Sometimes she felt like a wind-up toy that’s lost its key .
Footnote: This ink arrived after a friend of mine told me this was how she was feeling. When I sent her the little girl she asked why the key was part of her head – and why so big? Maybe she’s showing us that the key’s actually been there all along. Perhaps she just lost sight of her own ability to get herself going again? Turn key not lost at all – just run down. Or she’s become unraveled by certain circumstances. The key to getting going again might be in questioning (and in future, avoiding) what initiated her current unraveled state? Well worth some further thought (as her large thinking cap might suggest).
(Clunk & Jam book, 2019)
“KINDNESS has no sell-by date. It doesn’t have to be packaged, perfumed or prettified. It is just the most magnificent expression of all that makes us whole and human. Only the KIND should be listened to in our world.” John Bird, Author and Editor, The Big Issue UK. Image from A Revolution of Kindess book by Anita Roddick.
(Reposted from 2009)
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)
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.
Read the rest of this page »
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)
