17 things to do at Hat Head
I see lists like this for Sydney, or Amsterdam, or other important (“important”) places. Each of us has our own list of important places and the things we do. This is mine.
When Floods Give you China
On Feburary 28, 2022 the Wilsons River, a normally benign tributary of the Richmond, engulfed Lismore with the sort of ferocity that has not been seen since white settlers began this version of record keeping. Our town is prone to flooding, sitting as it does at the junction of two river systems that drain from…
Brown Water
For a few days, at the beginning, Girards Hill was an island. We’d had no power for days, so internet/phone was not possible. We knew there’d be a “bit” of cleaning up after the water went down, so I took my sketchbook to the edges of our island and drew what I saw. I wasn’t…
January the First
The Christmas holidays, on the east coast of Australia so often means the beach. This is a discussion about why it’s important to maintain those traditions of the beachside holiday, and why it’s good for the rest of the year.
Where there’s Tea, there’s Hope
Dawn is an excellent time to ponder the great problems of the world. Making tea over a camp fire, at dawn, mid-winter, during an off-grid painting trip, adds more layers to the experience. Also, read why Christine included this version of the words. It might surprise you.
Artists Need People: Even the Quiet Ones
As artists many of are very good at being inside getting better at what we do. This article gives us a chance to think of easy ways to extend our practice to include others.
How to start [again]
As the pandemic and its strictures became less, suddenly the world that had been put on hold needed to get going again. Not as easy as it sounds…
Road May Be Impassable
Rural roads get Christine to her place of work. Places. Places on the beaten track, and off it. Sometimes the signs she encounters have a bigger message than at first glance.
What you do on New Year’s Day, you do for the rest of the year.
January the first has such a heavy load to carry. All those New Year’s resolutions (revolutions) promises made, inevitably broken. January two is easier, no hangover from last night, or last year. Just a day. Like any other day. If any day we live could e’er be called “just another day”. My grandmother emigrated from…
Art has an end point too
Previously I’ve written about how to start a creative project. This article is about the other end of creativity – after the inspiration, and past the perspiration. How finishing a project has its own place in the process and why it’s important.
Being Accountable
I haven’t ever applied for a grant before. It always seemed an inefficient way to gamble. But when Arts Northern Rivers offered their fast turnaround Micro Grants – $1000 to help alleviate the direct impact of Covid – I thought it wouldn’t hurt to try.
Cherish the Handwritten Moments
In the middle of the pandemic, the implications of our communications comes to the forefront. In the absence of what was “normal”it becomes more considered and, with that consideration, more valued.
Picking up Shiny Objects
Being an artist isn’t just starting at the beginning and moving forward in steady measured steps. (Though it can be, if that’s how you are). For me it’s a pattern of learning to notice what I’m attracted to, and running with that idea for as long as it takes.
Finding Time
In any business, there’s an ebb and flow of crisis and calm, overlaid with the day-to-day strategies that plod along getting things done. I realised that allocating time to the garden – a less important job in my week – took the worry of it not being done, and gave me more time for everything else.
Drinking Tea in Bed
Other days have their purpose within the broad scheme of the week. Sunday morning, with its short time of stillness, is as vital to the week’s productivity as the days of busyness.
Take Ballina Road, traffic is light.
What happens when your phone decides where you are going, and YOU DON’T AGREE?