School lunch torture
March 12th, 2009 § 4 Comments
I had a macramé owl loving seventies mum who was completely obsessed with providing healthy lunches. Her nivarna was crisp and crunchy, colourful vegetables since her fifties mother would boil veggies till they were limp and grey. Poor thing.
She tried really hard to make our packed lunches interesting but, let’s face it, it was going to be an uphill battle. How could a soggy sandwich mummified in cling wrap and a pinata apple ever go up against (wild applause) THE TUCK SHOP LUNCH.
I remember the whole process. The brown paper bags had your name and order scrawled on them with a marker. Then they were sent off to (wild applause) THE TUCK SHOP. And when the bags came back they were bursting with a veritable cornucopia of yummy hot pies, sausage rolls with cute little sauce sachets, little hot dogs, flavoured milks and colourful fizzy drinks… Aaaahhhh! The smell was like torture.
Not only did my sad packed lunch not have that warm baked smell but it usually needed serious CPR by the time I got to it. The life of a kids packed lunch is not an easy one. It had been shaken as I ran for the school bus, baked in the Australian sun, jostled in line, rummaged in, squashed as other bags were dumped on it etc. etc. Lets face it, it NEVER stood a chance! And even now I hesitate before reaching for an apple, eyeing each one with a deeply rooted suspicion.
My kids aren’t at school yet but I already have a plan. Bento boxes as lunch boxes! Aren’t they CUUUTE! And I can’t wait to fill them with interesting shapes, textures and beautiful colours like an artists pallet and maybe make frogs out of kiwi fruit and sheep out of rice balls…. and a sun out of half an egg…. and… and…
Poor things!
(This post is in honour of the very empowering Ms Anne Lamott and is part of Pip’s ‘Words and Pictures’ fun)
My greatest inspiration
March 11th, 2009 Comments Off
Yesterday I passed a man standing on his verandah. He was cradling his baby girl, rythmically rocking and shhh-ing. A beautiful Daddy and daughter moment. In my mind I called over the fence to him ‘Doing a great job Dad!’
What a wonderful thing that is to hear. Being a parent, is the hardest job I’ve ever had and will EVER have. Fullstop. And to think you are doing it well, for even one minute, is such a fantastic feeling.
With the birth of my children I was forced to stop and think. What did I have to offer them? What skills to help them grow and move gracefully out into the world? I figured the only way to give them the very best of me was to make sure I was happy within myself.
I had to take the plunge and commit to living a full creative life that I could share with them. I guess that sounds strange, I mean I’ve always had creative jobs, but living it is a whole different kettle of fish. I had to remind myself of what I loved to do as a kid. Things like drawing and dreaming of solving a mystery or finding hidden treasure. I had to work out how I could return to a nurturing life of art and exploration.
The funny thing was, the answer was staring me in the face. I have two perfect little guides. My girls are positively busting to take me exploring everyday. They are naturals at embracing a full and beautiful creative life.
It is amazing how life works. For me, the two biggest life decisions I’ve ever made (having children and making the decision to pursue an artists life) were completely interwined, just as I wanted them to be. When things link up like that, with no effort, it makes you feel as if you must be on the right path. What an encouraging thought.
(Soulemama is a fabulous place to visit and be inspired by this subject)
The beginning of the affair
March 10th, 2009 § 3 Comments
It all started innocently enough. In 2005 I began a flirtation.
Back in Australia, after six years in London, I had returned with a babe in arms and another well on the way. In an effort to keep my one year old cherub (with a five minute attention span and a passion for emptying cupboards) entertained, I turned to the internet for ideas. Lets face it, even one idea would’ve been a gift to my sleep deprived brain! That was when Kiddley ‘winked at me’.
Well that was all it took. Links led to links which led to more links. Before I knew it I’d been swept off my feet by a torrent of passionate blogs. Each day, even after only ten or fifteen minutes, I left my desk feeling stimulated, supported and satisfied! It’s such a fascinating and generous place, the blogosphere, I knew right away I had to be part of it.
So here it is, my shiny new blog, Ink Caravan. Here I’ll share my inspirations and a few of my own creative adventures in and around illustration, photography and who knows what else. My hope is that, here, you too will find passion, inspiration and above all, leave feeling satisfied.
Image | Fifties pulp fiction covers courtesy of vintagepbks.com
