Chasing my Dreams!

#21. Advance my photography skills – a work in progress!

Ever since I took my first few photographs with my first digital camera, and looked at the results on the computer screen (a little 2megapixel machine….how technology has changed, since back then!!) I fell in love with photography – I’d now discovered a new medium to let my creativity out, which I knew was always inside of me, but I hadn’t found a way to let it out.  Since then, I’d been told over the years, even by a couple of professional photographers, that I had an ‘eye’ for photography and for framing a great shot etc….so I decided to throw it on the bucketlist, to encourage me to explore it in more ways.  I absolutely love my ‘photography time’ – when I go somewhere, camera in hand (especially somewhere out in nature), I really feel ‘centred’ – its a form of meditation for me –  I find myself lost in the moments of what’s in front of me, and what I am capturing through the lens…love it!

The shot which got me ‘hooked’ into photography – Mini-roses on my dining room table…

Over the last year or so, I have discovered a couple of ways to explore and expand my knowledge, and the practical aspects of photography, one being #174 on my list:

“Watch/Capture the Sunrise once a month for a year” – I absolutely LOVED this challenge, which I completed in 2013! (and yes it was a bit of a challenge, especially at 3.15am in the middle of winter when the alarm went off haha….but as I knew what was waiting for me, the magical colours of a brand new day, this made the ‘challenge’ of getting up that early so much easier to bear!)

Magic…just magic! The sun rises every single morning without fail…and puts on some amazing ‘shows’ for us!

I’ve also recently joined a local photography group which is based on Facebook “Sunshine Coast Happy Snappers” – its simply a group of people who share the same hobby, and love of photography.  We’re not a ‘learning/technical’ group as such, we just gather together in person for informal group photography shoots, and have regular ‘Challenges’ on Facebook where we are encouraged to capture shots of a particular theme.  One recent theme was ‘Green with Envy’ – and I happened to ‘win’ the Challenge! 🙂   (when we had it more as a competition – now its just a ‘sharing’ activity as we’ve taken the ‘competition’ aspect out of it).  It was bit of a buzz to go to the Groups page and see that I had been showcased as the Cover shot for that fortnight! 😀

Something which I am yet to master (and I would LOVE to finally learn how to do this for myself one day!), is, with my love of motorsport – Id love to find a way of just how to capture a fastmoving (200km/hr) car, in a perfect shot – I’ve seen SO many shots over the years of cars out there on the track, and to be able to capture them for myself would be awesome (instead of constantly taking shots of an empty track as the car has zoomed way past me, by the time I’ve clicked the button…grrrr haha).

I’m getting better…at least its not a blurry shot, or the cars gone past and its a shot of an empty track!

My photography gives me ‘time out’ from the everyday routine, this is something which is so very important for all of us.  To find something that we connect with, relax and ‘escape’ with for a while…in this fastpaced world we live in – we all deserve to find this ‘time out’ past-time, that works for us 🙂

Anything is Possible….when we find something that we connect with, in life!

#212 Sunset Cruise on a Catamaran – Tick!

On Sunday 27th April, I set out from the Mooloolaba Yacht Club for what was going to be an incredible experience, I could feel it even before I arrived to board the boat…

Waiting to board the boat, on a perfect sunny Autumn afternoon..paradise!

…OMG what an amazing, relaxing, experience out on the water this afternoon/evening! I’d been out on the water a few times, and everytime I do, I feel SO ‘at home’ – I didn’t want to get off the boat!

In my ‘bliss’, on the water, full sail billowing in the wind…I could have stayed there forever!

Sailing out from the Marina, out to the open waters, cruising up the coastline, full sail blowing (which was awesome!) –  I even got to get out of my chair and sit on the side step/deck of the boat ‘just like everyone else’, glass of champagne, platter of nibblies, listening to the music playing onboard (I had a little ‘wow moment’ when my favourite song of all time ‘Cool Change’ started playing – that song always sends me ‘out to the ocean’ in my mind, and its so meaningful to me – it was just perfect to have it playing while I was in such peace out there today!)

I live for moments like this…this is why I ‘do what I do’, to create memories like this moment right here..just beautiful….

 

I asked Brian the owner of Set Sail Cruises if I could have a little go of steering the boat on the way back – I just meant a few minutes or something – next thing I knew, I was driving the thing back through the channel, through the two rockwalls at Mooloolaba, and through the Marina, while wearing the Captains hat! haha, that was unexpected! 🙂

“ALL ABOARD!!!!” haha… Cap’n Tarns is in charge of this boat..! 😀 SO much fun!

