly can't recall whether I've ever made a paper aeroplane!

The yellow one is a simple 'dart' plane, followed by the green one which is supposed to fly better because of the fin, and then the blue one which has lots of fiddly folds and looked quite pretty. The basic yellow one flew the farthest! The green one went off on an angle, so maybe I folded one side down more than the other? The pretty blue one went completely rogue, flipped back on itself and ended up upside-down near my feet!

This was a fun little task that would be amusing to try against a competitor later on!

Day Ten

What memories does music hold for you? Do you like to share that music or keep it personal?

Reflect

The first musical I ever saw was Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats when it toured to a city near where I grew up. I remember being entranced by the music, the dancing, and the spectacle, and if it hadn't been for that experience I'm sure my life would have been quite different as I went on to train and work in musical theatre.

I've been quite reflective, and a little melancholy, over this period of my life recently, as I enter a new phase of being a proper grown-up, but remembering the joy that this music gave me when I was younger is helping me feel a bit more positive about both the memories, and where they might take me in the future.

 

I enlisted my Mouse-cat to help me recreate this album cover; although it did take me several shots to get one with both of his eyes open and looking straight at me! He's a little diva of a cat, so perfect to have his own album cover!

Day Eleven

What does art mean to you? Did you enjoy playing with different textures and materials in this challenge? How did it make you feel?

Reflect

Joseph Beuys believed that ‘Everyone is an artist’; that we should all harness our individual potential to view the world around us with the same tools we use to respond to art, and the artist Joshua Sofaer developed seven 'conversations' which take place during an artistic encounter in order to facilitate enquiry. I often consider connotations of the term 'art' and its relationship to my personal perspective. My work, I wouldn't necessarily call 'art', but, forcing myself to consider this analytically, I am compelled to question why I wouldn't. Is it because I don't consider myself an artist in the sense of drawing, painting, and colouring? Is it because of an imposter syndrome? If the doodle below was framed in the Tate Gallery, would this change my interpretation of what is, to me, a simple and simplistic work? Would it gain layers of meaning through its juxtaposition with legitimate artists? 

It took me a few days to complete this challenge, to be honest. I eat a lot of fruit, but each time I had a piece I completely forgot about this prompt! I had a long think about what to do, and even experimented with a few things, but nothing was landing, so to speak. So I decided to challenge myself in a different way: I'm not good at drawing, so I wanted to have a try at a cartoon-style doodle; and I was intrigued to find out if there was a fruit for every letter of the alphabet (there is, but it's a stretch on some of the later letters!) So, a few days late, this is my fruit-art.

Day Twelve

What can you see when you listen? Did you notice sounds that you normally tune out? How easy was it to engage your senses in this challenge?

Reflect
As I mentioned last week, I've been attempting to become more mindful this year; and an element of mindfulness is to be and become aware in, and of, the moment. I try this technique when I'm walking, practising yoga, or sometimes just doing the dishes, but I've never sat in silence and just listened to the sounds of my street. The main thing I noticed was how many birds were twittering in the trees in our garden; it sounded like they were having a conversation with loops of song, and squawks and squeaks of sound - it was quite beautiful and peaceful, and reminded me that nature is all around us if we take the time to listen.

I live in a house on the corner of a quiet street, so when a car door slams, or a vehicle swooshes around the corner, or a runner jogs past, the sounds carry into my living room and fill the indoors with the sounds of the outdoors.

Day Thirteen

What did this challenge make you think about, or reflect on?  

Reflect

I immediately knew who I wanted to write to, and what I wanted to write although the actual wording of the contents took a little more thought.

I don't write letters, much, but I do write in my journal, and I obviously keep this blog, so I'm used to writing down my reflective thoughts.

I am due to have my first child in a few short weeks - we are having a girl, and I have been thinking, throughout this whole pregnancy, about the world she'll be coming in to, and the world we're leaving her. It's an odd time on this planet as dual forces are competing against each other for prominence, and her generation will be the inheritors of what we decide and do. It's an overwhelming responsibility.

I want her to know that the most important thing to always remember is that she is loved. I won't send this, as such, but we have been compiling a baby book for her, and I have written several letters during this process that are in the book for her to look at in the future.

Day Fourteen

How easy was it for you to bring joy into activities you usually dislike? How could you turn that into habit? What does ‘self-care’ mean to you?

Reflect
Self-care, for me, means taking time out of the minutiae of the day to concentrate on something that is solely for myself and my self-esteem or mental health. This could be ten minutes of gentle yoga, a bubble bath, or reading a fiction book rather than something for research or work. Because I'm on maternity leave I'm finding this a little easier right now than I would usually, but I'm making the most of it as I know that it's not going to last very much longer!

I used to sing professionally (photo above) and it's something I love, but don't often do nowadays. So, while I was cleaning the kitchen I decided to dig out my old backing tracks CD and have a sing! I usually listen to podcasts while I'm doing housework, but they are often quite heavy historical, political, or arts-based pods, so to relax, sing, and still get the housework done was very therapeutic, and very simple to do, so it's definitely something I'll try and make more of a habit out of.

Conclusion: Week Two

I've not had as much energy this week, so maybe that's why I've found these prompts a little more challenging? It was nice, however, that several of them focused on reflective practice, which helped when I was feeling particularly unmotivated.

My favourite challenge this week was probably Day Ten, purely because of how it turned out! But I also enjoyed Day Nine, as making and flying the planes allowed me to disconnect from 'adulting' for a while. I found Day Eight quite challenging as I wasn't leaving the house that day, but I enjoyed finding a way around this using social media creatively. And I will definitely try and sing more this year after re-finding my old backing tracks for today's challenge!