Visually narrating autumn
Goodbye summer, hello autumn
Treasures from my walk.
Today I had so many ideas that I wanted to tell you about, the only logical thing to do seemed to be to write a blog post.
I have long held a fascination with projects which aim to record the passage of time and I have attempted a few (with varing degrees of success!)
I also love the idea of a structure which encourages the act of creating everyday. Again more or less successfully participation in the 100 day project and also Instagram challenges like Joanne Hawker’s March Meet the Maker and recently Seam Collective’s "#septtextilelove .
A third idea to throw into the mix is that of completing a daily walk, of at least a mile. Something which I know benefits me enormously, both mentally and physically and which was such an important part of the first Covid lockdown in March 2020.
So here is my plan! A short daily walk , with the aim to take a series of photos in the same spot each day whilst alos recording any treasures found on the walk in a stitched sketchbook.
The photos will help heighten my awareness of the changing seasons (depending how long I manage to keep going!) and take pleasure in my surroundings. It also forces me to stop at three specific locations and not just walk round lost in my own thoughts, which can often be the case.
This is the beautiful stitched notebook, made from naturally dyed felt and papers which I bought from Suzanne , part of her 100 day project 2020. I started making prints and stitching in it last year, but ran out of steam . So rather than start another new book, I’m going to carry on from where I left off , as the two projects are very similar. Now Im going to widen the brief to include actual objects and stitched sketches as well as prints where appropriate.
Here is my first page - inspired by a discarded ear of barley . Nearly all the crops are in now and the fields are being prepared for the cycle to begin again.
I would love to hear if you have undertaken similar projects. And does sharing help you to keep going?
I’m hoping that talking about it will keep me on track! And I’ll be back with another post in a week or two to share some of my treasures and the stitching they have inspired.