At very reasonable prices, and with such a friendly business/boat owner treating us just as a ‘bunch of mates on board his boat’ – (it was unbelievable value for such an amazing experience), I highly recommend it! Pure Bliss!  (as a bonus, Brian was very inclusive – with my mobility issues, I always check with businesses Im wanting to deal with, in regards to attempting something new – absolutely nothing was too much trouble for Brian, in getting me on and off the boat – I applaud businesses/people who are so inclusive – thank you Brian you made the experience absolutely seamless and relaxing, even with having to climb on and off the boat (a workout in itself!) – I cannot wait to be back out there again).  This is yet another experience that isn’t just a ‘tick off a list, never to be explored again’!

The magic of the Sunshine Coast, from the ocean…wow…

I had been thinking of doing a Sunset Cruise, or some sort of sailing out on the open waters for quite a while now….but ‘those doubting thoughts’ came up in my mind a few times which we all have, as the reasons why we don’t just jump in and DO it – “I bet its too expensive/I have my Mystery Trip in front of me/as well as other financial reasons I thought I couldn’t afford it at the moment; I don’t know how I’d go getting on and off the boat; I might lose my balance with the waves” etc – but this experience right here – right from the phonecall to Brian, letting me know the (very inexpensive) price, and that getting on and off the boat (let alone balancing on it) wont be a hassle at all – not to mention that he had availability in just a few days time (that was the clincher right there! haha) – was, once again, proof that its always wise to ‘jump in, and worry about it later’ (because more often than not, after the experience, the ‘whatever you were worrying about’, had never eventuated!)

Anything is Possible..when you just Jump in the deep end..and Do it!

Grabbing Opportunities!

Grabbing opportunities when they appear in front of you, is SO worth it! There have been a number of times in the last few years since Ive started this journey, that when an opportunity has appeared in front of me, I’ve been hesitant, nervous..even freaking out haha…but Ive still grabbed it – and those opportunities have often turned out to be the most amazing experiences – what I’ve found is, when you are actually in the experience of what you’ve ‘always wanted to do’, the worries, concerns and fears more often than not, seem to just melt away, and turn into joy, happiness, achievement – and so many other positive feelings instead!

This was proven once again yesterday by Alison – she had an opportunity recently presented to her (sneakily arranged by me lol) – Alison had, for quite a while now, been wanting to experience being on a Segway, but hadn’t found an opportunity to do it – until now! Living with her disability, Alison had (understandably) a few concerns and hesitations going on about doing this – so when I approached her and said that I knew of a way (and an actual day/time she could lock in if she wanted to) she could experience this, and she said “Yes, I’ll do it!” – I was so proud of her. Alison could have said no – but she didn’t – she put her nerves aside….and she DID IT anyway!

Alison grabbed her opportunity – and she loved it!

Yesterday we headed out to Novotel Twin Waters Resort on the Sunshine Coast, to meet the lovely Sara from “Xperiences” – and to have Alison tick ‘Ride a Segway’ off her bucketlist – it was amazing to watch her do this, with such happiness and joy on her face. To hear her say “I’m doing it!” with such pride, was such an awesome moment! Yes Alison, you DID IT…GO Girl!

Thank you so much to Sara from Xperiences – you were amazing – it didn’t take much for Alison to gain the confidence to do it on her own, with your guidance and reassurance, towards her.

Anything is Possible….when you grab those opportunities that life puts in front of you!

Running for a Reason!

**Sadly, SBH Qld had to close their doors a number of years later, after this Show – but I am so happy I got to experience this, in 2014.  SO special, on a number of angles!

My major Fitness Goal in 2014 has been decided…and is now up and running (excuse the pun!)  😀

‘145. Get a team together and do a fun run/part-marathon type event, (walking on crutches – or part walk/part chair), to raise money for charity’

I am going to attempt to get up out of my wheelchair, and walk the 2km distance in the 2014 Sunshine Coast Marathon, on my crutches!  Its dawning on me, just how long a distance it is…but Im going to give it my best shot!  As part of my entry in the Marathon, I have the opportunity to once again fundraise for (the now former) SBH Qld.  Achieving a major Fitness Goal, ticking it off the bucketlist, and fundraise for/’give back to this very worthy cause – perfect….BRING it on!

