Back again…

Hello chaps, how’s things?

It’s been a while, I know, over a year if we’re counting. Are we counting? Well, let’s assume we’re not bothered by the odd month or twelve of radio silence. I bet you’ve been having a rare old time, I know I have – by which I don’t really mean it’s all been a massive laugh-a-minute hoot, more a full-on roller-coaster of life stuff. But I’m here and so are you, so let’s celebrate!

Hand on heart, I wasn’t sure I’d be coming back to Mostly Motley. So much life stuff was happening (and I guess will continue to happen) and I just totally lost the habit – don’t laugh, I know habit is a relative term here – and as with so many things, the longer you leave them, the harder they are to pick up again. Part of me feels that the whole blogging scene has moved on and I’m not convinced there’s really anyone still doing it for the pleasure of sharing with a disparate community who come together through a kind of cosmic serendipity.

But perhaps I’m wrong.

Maybe there are still a few people who’re reading and writing about the things they find fascinating or mundane or magical or awesome, without any desire or expectation of becoming inter web famous, or even, ahem, rich.

Well, let’s see.

Before coming back here, I also dipped my toes into Substack – if you’ve not heard about it, it’s a kind of easy newsletter publisher, focused (perhaps?) on writers, but supposedly welcoming all kinds of creatives. I’ve been almost as unreliable there as I have here – I know, consistency is not my middle name. I really feel that Substack should be a natural home, I like the ethos of the company and the way they have things set up. They also introduced a thing called Notes, which is a kind of Twitter lite, but much, much nicer. In theory, it’s got lots going for it. And yet…

I have reservations about Substack, but perhaps it’s too early to say. Anyway, just so you know, if you are using Substack, I am there as ‘Where The Crow Flies’. Come by and say hello. The platform strongly encourages the use of subscriptions, but this is not my scene, so even if you see pop-ups, ignore them. It’s not to say it isn’t a perfectly honourable route for anyone who wants to be paid for the content they create, it’s just that one of the things I’ve always hugely appreciated about blogging is the generous give and take of free expression. I know I’m incredibly fortunate not to be reliant on income of that sort, so I’ll continue to write for free.

Mind you, being as unreliable a poster as I am, I may choose to duplicate some of the content I post here and over there. I haven’t decided exactly how I’m going to handle them individually. So if you are there, please forgive the occasional repeat post.

One of the good things that has come up whilst contemplating the whole blogging urge, has been the opportunity to consider more deeply the role that making art is currently playing in my life. 

Some of you will know that until 2020, I was regularly exhibiting and sometimes selling pieces of textile artwork. Since then, although I have continued to make some textile work, I’ve really concentrated entirely on painting and mixed media work. To be entirely fair, painting was my first love, but like so many people, I gave it up to be firstly academic, then to be professional, and then to be a mother. It’s only in the most recent years that I’ve had the time or space or funds to really return to painting in a determined fashion.

And I love it – more than ever.

I’m having so much fun experimenting, playing, and generally exploring techniques and materials. I’m also beginning to see a touch of voice and even tracing the hints of story being told within the work. I’ve always been someone who derives their creative pleasure from the process, rather than the finished result, so my stash of finished work is growing on the shelf, but who knows, one day I might decide to let a few people rummage through and see if there’s anything they like.

Like many creatives, I find that time outdoors in nature gives me much-needed refreshment and inspiration too. There’s a strong sense of the changing season here now. Yesterday, I left the house for my almost daily circuit, and the ground was wet with overnight dew, and a heavy mist hung in the air which took hours to burn off. I know I’m not alone in loving this time of year.

Halfway along my route, there’s an old church – still occasionally used, although the village it once served has disappeared – this is where I like to stop for a few minutes, to breathe deeply and let my mind settle. I came across a YouTube video talking about the Taoist way of practicing self-love – it says, embrace your true nature, let go of self-judgment, live in the present moment, be willing to let life unfold, and practice cultivating inner stillness. Perfect. I like to sit for a few minutes and relax into stillness.

On my walks I notice that the hedgerows are heavily laden with autumn fruits, haws, hips, elderberries and blackberries. My grandmother used to say that this was a sign of a hard winter to come. Well, who knows.

It’s good to be back. I really hope that if you’ve read this far, you’ll leave a short message or like so I’ll know you’re there. 

Best wishes

Anny x