This little soldier finally realised that being the fairest isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and looking up to stars can be dangerous – especially when they fall. And that ‘way up high’, ‘over the rainbow’ and ‘climbing the ladder’ are sometimes dangerous places to try and reach. And too far away to possibly get there on time.
Footnote: It’s such a competitive world. There’s a strong current drawing us up, up and away from who we are – or are comfortable and content being. Acceptance, popularity, success and fitting in, can feel so out of reach. It can feel impossible to meet the expectations of others. Until the question arises – what and who determines our worth? It’s also wise to question the notion that a sense of belonging exists somewhere outside ourselves. And that bigger and the better and more determines if we are – ‘enough’. It’s potentially a hothouse for discontent. Home? Home can be a building, a place, but it can also be a secure feeling within yourself.
The pumpkin? An alternative take on the Cinderella fairytale. Her tenacity and creativeness in getting to where she wants to be, independently – on her own terms. And being content riding in a pumpkin.
The feather? Perhaps a reminder to hold tight and true to our uniqueness, strengths and even strangeness, despite the world’s mirror reflecting back little to support diversity and difference.
What if being different meant you’d never be alone again ?
Imagine…if those of us who felt different could be strengthened in our difference through the sharing of stories….which wouldn’t mean we’d all become the same ….but we might feel less alone in our difference….
Clunk & Jam Second Edition Book (with content from the Black Dog Blog) and 6 new Card Collections are available on-line and in store at Fremantle Art Centre Found. See other Stockists here. Cover art Stormie Mills.
6 New Card Collections ….the socially shy Robin Small (pictured). Amelia Bloom, dreaming up a better world. Rose, the wise mould breaker (below). Boots the Clown making worry disappear. 21 Friends holding big feelings. And the new Sweet Pea, a personal power generator. $22/Pack Fremantle Art Centre Found. Collab Fremantle Markets.
WHEN: Saturday and Sunday 24th/25th June. TIME: 10am-3pm daily.
I’ll be there all weekend so pop in for a look, sit and read, chat, a ‘jam’ on the old typewriter and see the process of how books are created. Books and cards will be available to purchase. JB (Janine)
Exhibition: Meet Janine Browne, Founder of The Black Dog Project throughout the weekend as she shares the beautiful art, stories, characters and process of creating the books and card collections that have grown to become a source of strength and antidote to loneliness throughout the community.
Call in and pick up some of the Project’s promotional cards to take and share with others.
Miiesha (Pronounced My-ee-sha) is from the small Aboriginal community of Woorabinda in Central Queensland comes a 21 year old with a voice ready to be heard. A strong, Anangu/Torres Strait Islander woman, Miiesha has been singing for her family and her community since the age of 8, and has since been developing her songwriting as a teenager.
Miiesha’s music seeks to bring people together to help educate and inspire. She sings of her people and her community with the words of a leader and a teacher. Her late Grandmother’s interludes provide a thread between the tracks, highlighting the passing down of knowledge from Elders through the generations. (Reposted from April 2021).
Kindness makes a difference … and you may not receive anything in return for your kindness – but don’t let that stop you being kind. We all know how good it feels when we experience kindness. And how on a bad day, it can turn things around. Revive our faith in the world. And it’s not always obvious who’s struggling. And if you are, coming up against someone who is being unkind can feel like the last straw. And that straw isn’t always outwardly visible. So it’s just safer for everyone if we all just be kinder.