As always…I thank you, and SBH Qld thanks you for any support you are able to give!  I cannot wait to achieve this, on August 31, 2014!

#108 – Get a Tattoo – TICK!

Up until a few years ago I never thought I would get a tattoo done, for myself. Having a creative mind, I love looking at creative, colourful ones on others, some that Ive seen are amazingly beautiful – but could never imagine having one on myself – until I started thinking of the meaning behind very personal tattoos and started to think of what it might be like to have a ‘sentimental symbol’ on your own body, to always carry with you. Our lives are very personal journeys, deep inside ourselves…and I started to play with the idea more…its something I didn’t want to rush into, I wanted to wait for ‘the moment’ when it clicked, and I knew I had found ‘the perfect one for me’.  And ‘that moment’ came, recently, so I decided to act on it, as it felt 110% right…it was exactly the feeling I’d been waiting for..

Many of you, especially in Australia, would have heard about young Daniel Morcombes abduction, and his families faith over the last 10 years in ‘Never giving up’ in finding him, and bringing the person to justice, who took Daniel away from them. I live in the Morcombes local area, and near where he went missing –  a local tattoo parlour Graffiti for the Soul Tattoo and Body Piercing  has recently gifted the community with the opportunity to have a ‘Daniel’ tattoo done (in lieu of a donation to the Daniel Morcombe Foundation) as a way of keeping Daniels memory alive…Daniel and his family have touched our communitys’ (and Australias’) heart so strongly, over the last 10 years. Now, I didn’t know Daniel or his family personally….but, this tattoo to me as soon as I saw it, symbolises “NEVER Give Up!”, (which is a belief I very much live by) it symbolises the “strength of community”, and also that something beautiful can come out of something so tragic (Daniels family have now set up a Foundation in Daniels name, their work now focusses on keeping other children safe, which I think is just such an amazing thing for his family to do, out of their own tragedy, they are now helping other children, families, and communities..so inspiring!). So much meaning behind this one little ‘symbol’…

So there it is, the story behind my ‘#108. Get a tattoo’ – and I headed off this morning to get it done!

“Never Give Up”

Oooooh I was a bit nervous haha..Ive been through a lot of pain over the years with all my medical procedures, surgeries, treatments etc….I never thought I would be inflicting pain on MYSELF! lol.  But actually..the ‘pain’ was absolutely nothing like what I expected – the ‘outlining’ was I guess like a whole row of baby beestings…and the ‘colouring-in’ of the tattoo..well that was actually quite pleasurable – like someone was running their fingernails down my back!

“Never Give Up”
“Community Spirit”
“Behind everything negative, look for the positive”
….this is what this tattoo also means to me – as a reminder for my own life, its not just about keeping Daniels memory alive (although that is the main focus, of course). Thank you to the Morcombe family for teaching us these valuable lessons in life, through your absolute sheer grit and determination over the last ten years – not to mention keeping other children safe, through the Daniel Morcombe Foundation.  Daniel would be so proud!  ❤   And thank you to Graffiti for the Soul, for your gift to the community, as a way to keep Daniels memory alive, through this tattoo.

Your Dreams no matter what they are…are personal, and unique, to you – they’re your Dreams, no one elses….GO Chase them!

Marathons and Mystery Trips!

We’re two months into 2014 – and both of my ‘bigger Dreams’ for 2014 are slowly but surely already taking shape…its very, very exciting! 😀

169. Mystery Flight/Trip
After a long time wanting to do this, saving up for it, and a few twists and turns to get to this point over the last year….my Mystery Trip is now almost at the point of, I can actually SEE it in front of me! The thing is….I don’t know WHERE, I don’t know WHEN (yet – so other Dreams on my list are on the sideline for now, until I have dates locked in), and I don’t know WHAT I will be doing once I arrive there!  My Mystery Trip is totally in my travel agents hands….and it just gets more mysteriously awesome, the closer it gets to actually happening!  (my travel agent knows places that I don’t want to go, things I don’t want to do, dates I cannot make the trip, and other details that I don’t particular want on my trip, and he knows my budget I can spend (its for 2 nights, I know that much haha)….but apart from that, all the details are totally in his hands!  AWESOMELY scary, in a very good way! haha.

