Stories

October 2, 2014 - Weapon of Mass Destruction

October 1, 2014 - Army of Ink Salute

Army of Ink Salute .

The Army of Ink salutes all the girls who got lost.  Those who wish to remain unfound.  All the tiny souls that skipped from one to forever, never felt the kiss of a prince and lived unhappily ever after in a dress up box.  Now we’re lifting the lid.  What about the boys?  They can play too.

(Reposted from 2010)

September 23, 2014 - Staring Back

Excerpt of article from Fernwood Fitness magazine.  Art Charles Blackman, ‘Children Playing’ (original in colour).

Warped Selfie .   

When does time spent in front of the mirror stop being about preening and start becoming a problem?  We look at the devastating impact body dysmorphic disorder can have on our kids and how you can foster a positive environment where appearance isn’t everything.   Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) describes a disabling preoccupation with perceived physical flaws.  Affecting both men and women, it causes excessive self-consciousness and, while onlookers might see nothing out of the ordinary, sufferers experience extreme anxiety causing them to withdraw from school and social activities for fear people can also see the ‘defects’ they see in the mirror.

August 21, 2014 - Army of Ink Pockets Full of Hiding

She forever hoped that noone would ever find what she spent every waking hour hiding – and hiding from .

Personal footnote:  We all have secrets – and secret fears.  And sometimes we have ‘leftover’ fears, the ones we experienced long ago and the threat is actually long over but we feel the fear and respond to it like it’s still fresh and real.  This ‘ink’ seems to be suggesting an emptying of pockets to free herself from the lingering things that may still confine her – and/or define her in a negative light.

For some of us, our greatest task in life is to rewire our minds and the ingrained responses it triggers by challenging those fears – replacing them with new experiences.  Think … re-filling our pockets with good stuff.   Re-shaping ourself.  And each time you have a win (or even fail) you get stronger and more confident in doing things you once avoided.  Didn’t think you could do.  Her arrival seems to pose questions like… what’s stopping you making changes in your life?  What are you afraid of?  What are you hiding?  Hiding from?  What’s stopping you going places outside of your comfort zone?  ‘Feel the fear It’s how we grow.  Her waffle pants seem to suggest space for the filling – room to move?

(She appears in Clunk & Jam, 2019)

August 21, 2014 - Do ‘Might Fail’

Art by Nedko Solakov’s from book, ’99 Fears’.  Quote by  Seth Godin (interview from latest edition of Dumbo Feather magazine.

August 13, 2014 - Dear Dads

(Above) Interview with Bruce Robinson a Perth Doctor and Scientist who heads ‘The Fathering Project’,  a University of WA based group helping Fathers be exceptional Dads. Article found in The Australian Financial Review 5-6 July 2014.