You may have noticed that I've been absent from this blog for quite a while - I had intended when I started it to blog each week, but my brain has been focussed on my studies and my new life. As a result, I just haven't been able to come up with good ideas for subjects.
Currently, there's one more week of Term 2 left before we break for a fortnight. This coincides pretty much with the Shortest Day (in the Southern Hemisphere) although it's not considered mid-winter for another couple of weeks. But I digress...
As a student, my world revolves around learning. My Drawing tutor has told me that I have a negative attitude to my work, and this means I don't see good bits that I draw. Yes, it's true that I'm very critical of my drawing, because I'm continually frustrated by my inability to reproduce what I see - have you ever tried to draw drapery? You know, a sheet draped in bunches over a trestle. I wrote on my effort that it was "Mutant Drapery", which elicited the tutor's comments.
Anyway, this got me thinking. Naturally, we humans tend to spend our time, as we go through life, doing the things that we're good at. I can't remember the last time I willingly spent time doing something that I had no experience in and did poorly at. Until now. And Drawing is not an elective - I have it for the whole 3 years of my degree.
This tutor insists that there is no such thing as talent, and that drawing is just a skill that can be learnt by anyone. Maybe he's right. The problem is that, at tertiary level, you're not actually taught to do things, like draw, because it's expected that you already know the basics at least. If you don't, you look to your classmates to help. I understand this, and have resolved to spend time drawing each day over the holidays as I certainly need the practice (plus I have to draw 3 portraits as an assignment - which I've never done before except for one day in class at the start of the year). Problem is, because I don't really enjoy it, or the results, I don't look forward to doing it - in comparison, I adore photography and get totally excited about taking photographs. But I digress again...
How do you, dear readers, feel about learning? Do you stick pretty much with what you know you can do, or do you go out of your way to do things that you find difficult? Tell me your stories!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Weddings
It's the calm before the storm of the royal wedding in the UK. Tonight, our TV channels will be broadcasting little else. There'll be detailed descriptions of Kate's dress, a blow-by-blow account of who was there, what they wore, what they said, what they did...and so on. The wedding will cost the equivalent of NZ$41 million - that's nearly 20 million British pounds or 22 million Euros or 30 million Australian dollars or nearly US$33 million.
I personally think this is a waste of money. Not just because it's royalty - I admit I'm not a huge fan on the monarchy - I think any culture that spends excessively on weddings is just plain crazy.
Yes, I know it may be "tradition". But that doesn't make it worth keeping. It used to be a tradition to keep slaves, or make enormous profits from tenant farmers, or treat some people as untouchable. That doesn't make these things right or good. Spending that kind of money when the country is suffering from a recession is not right in my book.
But money aside, how do you feel about weddings? Yes, I've been married, but it wasn't because I was dreaming of a white knight on a steed rescuing me so we could live happily ever after. I had no such fanciful illusions. I married for simply pragmatic reasons and my wedding was in a registry office with staff as witnesses.
Historically, marriage was for the protection of children and I believe this is still so. I am not concerned about whether my children marry their partners. This doesn't mean that I don't think people should respect the partners they choose to spend their lives with - I do. I just don't think marriage is a requirement to do that. What do you think?
I personally think this is a waste of money. Not just because it's royalty - I admit I'm not a huge fan on the monarchy - I think any culture that spends excessively on weddings is just plain crazy.
Yes, I know it may be "tradition". But that doesn't make it worth keeping. It used to be a tradition to keep slaves, or make enormous profits from tenant farmers, or treat some people as untouchable. That doesn't make these things right or good. Spending that kind of money when the country is suffering from a recession is not right in my book.
But money aside, how do you feel about weddings? Yes, I've been married, but it wasn't because I was dreaming of a white knight on a steed rescuing me so we could live happily ever after. I had no such fanciful illusions. I married for simply pragmatic reasons and my wedding was in a registry office with staff as witnesses.