What makes me giggle is that, other people will know all about where Im going, and what I’ll be doing – but I will have NO IDEA until the day of my flight!! haha I love it! 😀

….its all very, very mysterious…I LOVE the anticipation and excitement leading up to a tick on the list (even with the smaller ‘Dreams’ I get excited and love looking forward to ‘whatever it is’) – but the scale of curious excitement for this one is incredible to experience!  THIS is what living is all about…making awesome things happen, in your life!

I don’t know WHERE, I don’t know WHEN, I don’t know WHAT…Bring it On! 😀

Sunshine Coast Marathon
145. Get a team together and do a fun run/part-marathon type event, (walking on crutches – or part walk/part chair), to raise money for charity
I had fully intended to enter the Sunshine Coast Marathon last year – to the point of registering for it, and taking other actions towards the fundraising side of it etc – but unfortunately my health and other factors made this Dream fall to the side – I was really disappointed to not be able to do it last year, the day of the Marathon was quite emotional for me, as I knew many people who were entering into it that day, and I wasn’t there with them…but that did not put me off wanting to achieve it in 2014 – in fact, it made me even more driven to be able to achieve it no matter what, in 2014!  Now that 2014 is here, and Sunshine Coast Marathon registration is open, Im making plans to officially enter the 2km distance! Im going to attempt to walk the 2km distance up on my crutches, hopefully with a Team of people around me, and people helping me with the fundraising side of it (of course, I will be aiming to raise further funds for (the now former) SBH Qld, my charity of choice).  Its very early days in the preparation for it, both physically and organisationally…but the ball has started rolling!  …Stay tuned!

The 2014 Sunshine Coast Marathon will be held on August 31, 2014 – Bring it on!! 😀

Anything is Possible…when you strive for, and enjoy the anticipation of Making it Happen!

January 2014 – laying the foundations to a year of Making it Happen!

At the start of each year, I immediately put my complete focus on what I want to make happen in the year which is essentially a ‘blank canvas’ in front of me – I find myself deciding on a ‘BIG Goal’ that I want to focus on, as well as my Intent for the year (this years is ‘Growth’)…deciding on the BIG Goal is a huge part of my driving force, for bringing in ways for the rest of my goals and dreams that I want to bring into my life.

Not only does doing this get my mind motivated, and charged up to make the coming year as awesome a year as I can – but it also motivates me to make any changes, or bring new day-to-day positive habits into my life….new ways of living my day to day life, which will keep me striding ahead towards my goals and dreams.  After all, your life isn’t just about the ‘big stuff’, its about your day-to-day routines and commitments as well – we owe it to ourselves, to create the best life possible, that we can!

As previously mentioned, I have set myself a few Fitness Goals..

The two Ive chosen to Chase this year are

– Climb a Rock Wall
– Sunshine Coast Marathon (getting up out of my chair and walking the 2km distance in the Marathon)

Ive also recently decided on another future HUGE Goal…to Climb Mt Coolum (in the future sometime)!!   Yes…it IS going to happen! OMG…scary, very, very daunting…but the thought of achieving it is beyond AWESOME!  I don’t know how, I don’t know when, and I DO know the absolutely massive amount of work its going to take – but I am determined to give it a red hot go!

Aside from my main focus of my Fitness Goals, which are going to take a LOT of training to achieve, there’s a number of things going on behind the scenes, helping to shape 2014 into yet another year I know I will never forget!

Go on a Mystery Trip/Flight
The steps have been started to be taken, to go on a Mystery Trip sometime this year….oooh…its all a little bit mysterious! 😀

One-on-One Mentoring
I have also had the amazing opportunity of one-on-one Mentoring – a woman I recently met from a local community organization asked that I come and mentor one of her clients – a young man who needed some direction in his life.  Such a rewarding experience, knowing that you may perhaps be able to encourage someone to reach further into their potential that you can see is there – I have had a number of ‘informal’ ways of sharing my journey with others, through informal talks, chatting with people merely in conversation, and through my website/Facebook etc – but this was on a totally new level!  Its one of my Dreams to offer one-on-one Mentoring as a ‘bigger picture’ of what I do….so to be offered this experience was amazing – to have this woman I recently met, approach me out of the blue and ask me to do this, was so flattering, that she recognized that I may be able to assist this young man!

