Happy New Year for all ye Stars

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!
Chorus.-For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne. 

(From Auld Lang Syne by Robert Burns, 1788)

First a very Happy, Creative, Inspirational and Healthy New Year to you all. 

 

Brilliant Universe - a close up from Labour 12 - Pisces

If there is one thing about blogging that bothers me, it's inconsistency. When I like to follow someone's blog and there are no posts appearing for weeks or months on end without any explanation I start:
  a. wandering if the Blog-person is alright.
  b. imagining all kinds of scenarios and reasons of what is happening in that person's life.
  c. eventually giving up checking them out, unless it is a friend.
  d. finally come to the conclusion that perhaps there is more to people's life then blogging.

So apologies to all of you who have been checking me out, whilst I wasn't there. I hope you skipped a., b. and c. and arrived quicker to d. then I normally do. My intention was and actually still is to blog at least every week, but as you can see I am not very good in keeping up with the regular practise of blogging. (If you subscribe to my blog Blogger will let you know when I post something, so it is less disappointing to be faced with my inactivity).

Lucky Star - a close up from Labour 9 - Sagittarius

Apart from keeping busy I have of course a perfect astrological explanation for my inconsistent blogging activity, as the stars or better the place of the planets at the time of my birth can tell.
If you think astrology is all gobbledygook then you may want to skip this post, but for anyone interested in astrology here is a little explanation of my erratic behaviour in communication.

Beaded Universe - a close up from Labour 10 - Capricorn

Of course astrology itself was/is classified as a science depending on your definition of 'science' and many top businessmen, high society members, celebrities and ordinary folk will consult astrologers.
Astrology is an enormous subject to study as it has many different applications from psychological, financial, relationship to mundane/world affairs. I have studied astrology for over 30 years now and I still feel I am scratching the surface.

Purple Trilogy - a close up from Labour 12 - Pisces

The planet Mercury in anyone's birth chart says something about the way you think and communicate. At the time of my birth Mercury was found in the air sign of Aquarius, which does like communication and also related technologies. Some of the character traits of Aquarius are unconventional, (can be shocking), unusual ideas, love of freedom (of speech), group orientated and erratic behaviour. People born with Mercury in Aquarius have a quick and original mind which can be challenging for when they speak their mind, especially when you are Dutch like me!
Some say that Mercury in Aquarius produces a mathematical and scientific mind, I can't say that's the case with me, but I do love numbers and I am interested in various scientific subjects, especially the unusual occult sciences. I occasionally buy a Science magazine and to top it all off my husband works in the Space industry as a microwave engineer, designing devices for satellite communication systems. A very Mercury/Aquarian job.

True Love - a close up from Labour 9 - Sagittarius

Years ago I studied the book The Labours of Hercules - an astrological interpretation by Alice Bailey and gave several talks about it to meditation and philosophy groups. I promised myself at the time that one day I would create a visual interpretation of my study and the subsequent insights I gained from it. In 2007 I was finally able to make the time (it took me 9 months) and created 12 panels presenting abstract landscapes/countries ruled by the 12 astrological signs through which Hercules was travelling on his spiritual journey. The series is called Tracking Hercules. The photo's in this blog are all close ups of a few of the panels, some you might recognize as the banners for my blog and facebook page.

Welcome to my world

It has been several years now that I wanted to begin this blog but the indecisiveness of my Piscean nature kept me in procrastination mode. So blame it on astrology, my parents and the universe - anything else but me - for the long wait of this peep into my life.

I have always had a great need to express myself creatively, it keeps me sane. I also have the desire and will to leave some kind of inspirational mark behind. Perhaps to justify my very existence, although I know very well that that doesn't need any justification, I am just who I am.

Although writing doesn't come that quick and easy to me (too much thinking and pondering) there have been several phases in my life that I seem to be attracted to pen and paper or tapping a keyboard. From my teenage years onwards I used to keep a diary, wrote poetry and tried my hand at some short stories. I even self-published a poetry book in Dutch with the financial support of friends and family.

The truth is I love words in all its forms and not-so-secretly belief that there is a book somewhere hidden in me. Although I don't know if it will ever come out of its hidden place.

My love for textiles and stitch stems from early childhood. I still remember the reassuring sound of my mum's sewing machine until the early hours of the morning. She was a dressmaker, born between the wars, with the 'make do and mend' mindset, now so fashionable re-invented as 'upcycling'.
 

 
Being the oldest girl of a 'good' Roman Catholic family with 13 children she had to stay home, from the age of 16, to sew and repair the clothes of her family. She was very upset about that, as she wanted to study, so when she was well in her 20's she took her chance and trained as a Montessori Kindergarten teacher. She married my dad, for those days, late in life (32) and it was more out of necessity that she picked up her sewing again.

My mum bought me a second hand Singer sewing machine when I was about 14 and taught me how to make some of my own garments. Later when I started my own family, I took great pride in making clothes and toys for my two little daughters. Living in my home country, The Netherlands, I started to follow adult education classes in all kinds of textile techniques and was hooked for life.

Before I go any further I want to thank all those creative inspirational people out there and in particular my friend Gina, whose blog 'kindled my fire' for the blogging world.

Though foremost I want to pay tribute to my daughter Kiama Petit, who suddenly after a short illness, passed away on the 11th of May 2012 at the age of 22. This devastating and most shocking event in my life is slowly opening up new roads, insights and inspiration. Last but not least it was the direct push to start this Blog, as Kiama showed me clearly that life is too short to waste it with procrastination.
She was a happy, enthusiastic young woman with a passion to inspire people to live a more positive, healthy and happy life.

   

Kiama was a 3rd year art student at Norwich University College of the Arts (NUCA) and was just weeks away from finishing her course in Visual Studies.

During the preparations of her funeral and Life Celebration, which we organised  ourselves with the help of friends and family, we discovered in her journal that she had written, several months before she died, a 'Bucket list' (a list of things you want to do before you die). As far as we know Kiama was, like us, unaware that she would die so soon and suddenly.

Her sister, Ilana, read 'My Bucketlist' out during the Life Celebration. It is such a moving and inspiring piece of writing that her friends and tutors at NUCA did ask our permission to make a poster of it and print out a limited edition. Ofcourse we agreed.

 
The students and tutors wanted Kiama's work to be part of the graduation show. She had done a particpatory art project, called 'Papergirl Norwich' and it was decided to present an impression of this through film, photographs and a wooden crate full of 'My Bucketlist' posters, which people could take away when visiting the graduation show.

They went out as hot cakes and the university ended up having to do several print runs, printing 1000 posters in total, and they all went. The graphic design of the poster was done by her friend, Luke Emery, and can be viewed and printed, for free, in high resolution via his website here.