Magnolia

- Photo by Irene Suchocki. Brought to my attention by Liz. -

Inspiration

I'm inspired by the creativeness of others and aspire to create more myself. I often use this blog as a place of noting down worthwhile quotes or collecting inspiration. At the moment i have a real desire to actually produce more of my own work - not just for the sake of it, but because there is a number of specific things i would ideally like to do. However i am faced with a problem - being creative isn't always as easy as i should like it to be and i am in need of much persistence and patience. I'm not a natural writer; i find it hard to put my thoughts into sentences. I'm not a great painter; my perfectionist nature restricts my hand. I'm not a musician; my voice is out of tune & i have no patience to learn an instrument. Instead i often borrow other people's words and pictures and songs. I use their work to express my thoughts and heart. I'm not sure anymore if i know how to express those same ideas through my own tongue or hand. I can but try, but in trying i need much grace not to give up. 

more birds

Another great piece of street art (photo by Paul Green.) According to the post i read on it, the cat stickers were added later and the original artist wasn't happy. Quite understandable. Nothing like a pair of cats to ruin a perfectly good bird mural.

Early Birds

I've just been on the search for photo blogs to inspire myself. The above pictures are by Bueller at 2 and fro. I decided to post these mainly because i love birds, but his site is worth looking at too. 

Polaroids and Pinholes

I really like these prints by Rowena Dugdale from Polaroids and Pinholes. They remind me of all the times i tried to make photograms in the darkroom. I never produced anything as beautiful and artistic as her work though. 

colours

Yesterday i'm certain that everything had changed outside... all the colours were brighter... like the grass was glowing green and garages and fences all seemed newly painted in bright red or white.... in fact everywhere i looked i noticed things i'd never seen before....  maybe it was just because the sun was shining and i was feeling happy, or maybe i'd just never really looked before.... anyway, it's quite dull to write about it now, but it amused me at the time. I received 3 separate things in the post yesterday too. I hadn't had any post for what seemed like a while, and then i got three things in one day - letters from Liz and Kirsty, and a book from my sister. They all really encouraged me.

..as strong as..

"Love is as strong as death, it's jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned." - Song of Songs 8:6-7

In a Blanket

"As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you." -  Isaiah 66:13

I love this drawing. It's taken from a card we received this christmas. This copy isn't as clear as the original, which is done by Tricia Gray for the The Leprosy Mission. It's so strange to think of Jesus as a tiny baby, completely vulnerable to the hands of man, completely humble and needing His every need taken care of by others. Jesus, who came to serve others, actually had to just sit there and be looked after initially. Even though He was God He had to rely upon God to outwork situations so that He would be kept safe. He entrusted His safety with the Father and in His meekness came to earth as the most helpless being. When you stop and think about it, it truely is amazing. Yet at the same time it seems strangely fitting for Him to be a young child... innocent and unpolluted by the world. This baby was Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 

beyond the stars

"Is the truth beyond all truths, beyond the stars, just this: that to live without Him is the real death, that to die with Him is the only life?" - Frederick Buechner

I believe it is.

..girl of the wall..

- Banksy, via Global Graphica -