Historically, marriage was for the protection of children and I believe this is still so. I am not concerned about whether my children marry their partners. This doesn't mean that I don't think people should respect the partners they choose to spend their lives with - I do. I just don't think marriage is a requirement to do that. What do you think?
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Travel
Travel, they say, broadens the mind. I'm sure we've all met people that this doesn't seem to apply to. Perhaps, to be charitable, the mind broadening just isn't obvious to onlookers.
As I've mentioned elsewhere, I did my big OE (Kiwispeak for Overseas Experience) last year - my first overseas trip. Doing your OE is a Kiwi thing - because we are so far away from everywhere. It's probably hard for people in, say, the UK or Europe, to understand this.
It's 3 hours to the nearest country, or rather, its nearest coast. The other side of Oz is more like 7 hours away. To fly from Auckland to Los Angeles takes 12 or 13 hours depending on which direction you go. For me to get to the UK, I flew for 9 hours to Singapore followed by a 13 hour flight to London. These are serious flight times in anyone's book.
I stayed part of the time with blog friends and my lovely sister-in-law; the rest of the time, I worked on rural properties through Help Exchange, where you work around 5 hours a day in exchange for board and lodgings. I spent 6 weeks in France and the rest in various parts of the UK. It was a great experience and I certainly feel that my mind was broadened by it.
What about you? Have you travelled much? Did you start young, or were you older like me? Please share your experiences.
As I've mentioned elsewhere, I did my big OE (Kiwispeak for Overseas Experience) last year - my first overseas trip. Doing your OE is a Kiwi thing - because we are so far away from everywhere. It's probably hard for people in, say, the UK or Europe, to understand this.
It's 3 hours to the nearest country, or rather, its nearest coast. The other side of Oz is more like 7 hours away. To fly from Auckland to Los Angeles takes 12 or 13 hours depending on which direction you go. For me to get to the UK, I flew for 9 hours to Singapore followed by a 13 hour flight to London. These are serious flight times in anyone's book.
I stayed part of the time with blog friends and my lovely sister-in-law; the rest of the time, I worked on rural properties through Help Exchange, where you work around 5 hours a day in exchange for board and lodgings. I spent 6 weeks in France and the rest in various parts of the UK. It was a great experience and I certainly feel that my mind was broadened by it.
What about you? Have you travelled much? Did you start young, or were you older like me? Please share your experiences.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
More on Creativity...from a couple of different angles
Firstly, thanks to those who responded to my plea in the last blog post.
I'm sure you will have noticed that some people are more creative than others. While we can't apply this to people's occupations - I am sure there are creative tax accountants and auditors - there is a popular belief that there is a link between creativity and mental illness. The "artistic temperament" is well known. This link has been the subject of academic studies, but the results are still not conclusive.
There is an interesting article here that's worth looking at http://counsellingresource.com/features/2009/09/21/creativity-and-mental-illness/. I found this paragraph resonated with me:
"The ability to see the world in an unconventional manner and to adopt perspectives not commonly shared can be both a blessing and a curse. Many creative individuals find themselves outside of the mainstream of both thought and method. As a result, they can experience periods when they feel unaccepted, misunderstood, and painfully alone. It is this reality that Don McLean sought to capture in his musical tribute to Vincent Van Gogh."
What about you? Do you ever feel like that? I don't consider that I have a mental illness, but I do feel I'm not "mainstream".
Let's look at a different angle again - is your creative work given the respect by your friends and family that you think it should have? Have you experienced people dismissing what you do as unimportant, or not a real job, or just playing around? Have you been made to feel that you're wasting your time?
I'm sure you will have noticed that some people are more creative than others. While we can't apply this to people's occupations - I am sure there are creative tax accountants and auditors - there is a popular belief that there is a link between creativity and mental illness. The "artistic temperament" is well known. This link has been the subject of academic studies, but the results are still not conclusive.
