Hola from Arenys de Mar

It's a struggle being at an artist residency in a small village in Spain, a stroll away from a castle and a nudist beach, copious amounts of wine, cheese and a pet tortoise to keep me company. What a dream!

I have to say that it is beautiful here. Although 2019 has been filled with stress with work and exhibitions, I have a sudden calmness inside of me. This calmness has allowed me to open with my own creativity and sink my teeth into some new compositions. So here at the residency I am giving myself that time and freedom to play and to enjoy the process. I don't want to have an exhibition in the back of my mind or a commission deadline, but merely allow my mind to meditate.

It can be quite interesting being in a new place. It allows you to think about new things, new ideas, new problems, aspirations. I am enjoying wandering the streets and having the time to sketch. Because when do we ever get time for that?! I have even started up a bit of a journal which I hate to admit is quite therapeutic! It has made me realise so many things about the society we live in and how we let stress overtake us. I have recently felt so unhealthily stressed to the point that my body was retaliating in the form of a cold, rash and nausea. I mean when do we admit enough is enough??

We need to love our bodies and nurture what we have. I promise this isn't going to be a self-help blog, but seriously something needs to give. I realise that planning and organising is a strong suit of mine despite being an artist and I want to utilise that gift to make my business easier. If we utilise time productively then maybe we will actually have time for the things we love eg. travelling to Europe for artist residencies!

So here you have it folks, the start to my journey has been quite a therapeutic and meditative one. So watch this space for new posts about my Europe trip and new works to come! xx