Like most of you, the last couple of years has knocked me for six a bit. Things have changed in our world and will never be the same again. Hopefully it has enabled many to reassess their lives and determine what is most important in order to begin to plan for a way into an unexpected future. Time at home, often alone with ourselves has been a gift in the sense that it has given us time to reflect and reposition - something we were beginning to lose sight of in our stupidly busy pre-pandemic lives.
2021 saw me complete my doctorate - also an opportunity to consider and clarify where I stand in the world. I have emerged from that somewhat overwhelming process convinced that art - its making and its messages changes the way that people think. Being involved in the arts robs you of the luxury of binary thinking - you can no longer see the world in black and white (literally or figuratively!). Hopefully this means greater tolerance, understanding and compassion. I am seeing less and less of that, lately, not more, sadly. Being able to see the multitude of shades in our world seems more important now than it ever has, particularly shades of green. In that light, as we come to the end of 2021, I am trying to determine what next year looks like in terms of my business. There is no doubt that I will continue to create and encourage others to do the same, but the way that has happened may not be the way it continues to do so.
So I request your patience as I reposition for the new world we find ourselves in. Things will look a bit different for next year and you will undoubtedly see that in terms of my website and the services I offer. Undoubtedly, like the rest of the world, there will be a shift to online services, and my art will become more about our relationship with the natural environment and ways of being kinder, gentler and more sustainable for the future!
Enjoy the rest of the year - and may our Australian summer be filled with sunshine, joy and good will.