There is an interesting article here that's worth looking at http://counsellingresource.com/features/2009/09/21/creativity-and-mental-illness/. I found this paragraph resonated with me:
"The ability to see the world in an unconventional manner and to adopt perspectives not commonly shared can be both a blessing and a curse. Many creative individuals find themselves outside of the mainstream of both thought and method. As a result, they can experience periods when they feel unaccepted, misunderstood, and painfully alone. It is this reality that Don McLean sought to capture in his musical tribute to Vincent Van Gogh."
What about you? Do you ever feel like that? I don't consider that I have a mental illness, but I do feel I'm not "mainstream".
Let's look at a different angle again - is your creative work given the respect by your friends and family that you think it should have? Have you experienced people dismissing what you do as unimportant, or not a real job, or just playing around? Have you been made to feel that you're wasting your time?
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Creativity
Firstly, a plea to readers - this is an interactive blog, so please, please leave feedback. The point of writing this is to have readers respond and share their thoughts, experiences and ideas. I am not expecting readers to agree with me (though that's great if you do) - by all means, if you have a different opinion, then please feel free to express it. I am not going to criticize or abuse you.
Now to this week's topic.....Because I'm doing an Arts course, I'm naturally thinking a lot about creativity. I've had many people say to me "Oh, you're so lucky to be able to make things, I'm not creative at all". I don't agree. I think we are all creative, especially as children, but this talent is either stifled or simply not used.
Perhaps someone told us we were c*** at drawing (or singing, or dancing or making things or whatever). Perhaps our own "self talk" told us we weren't as good as our classmates, so we stopped doing that activity. I find it interesting that I have absolutely no recollection of school art classes. In fact, I asked my friend, Hope, whom I've known for over 40 years, whether we even had art lessons at high school (apparently, we did). I can remember all my other subjects and teachers, but not Art.
While I have dabbled a bit in handcrafts and sewing since my teenage years, I doubt that anyone would have dubbed me "a creative child". I did some knitting for my children when they were small, and sewed clothes for them when I was on my own from financial necessity. I also made some of my own clothes for the same reason. However, working fulltime, raising 2 children and a number of years spent studying meant that I had little time for creative leisure pursuits. This is the norm for women with families to care for.
What about you? Do you find yourself being more creative in your spare time now that you have more time to yourself, or have you always done so?
Now to this week's topic.....Because I'm doing an Arts course, I'm naturally thinking a lot about creativity. I've had many people say to me "Oh, you're so lucky to be able to make things, I'm not creative at all". I don't agree. I think we are all creative, especially as children, but this talent is either stifled or simply not used.
Perhaps someone told us we were c*** at drawing (or singing, or dancing or making things or whatever). Perhaps our own "self talk" told us we weren't as good as our classmates, so we stopped doing that activity. I find it interesting that I have absolutely no recollection of school art classes. In fact, I asked my friend, Hope, whom I've known for over 40 years, whether we even had art lessons at high school (apparently, we did). I can remember all my other subjects and teachers, but not Art.
While I have dabbled a bit in handcrafts and sewing since my teenage years, I doubt that anyone would have dubbed me "a creative child". I did some knitting for my children when they were small, and sewed clothes for them when I was on my own from financial necessity. I also made some of my own clothes for the same reason. However, working fulltime, raising 2 children and a number of years spent studying meant that I had little time for creative leisure pursuits. This is the norm for women with families to care for.
What about you? Do you find yourself being more creative in your spare time now that you have more time to yourself, or have you always done so?
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Normal Service is being resumed
I had hoped to write this blog weekly, but have been thrown out of kilter by the devastating Christchurch earthquake on 22nd February. Of course, I am no longer living in the region, but my daughter is, and I have already written about that day on my Dyeing2Design blog. Fortunately, both she and her boyfriend are back at work, and have power and water at their home, so are regaining some normality in their lives.
