Stories
Received some pics from those who draw strength from Black Dog. This one’s from Caroline who has framed some of the Army of Ink from the ’21 Postcard’ series and keeps them on her bedside table. She also happens to be a collector of old typewriters too (this is one of her 3).
Elle sent this one in and calls it her ‘strength wall’ made from art and stories from Black Dog. She is also making a mobile out of the ’21 Friends’ postcards too. Thanks for the ideas Elle. Check out her tattoo in a previous post here.
Another use for the Black Dog website is to leave an image up on the computer – or use it as a screen saver. This one is the Patti Smith Clunk & Jam note. Just found it soothing to have close at bedtime.
This one’s a Clunk & Jam note collection on a wall at the Narrogin Mental Health Expo. You can use these notes to create the same on bedroom and office walls too. I use masking tape but you can use blue tac etc. If you’ve got any pictures of what you do with Black Dog art and stories/books and cards, send them in so we can share your ideas with others.
Just lost my best mate – and shadow. Each day I’m realising how much a part of each day she was. She was my view …
…sat patiently as I made paper things.
But the poor old girl was going blind – her back legs and mind were failing her. A friend’s question helped us make the painful decision to end her suffering; “Make sure every day is a good day for her”. It wasn’t. And it was our own pain of losing her that became the reason we wanted more days with her. But she was suffering terribly. What we’ll hold close in memory is the 14 years of good days we spent with her. But right now, the sadness is here. And I’m thinking…sometimes sadness pals up with anger. Sometimes with fear or despair. And sometimes it’s just straight up sadness. Sheer loss, and you just have to let the tears pour - and not lose grip on the good times you had. Wrote this Haiku poem about her a while back here. And Catapillar Talk I hold close as a soothing reminder about life’s natural cycle. RIP pooch. Long live the dog.
January 10, 2012 - Imagine …
“When I was 5 years old, my Mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down, ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life. ” John Lennon (See this previous post about unhappiness).
Lennon’s inspiring story can be seen in a documentary (DVD) called ‘LennonYC’ and there’s another called, ‘Death of a Beatle’. (Thanks Jo from wheatbelt WA for passing through Lennon’s quote). Pass it on …
Click on typewriter and stick Lennon up somewhere.
Every Day Is Yours To Win . (Lyrics by R.E.M./image from album Collide In The Now) …… with the walk and the talk . and the tick tock clock . with the rock and the roll . and the bridge and the toll . with the brilliance and the light . and the stink and the fight . and the road ahead of you . i cannot tell a lie . it’s not all cherry pie . but it’s all there waiting for you, yeah you . hey yeah, hey yeah . hey yeah, i know . with the warp and the wooze . and the subterfuge . does it all look bitter and blue? . well i’m nothing but confused . with nothing left to lose . and if you buy that, i’ve got a bridge, for you . hey yeah, hey yeah . hey yeah, i know (rpt) . every day is new again . every day is yours to win . and that’s how heroes are made . i wanted to win . so i said it again; . that’s how heroes are made . hey yeah, hey yeah . hey yeah I know (rpt) .
I hear rural folk have trouble with downloads on the internet so rather than a video clip I’ve created this one as a Clunk and Jam note for you. Click on the typewriter to view and print. Pass it on …
For a woman that was the embodiment of the golden era, Poet and Singer Patti Smith resists the pull of the past, instead inhabiting the space between now and tomorrow…
“I believe that we, that this planet, hasn’t seen its golden age. Everybody says it’s finished…art’s finished, rock and roll is dead. God is dead. Fuck that! This is my chance in the world … If only each generation would realise that the time for greatness is right now when they’re alive. The time to flower is now.” Start the year by passing this Clunk and Jam note on through your Facebooks (icon below) and get friends on board to support The Black Dog Project too… click on the typewriter to print a Clunk & Jam note to stick up somewhere (private or public). If you’re new to this, more about Clunk and Jam and how to make wallpaper from the notes here.
2011 has been a busy and creative time … with the quiet realisation of a dream. So I thought I’d share some snaps and words that capture this, and the community spirit of the Dog (turning 7 in March next year – pictured is its home)..
The dream? Crafting beautiful picture books and printed things, to give to children and young people who are struggling in mind and life. I believed that the act of kindness itself, along with the love and community spirit in which the gifts were made, would seep deep and soothingly into their world. Provide a reassuring hug of hope. And while the website provides a virtual experience of a ‘gift’, you just can’t beat the tangible, sensual, keepsake qualities of books and paper things.
(A hand crafted version of the new ‘Clunk & Jam’ book, being published next year along with the ‘Rock The Boat’ book – story here)…
Read the rest of this page »
