Keeping Going

Every so often things happen that knock me off course. Work sometimes, just general busy-ness, being away, or an emotional upset.

My emotions are important to me. They are never very far from the surface. I use to be embarrassed about how easily they could come to the fore: at the cinema, for example. Or during my work if an exam candidate captured the emotions of a piece just right. Or hearing of an act of kindness. Even being understood. I mean, for goodness sake, I cry at ads.

But I have a greater understanding of myself now. While they can still embarrass me when they pop up unexpectedly, generally I celebrate the fact that I am an emotional man. It helps me to empathise, to be thoughtful and, hopefully kind sometimes. It heightens my awareness of others, and helps me notice things.

Sometimes my emotions can overwhelm me and cloud my judgement or render the simplest of tasks difficult to accomplish. Sometimes they make me feel defeated, flat, spent, crushed, grey.

The doing something creative every day resolution is for me. While, at various times, others have inspired me and motivated me, and while I do want to acknowledge and thank all the people I know who have played their part in encouraging me, affirming me and saying nice things about some of the things I have produced, it is my responsibility to myself to keep doing something creative everyday. On two occasions in the last few weeks I almost threw in the towel. But I didn’t. And now I’m glad I didn’t.

Here’s a few things I produced over the last week or so …

A box (I love making boxes) …