So today, I though I'd talk about what is normal, and how the sense of normal changes during our lives. When I was my daughter's age (26), I was married with 2 children, a home and a business. That was normal. My mother married at 21 and had her first child, my brother, at 22. That was normal. She stopped work at that point and would not have resumed working outside the home except for the fact that the marriage ended and she was forced to return to work when I was 8 in order to support us. There was no welfare available then.
However, none of Sophie's school friends are actually married (one is engaged) and none have children. Cass, who is almost 30, has a couple of married friends and one with children. Most of this group are university educated, and most have gone travelling. Some are currently overseas and have been for some time. This is normal for this generation - they are so much more mobile. My mother is of the generation that dresses up to travel, because in her day, it was something special and unusual. I dress for comfort. The kids travel in whatever they're wearing, which may be shorts and jandals. This is also normal.
I could go on at length about how things have changed from when we were young. It's important to accept that things should change, and that your concept of "normal" should also change; otherwise, you can create a lot of unnecessary grief and stress for yourself. I try to remain flexible in my thinking for this reason. While I would love to have grandchildren, I have to respect my children's decisions to live their lives their own way and to have different priorities.
What about you? What is the most significant change in your concept of "normal"?
So today, I though I'd talk about what is normal, and how the sense of normal changes during our lives. When I was my daughter's age (26), I was married with 2 children, a home and a business. That was normal. My mother married at 21 and had her first child, my brother, at 22. That was normal. She stopped work at that point and would not have resumed working outside the home except for the fact that the marriage ended and she was forced to return to work when I was 8 in order to support us. There was no welfare available then.
However, none of Sophie's school friends are actually married (one is engaged) and none have children. Cass, who is almost 30, has a couple of married friends and one with children. Most of this group are university educated, and most have gone travelling. Some are currently overseas and have been for some time. This is normal for this generation - they are so much more mobile. My mother is of the generation that dresses up to travel, because in her day, it was something special and unusual. I dress for comfort. The kids travel in whatever they're wearing, which may be shorts and jandals. This is also normal.
I could go on at length about how things have changed from when we were young. It's important to accept that things should change, and that your concept of "normal" should also change; otherwise, you can create a lot of unnecessary grief and stress for yourself. I try to remain flexible in my thinking for this reason. While I would love to have grandchildren, I have to respect my children's decisions to live their lives their own way and to have different priorities.
What about you? What is the most significant change in your concept of "normal"?
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Mothers
Mothers. We all have one. They're a very maligned group, blamed for all manner of things, and the butt of insulting remarks (think "yo mama.." jokes, and words like motherf*****). Whether we have a happy or unhappy relationship with our mother, they are a considerable influence in our lives.
My relationship with my mother has not always been easy. We have very different personalities and interests, and see things in quite different ways. This has led to major clashes over the years, although both our attitudes have softened as we've got older.
My mother was born in 1930, so was a Depression baby. Like almost all women of her generation, she learned to cook, bake, sew, knit, mend and grow a garden. These skills were all passed onto me, and I'm grateful for them.
Through the recent changes in my circumstances, as well as the difficult economic times, I have turned my back on rampant consumerism and considerably reduced my discretionary spending. The things that I learned from my mother have become more important to me as I reach for a simpler, more satisfying life.
What are the most important things that you've learned from your mother - good or bad?
My relationship with my mother has not always been easy. We have very different personalities and interests, and see things in quite different ways. This has led to major clashes over the years, although both our attitudes have softened as we've got older.
My mother was born in 1930, so was a Depression baby. Like almost all women of her generation, she learned to cook, bake, sew, knit, mend and grow a garden. These skills were all passed onto me, and I'm grateful for them.
Through the recent changes in my circumstances, as well as the difficult economic times, I have turned my back on rampant consumerism and considerably reduced my discretionary spending. The things that I learned from my mother have become more important to me as I reach for a simpler, more satisfying life.
What are the most important things that you've learned from your mother - good or bad?
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