Little corners of heaven on earth

After a lazy breakfast at the scrumptiously gorgeous Hawker Street Cafe, a touch of garage sale-ing and stumbling across some cheap as chips plants at a church fete with one of my very nearest & dearest, we ended up at her parents place for an impromptu visit. Upon walking through the front gate & into their rose-laden garden, I instantly knew this would be a soul-nourishing trip. They guided me through their family home, pointing out endless treasures, most of which were lovingly handmade & each accompanied by a story. I felt so at home and could have happily perched beneath their backyard canopy for the entire afternoon, being reminded of why family, art and memories are so important. They are the glue that hold our ( sometimes cracked ) pieces together & without them life is kind of, well, wonky. After wandering inside & out, we drank tea and ate slices of home-grown peaches. We talked about the importance of change & new beginnings. And we laughed.
This was one of those unexpected happenings that left me floating rather than dragging my feet. Reading this & this from 2 of my most favourite blog crushes also helped remind me that even the people we admire the most also face the tough stuff. And at the risk of sounding like I'm pleased to know others are struggling, it is just so comforting to remember we are all human. Fragile. Vulnerable to heartache. Making our lives richer, our appreciation deeper & our art more likely to reach out and tickle the hearts of those who need it most.
xx Jessie Lee

Strangelands & bookish delights

image from Strangeland: Margot loves coffee & has become quite the connoisseur, always trying different cafes with her Moleskin & man in tow!

image from Strangeland: Margot and Alex are keen cyclists and have all sorts of wonderful adventures on their bikes. This is one of my favourite photos that she has taken. It features her bike 'Lady'.

The pictures Margot has gathered on her book blog are insanely gorgeous. I would very much like to go to all of these places/read all of these books, thank you!

she found this one at:Vintage Camera & Books by ►CubaGallery on Flickr...

...and this one at: Read Me by StephanieSimos on Flickr.

When I was little, Mum took me to drama classes. A wise thing to do with any hyperactive, hair-brained and over imaginative 6 year old who forces family members to sit and watch them recite lines from 'Sleeping Beauty' and clap enthusiastically at the end (whether or not they were, in fact, witnessing such a self-indulgent display for the 8th time that morning). At these classes, I happened to meet another little girl of freakishly similar ilk and after a quick discussion, we decided to be best friends. Well, 20 years later, I can proudly say, we are still the very dearest of friends. We have remained close despite distance, different schools and friendship circles and we have always been kindred spirits. She went from helping me 'fly' off the front porch at the age of 10, to painting beside me for our year 12 art prac and now we support each other through the 'big stuff'... the loves, the moves, the heartbreaks and the struggle to be arty nerds in this funny old world. She is an extremely talented writer who is on the cusp of completing her PhD in Creative Writing (just quietly, I can't wait to call her DOCTOR!). I have had the privilege of reading some of her poems and articles and every time, she manages to give me goosebumps. She just has an incredible knack for putting words together and I am in awe of her dedication, drive and determination to continue in her chosen field. She is so focused, intelligent and organised. Three things I seemed to miss out on when skills and attributes were being handed out at birth!!! But despite any differences in our personalities, we have effortlessly maintained a much treasured and unique friendship. One I would be completely lost without. She is hugely encouraging of my art and she has urged me to keep going at times when I have lost all faith. I will be eternally grateful to her for that.

It gives me great joy to promote her 2 incredible blogs that I have been following religiously over the last few months. Her pictures and experiences are inspiring and exciting and despite having what I know has been a challenging year (to say the least!) she always manages to find delight in the every day. Strangeland  is a blog that explores her 'observations of place and displacement' and Fireflies in the Labyrinth is packed with images, quotes and her reviews of all things bookish. Do yourself a favour and have a look! You won't be disappointed.

Margot moved interstate with her lovely partner just a few weeks ago and I would be lying if I said I didn't feel lost in Adelaide without her. But we are all grown up now and there are things we have to do as mature, responsible adults trying to get by and do our best at it. I know we will never lose touch and with the internet and cheap flights, catching up is always at our fingertips. But the best thing is, I will never lose my memories of us playing stowaways together in the garden, satchels of feathers and flowers over our shoulders, and I draw enormous comfort from the fact that she is the one person who would play make-believe with me again in a heartbeat.


May you take a little moment to think of your best friend today and send them a little bit of love.
xx Jessie Lee.

