“So often, a visit to a bookshop has cheered me, and reminded me that there are good things in the world.” – Vincent Van Gogh
I don’t know about you…
… but I’ve been struggling a bit under the weight of all the bad news swirling around in the world. Here in Australia, while we’re waiting to be burnt to a crisp because of climate change, we’re also contending with a cost-of-living crisis and a housing crisis plus the fact that AI is going to render the human species extinct. Apparently.
So today I’m going to focus on something to cheer me up as a theme for this Substack. There are actually many good things in the world (I have to keep reminding myself of this) so, for this missive, I randomly chose one: bees.
Maybe it’s because I love honey.
Maybe it’s because of this great article I read recently:
“In an attempt to provoke thinking about the subjectiveness of visual appearance, and its biological relevance, a biologist and an installation artist got together to launch a Sci-Art project in which bees were confronted with a series of paintings highly appreciated in Western society, such as Van Gogh’s Sunflowers.”
I love it when people from different disciplines get together to work on creative projects. I’m fascinated by what artists bring to interdisciplinary work and what benefits they derive from it, too. So fascinated, in fact, that I’m going to be interviewing people about it this year for one of my writing projects. You can read about that here plus a blog about my first interview – with The House of Beautiful Business – here.
Creative prompt
When Queen Elizabeth died last year, the Royal Beekeeper told the bees. Years ago, after my late mother (a keen gardener) had a stroke, one of her first requests, made lying in her hospital bed, was “Will somebody tell the bees?”
“I already have,” answered my sister.
So, my creative prompt for you this month is simply: What do you need to tell the bees?
I have no bees of my own – I have no garden – but I do have quiet chats with the creek near my house. I give it the stuff that doesn’t make any sense, or doesn’t make sense that I like, and let it carry it away.
So, dredge up the stuff that you can’t utter to other humans and articulate it in words or colour or movement or music or food and give it away to the bees or the sea or the wind or the birds. Write them a poem and recite it to the clouds, make a sculpture out of mud or sand that the tide will wash away, find a feather and draw in the air, dig a hole in the ground and yell into it and then bury the words.
Or just go and talk to the bees.
Resource of the month
“So as true as it is that art and artists support mental health, many artists are themselves overwhelmed and depleted.
Which is why I’m here to drop that metaphor you’ve heard a thousand times:
Put on your own oxygen mask before helping others.” – Tasha Golden
Tasha Golden is a musician and a consultant and educator in public health and art. She recently put together a terrific article and a resource to support creative folk in maintaining good mental health. You can read and download them here.
And then go and tell the bees.
What’s happening in Chat?
Thank you to everyone who has left flower pictures in my flower-themed thread on Chat. I love to see them. If you would like to contribute either your favourite piece of floral art and / or something you have photographed then please do so here.
I’ll start a new visual themed thread soon where we can all share some lovely or interesting images. Does anyone have a theme they want to suggest? Leave a reply in the thread itself or:
The June thread for interesting creative events is here. Please add your own gigs, launches, workshops, whatevers.
And the June thread for creative opportunities is here. Again: please add your own.
Upcoming events
Why are you getting this Substack a day early? Because I am facilitating one of my creative conversations tomorrow and I want you to come along!
Below are my upcoming events. There are discounts available for subscribers to this newsletter. Paid subscribers get a free ticket. (And, yes, that’s a hint.)
All are online.
The Etymology Game: Creative, reflective, interesting, and just little nerdy. 31 May 2023, 6pm AEST / 10am CEST.
Relate: How do you relate to the creative side of your nature? Join me for a one-hour workshop to develop a narrative about your creative identity. 6pm, 28 June 2023 AEDT (10am CEST)
Thank you for reading! If you like what I do, here are some other ways you could support me:
Make a one-off donation on Ko-Fi
Check out my website – maybe I can support you, as well, through a mentoring appointment or one of my resources in my online shop
Keep on reading! I so appreciate your subscribing and reading these emails.
See you next month!
Thank you, Meredith ... fascinating. The bees article, in particular. But then I loved the quote about "put on your own oxygen mask before helping others" when it comes to wellbeing. Really powerful. And, of course, I drifted into your website. The piece about creating in fragments struck a chord. Very much so. I have a sense of doing just that. Thank you for the creative energy. Barrie