Stories
(Art Harley Manifold, Original in colour)
A strange phenomenon… on Youth Focus camps, spending time with young people – one thing always comes through strongly. 20-25 young individuals arrive to spend a weekend together and often there’s only one thing they have in common – they’re all different. That ‘difference’ too, seems to be the carrier of loneliness, the feeling of disconnection and lack of sense of place in the world. But, over the space of a weekend, that very difference is what unites and strengthens them.
Why? Because, unlike the world outside the camp environment, difference is valued and accepted there. So it’s safe to reveal their true selves, however strange, weird and unacceptable that might be to the outside world. And they are safe also to try on new ways of being without judgement and criticism. And it always makes you wonder … what if being different meant you’d never be alone again…. What if society valued and appreciated difference as opposed to casting aside those who don’t fit the mould.
What if individual flags were flown in the face of the ‘one size fits all’ (we all know it doesn’t). Wouldn’t the world be a far more interesting (and safer) place to be.
Similar posts: Toast To Differences; Good Difference; Difference Matters
The Fringe
As bush fires rage throughout Australia and news feeds take us live into the tragedy unfolding, its heartbreak and suffering, be mindful of protecting children from the trauma of these scenes. And yourself too. Those affected will need very sensitive care for a very long time to come – and this is already happening through the heartening swell of human kindness that has emerged in response to this tragic time. Keep safe.
There is strength, comfort and hope in art and stories ….
These beautiful image are from a book called ‘The Mysteries of Harris Burdick’ by Chris Van Allsburg. The artist has never been found, nor the stories he wrote about the 14 beautiful drawings (with titles only). They were published as a collection of drawings in the hope that children will be inspired by them – and write their own stories.
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The Crossing .
One day I will swim out to the seaweed. And I swam for the longest time to know the place where I now rest. But let me not forget to look far back into the distance. Cast the mind before the deep unknown. Feel the fear in every stroke as I made that crossing. As I make it still each day.
(Clunk & Jam book, 2019. Pictured, Hansel & Gretel).
Clunk & Jam .
Through the clunks and jams and carriage returns of the dusty old beast that rides my desk, I slap silence with letters on waving arms, clunking out truth on a black rubber roll, as jams slow the rush and errors have a say.
Footnote: ‘Clunk & Jam’ is the title of the book. The book was typed on an old manual typewriter – Clunk & Jam being the sound of the typing and also the above poem about the process.
(Making Clunk & Jam second edition, 2019)
Occasionally she lost sight of hope.
(Clunk & Jam, 2019 book).
Art by George Frederic Watts (1886). Original in colour.
Martin Luther King Jr based his 1959 sermon, ‘Shattered Dreams’, on the theme of a 1886 painting called, ‘Hope’.
Excerpt:
‘We must determine how we live in a world where our highest hopes are not fulfilled. What does one do under such circumstances?
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The Artist Crime of The Century .
Imagine … sitting in the waiting room of a dentist surgery, flipping through a newspaper. You spot a sketch of the proposed Twin Tower buildings in New York. In that moment you decide, upon completion of the buildings, you will (illegally) string a tightrope wire between the towers (450 metres high) and attempt the impossible. And you do it. Not once, but you dance (and kneel and lay) along the wire, crossing back and forth 8 times. Philippe Petite devoted years to making his dream a reality -along with loyal supporters. A friend told me this story and recommended the movie ‘Man on Wire’. I return to it time and time again for inspiration and strength – and the message that we must prepare our steps well but also be prepared to step back from the wire when those steps don’t feel right to take.
Find in Clunk & Jam book. See ‘Man on Wire’ documentary film, 2008).
