'Will you stay in our lover's story?'

'Fight for your right to be arty' plate and red chair

Photos in this post come from the magnificent new Kooky Clinic, a 'therapeutic imaginarium', launched a week ago, a result of the creativity, hard work and vision of child psychiatrist and part time craftivist, Dr Shannon Morton. I am so privileged and grateful to be able to work in this fantastic space, which includes an actual Art Therapy Room. Yay!

Shannon talks here about her long term dream of creating a different and 'kooky' space for young people with mental health issues and neurological challenges, where they can gain much needed acceptance, empathy and support. How fitting that in the interview they play David Bowie's 'Kooks', (from Hunky Dory, 1971) which apparently Bowie wrote for his son. I particularly love that line: 'cause we believe in you..' Something everyone needs to hear. 

Local street artist Blue Xinja, who created the gate to the clinic from Brisbane river driftwood.

 

more Kooky views

As I wrote in my previous blog post, I often compose blogs whilst cycling. I think the process should be called 'clogging', (or even cogging?) as a clot of related thoughts starts to form and then just sits there, waiting for me to do the next bit...obviously, most of them never get posted. This time I am more optimistic.  I think the theme for this post, including the awesome new clinic, should be pleasures shared. So here are some more.

This year I have been excited to discover Chat10Look3, a (fairly) regular podcast from ABC TV journalists Annabel (Kitchen Cabinet) Crabb and Leigh (7.30) Sales. So called because, since no one can see them (its an audio recording), they don't have to worry about how their hair looks. So these two smart women just get together at random times and chat and rave on about their reading, and baking, and laugh a lot. Its a wonderful celebration of friendship. They recently had a spin off series, When I Get a Minute on ABC I View. And considering how much these two are doing, its well named. Crabb just completed a book about Malcolm Turnbull, and shot another series of Kitchen Cabinet. When does she have the time to actually bake?

And in brief: 

• My foodie pleasure at the moment is Jamie Oliver protege Anna Jones, who wrote two lovely cook books and now has a Guardian gig, so we can all have access to her recipes.
• Recently, I have been trying out the Headspace app. as a meditation tool, with some good outcomes. And in a similar vein, there is this helpful blog about managing anxiety from Clem Ford.
• Finally, I am just going to mention British poet and novelist, Kate Tempest. Heard her for the first time this week on Q&A. A brave voice in the wilderness. 

More later. 

Planet Earth is blue: Once you Find your Space, hold on to it!

This post has been a particularly long time coming, and has in fact been written many times already - in my mind, anyway... The image above is very fitting, as for me, blogging has always been about Finding my Space, (which is why I named my blogspot 'Virtual Art Space for Therapists: VAST). The photo is from a panel of graffitti I cycle past most Sundays, alongside the Brisbane river, which is an area of frantic building development at the moment. 

An anti-development statement

Whilst cycling on a Sunday morning, I often mentally compose blog posts, or at least brainstorm topics I want to blog about, as I pedal furiously over the Go-Between Bridge, up the steep (to me) hill into the City Botanic Gardens via QUT at Gardens Point, or along the Boardwalk at South Bank, by which time the excellent coffee from Brendan's on the (Goodwill) Bridge is kicking in.

Petunias - City Botanic Gardens

Before I go on, I have to ceremoniously observe that I have been blogging since January 2009! Although to be fair, I didn't really get going properly until late 2010/early 2011. Which makes it either 7 or 5 years ago, depending how you look at it: 180 posts and almost 20,000 'views' later....its something I have absolutely enjoyed and I wish could have kept up as regularly as the Sunday cycle...sadly the pressures of full time study and then full time work over the past 4 years have made that too difficult to maintain. 

Having my reflective space has been really helpful, however, and I think it has resulted in some big decisions and life-changing moments. Four years ago, I went back to university to study Social Work, so I could become a Mental Health Social Worker. And at the end of last year, I threw my eggs into one (ok maybe two) baskets, and resigned from my main, permanent job, which had been very stressful at times, and often frustrating. It was a tough decision, as it creates financial instability, and I had to leave some wonderful colleagues. But the stress involved was just not worth it. Instead I decided to just focus on private practice and art therapy education for now. And better self care. 

We lost this elderly canine family member, Jess, on Christmas Day, 2015. Earlier that day, we took her for a long walk on beautiful Peregian Beach. A happy memory from a very sad day. (I also recall that the last time we were at Peregian Beach for a holiday, our house was burgled. Next time I go there, I am going to be a bit nervous.) And going for walks are just not the same anymore.

 Creative supervision. 

This was the last time we (our peer supervision group) met in 2015, and my collage is about busyness, moving on, and the intimacy of the therapeutic space. The images are all sourced from frankie, which I subscribed to for a year or two, so I have a nice collection of back copies to use for collage (it took me a while to feel ok tearing them to bits, but now there is no looking back, literally). 

Lastly, a sock bat (unfinished). Its actually black in real life. 

So, more like a real bat.

Finally, I will briefly mention two books I've read in the last few weeks. (Its not all about sock creatures). The first is An astronaut's guide to life on earth by Chris Hadfield. Hadfield is the guy who sang a Space Oddity from the International Space Station. suddenly more poignant since the shocking (to the public, anyway) and sad recent death of creative genius David Bowie, a hero of my adolescence. Turns out Hadfield can write, too! Its about how he learned how to live on earth, based his experience as a fighter pilot and astronaut. With gratitude, mindfulness and humility, as it turns out. And being calm. 

In space you learn, through extensive hands on training, to be calm in any imaginable situation: calmness, and the capacity to problem solve, are essential for survival. You need to be constantly thinking 'what is the next thing that can kill me?' as Hadfield explains. And then fixing it. 

I am also enjoying Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, which is about creativity, and how to live a creative life. In this case, its also mainly about overcoming fear. Being creative is actually a lot less dangerous than space, thankfully. 

Seems like how to live is a common concern.

 Be calm, be humble, call your mum. 

More Graffitti, West End

more later.