Why I keep a journal

I think it is safe to say that for all of us in life, there are limited opportunities to be imperfect, to be unfinished to be quiet. When I sit down with my journal I am allowed to be messy, self-indulgent, raw, honest, REAL. I can draw something I don't like and just scribble over the top. I can write in a way that howls with pain and may sound nutty to anyone else. I can let loose. Exploring, experimenting, thinking straight onto the page. There is sticky tape, glue stains, pages almost completely distorted from wet paint, water, tea. I can practise and discover ideas that I would be too nervous to do straight onto canvas. Showing people is like letting them take a peek straight into my funny little heart, but I am not quite so afraid to do that anymore. Being unafraid is something I'd like to get better at. I have shown myself that I can be brave in big life things, so I want that to translate to the way I feel about sharing my art. It doesn't matter if people see something they don't like. It's not about that. If something I have done can touch at least one person in some way, shape or form, then it all feels completely worthwhile. To me, that's what art and creativity is all about. It's what motivates me to keep going.

When I have shared my big messy overflowing journals with my dear friends and family, I have been blown away by their reactions. Some just smile. Others have cried. Once, a person who I thought would find it completely stupid said that certain pages gave them goosebumps. These reactions make me feel very humbled. Sometimes I get asked 'what made you write that? Who's that about?' but I don't need to explain. People will bring their own meaning or justification to whatever they see, despite what the true meaning might be. So I am allowed to just smile and say nothing. It is the one place I don't have to explain myself and that is earth shatteringly refreshing. I tend to over apologise, over explain, I feel bad about things that I really actually shouldn't. My journal doesn't glance at me disapprovingly if I paint a whole page pink and write my fears and woes all over it! It doesn't lower it's glasses to peer, questioningly, into my face and say 'Oh really?' when I translate sadness into some hideous bird with half a head and ridiculous wings.

If i neglect my journal for a while, I feel unbalanced. I feel all curled up, my feelings tucked inside, begging to be let out. When I come back to it, when I sit back down at my desk, swipe the chaos of the week aside and pick up my pens and pencils, the world suddenly gets very quiet. And I can just lose myself in it. But the best thing about it, is that it never asks me where I've been or make sly comments under it's breath about how I don't see it often enough. There is no prerequisite or expectation. No pressure. 

Keeping a journal is also a reference to different stages of my life and how I may have felt at the time. I can look at a blue squiggly page from some time last year and remember how terribly lost I felt that day. Or a splash of yellow and re-experience the sheer elation I was feeling in that moment. We can so quickly forget seconds in time that may be seemingly insignificant but in reality help us build the intricate histories that lead us to where we are now. 

A lot of my favourite artists, who I will dedicate a deserving separate post to, bare their souls shamelessly in their work. They are completely unafraid to tell it like it is, draw from their hearts and write in a way that echoes their innnermost fears, sorrows and longings. That feeling of reading or seeing something that touches you or something that you recognise from your own private thoughts or experiences, is unique and wonderful and exhilarating. 


My journal is helping me map out the next stages of my art practise and that is really important. I will no longer feel guilty when I choose to stay home, caught up in artsying... it's my work, my passion, my balance, my stability, my hope, my direction, mine. 


Have a spectacular morning, 
xx Jessie Lee

Let's start at the very beginning..

Hullo!


It is a bit scary but mostly exciting to be starting my very own lil' blog. It feels as though it has been a long time coming. For what seems like forever I have been trawling through the enormous blogosphere & continually stumbling across amazing, talented individuals who have a knack for creating an online space that is truly beautiful & unique. Some of them give you the feeling of discovering an old, beloved friend. Others have the ability to pluck me out of the stinkiest mood. And some just make me melt as I gaze over their paintings, photos and daily ponderings. It will be a priority of mine to include as many links as possible to the blogs I have fallen for in the hope that you too can share the joy!


Today all my silly excuses were quashed and the cheeky devil we know as procrastination was sent to the time-out corner. The weeds have been pulled, brownies have been baked, the dishes have been done and the bathroom couldn't be cleaner. So, here I sit, quietly tapping at the keyboard and wondering if anyone will even read this? And if so, who they might be.


The piccie of my humble garden seemed a fitting way to welcome you to my online scrapbook of things that make me 'squee'.http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=squee (Don't worry, I had to look it up when I first saw it too!) :) The red chair is a recent hard rubbish find (my biggest guilty pleasure!!) and I am a plant-a-holic. If I could, I would potter in the garden all day, tending to flowers and watching leaves curl toward the sunlight.


My biggest love of all is art. In any way, shape or form. I love looking at it, be surrounded by it and doing it. I know I am not alone in this obsession and look forward to sharing some of my scribbles, paintings & finds with you.. please please show me yours too?


So, make yourself a cuppa, nestle into your favourite chair and I do hope you enjoy staying awhile. Thank you for popping in!
Peace to you and the ones you adore.
xx Jessie Lee