Emotions

Lately I've been posting questions to my facebook page about emotions and how people describe, feel or explain them. The resulting response has been really incredible. People have so many different ways of identifying their emotions. Sometimes there are similarities and sometimes they seem almost obscure.

We get pretty hung up on emotions and whether or not someone is 'emotional'. It's easy to disregard a persons actions as being unimportant because they were being very emotional. But emotions are really important.

As a creative person and as someone who seeks greater self awareness, I spend quite a lot of time considering my emotions and the emotions of those around me. Human beings can be very empathic, some more than others. This ability for us to connect to those around us through the emotions we share is really quite incredible.

When I write or paint or create anything, really, my emotions are as influential as the experiences I've had. As a life coach I know it's incredibly important for me to recognise and listen to how someone is feeling.

By asking people to describe the colour or physical form of an emotion, or explain where it is in their body, we can see how people experience emotions very differently. Essentially, what makes me happy isn't what makes you happy, although the feeling of happiness might be the same.

I encourage you to join in. If anything, it's a really interesting conversation. So please, do contribute.

The bonnie land of Scot

On the 3rd I attended the opening of the Trees for Life exhibition to raise money to save the Scottish Caledonian forest. I submitted a piece of work to the exhibition some months ago and when the date was confirmed it seemed like a great opportunity to visit Edinburgh.

The exhibition was completely successful as several pieces already had the tell tale red dots of a sale and many more acquired them throughout the evening. The proceeds are going straight to Trees for Life and will be used to plant new trees and provide a lush wild land for future generations. My submission is still available for purchase.

 The rest of the weekend was spent taking in the weird and wonderful city-scape. Edinburgh is not terribly large and therefore easily explored by foot. From Edinburgh Castle in the Old Town to the fabulous Georgian Dome in the New Town, the entire city is full of an indescribable character. The stones are stained with soot, as though a permanent shadow is cast across the corners of the buildings. Everything is subtly larger than London - the ceilings higher, the roads wider, the windows taller. The grey colouring does not make the city feel dull. Instead it intensifies everything in an incredibly magical and captivating way.

 Around the streets of the Old Town there are a multitude of closes, winding narrow staircases and dark doorways through to residential spots or hidden churches. The number of churches seems astounding given the rather small size of the city. Many do not perform their original function, having been turned into art galleries, theatre spaces and in one case an ironically named night club - 'Sin'.

 Just like London though, Edinburgh is full of art. Around corners, at the ends of bridges, in busy squares - there are sculpted wonders, incredible monuments and some things that can't be described and have not even been labelled.

Three days was not long enough to see all I wanted and yet I felt I'd seen more than I had expected as the weekend drew to a close and I was once more on a plane to London. Fortunately it's a short flight away, only an hour or so, and I know I will go back for it's the sort of city one is drawn to out of curiosity and a sense of wonder.

Off to Edinburgh

I knew November would be busy but I don't think I was prepared for just how busy it would be within the first few days. The charity I work for held a 'do' at the House of Lords on the 1st and as a result today has involved a lot of catch-up. I've had to be extra vigilant as I won't be in for the rest of the week because my partner and I are flying up to Edinburgh for the Trees for Life Exhibition which opens tomorrow night.

Both of us have work featured in the exhibition so we thought it would be a great idea opportunity for a trip to Scotland. This will be extra exciting for me as it also means I an tick yet another destination off of my 'Everything I ever Want to do in my Entire Life' list.

This is a good list to have. I recommend you start one. Get a binder, put some paper in it (lined or unlined - totally up to you.) or grab a journal or sketchbook and just start writing down all the stuff you'd like to accomplish in your life. The key is to really think about everything you write down. It's not a time challenge, it's a chance for you to truly consider the things you want to see, do and know.

If anything it's a wonderful way to see that you don't actually want to do a million things. It's more likely you'll have difficulty even listing the first 100. Once it's all down then it will be more obvious how achievable those things are and you won't feel like you've got to keep your brain cluttered with ideas. You've written it down, so you will remember because you have a reference. And then it's just a matter of finding the right opportunity.

In this case I found an exhibition doing an open call for art that featured trees. I contacted the organiser and sent in my piece. Deciding to head there for the exhibition was a natural follow-through and voila! Something to tick off my list. Easy peasy.