Joy is your mentor
The beginning of each month i draw 2 cards , one from a beautiful Major Arcana Tarot deck and another from a Angel cards containing contemplation words and as it is January I decided that word would echo throughout my year. The word i received was “joy”. Right at that moment the word was exactly what i needed to be reminded of.
I had started the new year stuck in insecurity and fear. I was both in self pity mode of anger and jealosy of other peoples ability to receive abundance alongside my lack of and also lost connection to myself and why i create which led to my first of the year Watercolour Poem and my nature photography being disasters. I was going through the motions following a written plan when creativity doesn’t follow plans.
The word “joy” jumped out in front of me as painting has always been Joy , it is my reason “why” as i feel so connected when i paint. I felt that joy sat in a woodland , cold and with a smile on my face painting strange forms of fallen trees.
Joy is an energy of lightness , it is healing and your mentor if you allow it into your life. Instead of bringing yourself back to breath , find what creates joy , and bring yourself back to Joy when your mind is lost in negative vibrations. Instead of having a gratitude journal have a Joy Journal. This will be my 12 month ritual ! Through mindfulness we can notice when we experience joy in the day , do not discount the fleeting moments as it contains the same quality. The daily awareness practice deepens your mindfulness so its a win win. Spend a moment savouring that joyful experience , remember the moment before bedtime to how it felt inside of you. However , Joy is something we experience in the moment and isnt something we should to outsource our wellbeing to.
Practice sympathetic joy by acknowledgement of other peoples success although remembering your “why” should not be beholden to outcome, but if success finds you, find joy in that for a moment and then release it as we don’t create masters to our wellbeing.. Be joyful that some things are not meant for you and that you are made differently for a reason; surrendering to that opens up all possibilities. Do what creates joy within you as a spiritual and mental practice each day as a ritual of loving yourself.
Sometimes we get lost in our triggers as our attachments have been challenged and thats a shared human condition , find some joy in laughing at yourself for being momentarily silly for angriness or jealousy, as it will lighten your load. Bringing joy into our lives changes how our brain operates improving our mental resilience.
I was grateful that i was reminded of “joy” and i have that card somehwere i can see it each day just to remind myself when i become lost when things are not working the way i want , or an attachment is triggered or when you just in the dumps with life it is a gentle reminder that there has been joy in your life which creates hope.
Another joyful moment was this week Stella (the cat) and i are celebrating 9 years together.
Bakethin Nature Resereve
Time escapes me when i become truly connected to the landscape seeking what many would just walk past. But , this hidden world has been my world too and they are my kindred spirit. Being able to show this beautiful place in a wintery January setting is a blessing but can be quite frantic too. Sunrise is 08:30am and by time its 10:00am that sumptuous frostiness is melting. so i have to get my wriggle on.
The delight of a really cold frosty morning is the clear pastel blue skies and low sun peeping through the trees on one side of the forest whilst the other side is darker and more mysterious. It is time to jump out of bed and get myself there before this happens to enjoy the sunrise filtering through the softness of trees and moss.
It is time to sit down , a hot drink and just watch the marvel of nature. No need for words just be part of it remembering yourself as nature. that the earth loves you and includes you. After a while of sitting in stillness it will be sure that a curious bird will come and keep you company , have a few seeds in your pocket for a treat for them.
In the Wild , Painting
What is seen
isn’t what is felt
or known
Christopher Evans
Top Left : Watercolour on A3 Canson Watercolour Sketchbook
Top Right : Watercolour on 50 x 60cm Tela Oil paper
Bottom Right : Watercolour on 14 x 21 cm sketchbook
Bottom Right : Watercolour on 33 x50 cm Tela Oil Paper.
Bull Crag Peninsular
I am having one of those weeks when i make silly errors of judgement , my first visit here i walked away with a few photographs and feeling disconnected and then over the weekend just before sunrise at minus 3 with frost and a scattering of snow i brought my old 60mm mini macro instead of my new 80mm full macro lens. Whatever madness in my choice i forgave the moment as i was having so much fun finding things with my wide angle lens i left the other lens in the bag.
My first Winter in Northumberland and today was a beautiful day to wander through the woodland , along the lake and soak in the atmosphere. For myself there is nothing more magical and calming than being in nature on a cold winter day. The cold grounds and connects your body back to reality. Just to be in silence , being part of something greater and feel the stillness energises me and i look forward to a hot drink and meal afterwards.
This photographic squirrel was bouncing and i had managed to incorporate the dreaded tripod into my visit with more ease. I enjoyed the connection of cold hands and fiddling with settings. I prefer something more intimate than a wide landscape but the sparseness of winter invites me to see beyond which holds the space for what i love , sometimes a view across the lake to where i live which was shrouded in mist and then sometimes it is no more than 10 meters away peeping through trees.
The difference lies within me , my first time i had not connected back and was going through a motion and this time the beauty i saw was through me , my heart , my passion and love rather than just making photographs. Our eyes are only lenses and without the heart we miss beauty of nature in every form.
I know many have the craft to create images that wow but thats not my calling in life. I want to show nature as it is , how you would experience it if you were here with me pointing out an old brown flower head with a little frost on it or maybe a forgotten mottled bramble leaf lying in old grasses and plants encrusted in frost.
There aren’t any amazing flowers or fungus to capture but its the essence of life in slumber, waiting and re-energising that i am seeking. The muted tertiary colours offer something homely and welcoming as if it knew you were coming. It is never the amazing vista that creates the feeling, it is everything which surrounds you even if you don’t notice it , the grass , the plants and trees or maybe a passing bird that your spirit connects to.
Hareshaw Linn
I am having to go back this week which i am looking forward too , my initial visit was not too productive as my mind was not in the right place. Quite often , especially this time of year when nature is in its slumber , i come with a negative attitude of its going to be challenging. The challenge is an illusion of an attachment to “likes” on social media. In my true eyes the whole place is glorious in its winter form , my real challenge is showing nature in its beautiful natural state rather than either embellishing or only showing something as its a great photograph. My work , is to get people to fall in love with it all.