Daily Rituals/Habits
I’ve decided to bring a couple of daily rituals into my life, which will enrich my day-to-day life, even more!
Brain Training through Lumosity – I’d heard about this ‘brain training’ program a few times in the past, so I’ve decided to make doing this, part of my morning routine every day.   I am already feeling the benefits of adding this ‘daily ritual’ to my life – doing the small brain training exercises every morning ‘switches my brain on’ which often results in me having a more productive day (or next few hours…even if Im having a ‘bad health day’ it somehow turns a little of the ‘brain fog’ off, on those days!) On a really bad health day where Im really not capable of much at all…at least I can reach the end of the day and know that Ive exercised my brain! 😉

Gratitude Journal – I have decided that every day, starting Jan 1, 2014, I will write down something, no matter how small, into my Gratitude Diary – its amazing what you can find to be grateful towards…even on those ‘oooh I shouldn’t have gotten out of bed, everything has gone wrong today…grrrrr!’ days!

Along with looking ahead at other new Dreams I would love to have happen…continuing to enjoy the experiences I have brought into my life in the past (pottery, and working bees at the site of my ‘Plant a Tree’ which happened last year, are just two ‘Dreams’ which will continue on)…and perhaps even a few more opportunities to encourage others to make something happen for themselves – and of course, getting absolutely stuck into my fitness training for my Fitness Goals (I can ‘see’/visualise that Rock Wall in front of me when I train – its the BEST feeling!) Im pretty confident that 2014 is going to be another ‘Year to Remember’!  2014 – BRING IT!

Anything is Possible…when you turn the ‘blank canvas’ of a brand new year unfolding…into something magical!

Daily Ritual Update! Two months into 2014, and I can already feel a difference that adding the ‘daily brain training’ through Lumosity, and also adding to my Gratitude Journal every day, is having to my mindset.  Having Lumosity to start the day…and my Gratitude Journal at the end of the day, frames my days and my focus together, perfectly!  A couple of moments of Gratitude that Ive written in my journal are “Serendipity” (reminding me of an amazing experience I had that day); “inclusive people/businesses helping me to make it happen”;…and on a day that was one of those ‘I really, really shouldn’t have gotten out of bed this morning’ days (we’ve all had those, right?), my entry was “Grateful for tomorrow being another fresh new day!”.  There is always something to be grateful for, no matter how small the moment! 🙂

Achieving your Dreams and Goals, especially the bigger ones, takes focus and commitment – placing your mindset into a more focused place on a daily (or regular) basis, goes a long way to helping you bring your Dreams and goals into your reality!

#174. Watch/Capture the Sunrise once a Month, for a Year’ – TICK!

Back in January this year (January 11, 2013 to be exact, somehow that date sticks to my mind without having to look up the date this moment happened…its truly like it was meant to be!), I was at Maroochydore Beach (Sunshine Coast), being totally captivated by the most incredible sunrise

Maroochy Beach..absolutely breathtaking – the moment that sparked a year of magic!

– as it got even more spectacular a thought hit my mind “I MUST do this more often!”…so as soon as I got home that morning, I placed it on the bucketlist…

#174. Watch/Capture the Sunrise once a Month’

…and right there, started the most incredible year-long experience – I started going to a different location on the Sunshine Coast, every month of this year to witness/capture the beginning of a new day, and the amazing sunrises that come with it.  MAGIC….pure Magic!

An experience I will NEVER forget!

What an INCREDIBLE, magical Tick off the bucketlist this has been…every month of the year, getting up while the world around me is still sleeping, camera in hand, ready to experience the pure magic of the mesmerising colours, sounds, and atmosphere of a new day dawning.  Sitting there waiting for the sun to wake up…about half an hour before the sun peeks through is when the magic really starts to happen – the colours are just stunning, I have never experienced such breath-taking nature, right in front of me!  There has been a couple of months where the sun has decided to sleep in under the cover of rainclouds…but that doesn’t make them any less magical – I was still experiencing the start of a brand new day – there is nothing quite like it!

At times, especially during the middle of winter, or when Ive ‘just not felt like it’ when the alarm goes off at 3.15am…its been a little bit of a challenge haha – and at times its wiped me out for the rest of the day afterwards…but when I get out there in solitude, awaiting for it to unfold in front of me – what an incredible feeling.  Absolute pure bliss!

LOVED this year-long Challenge/tick off the bucketlist – so glad I decided to do it! What a great way to end off the year! (my December sunrise was on December 31st)

Starting top left on the collage, then clockwise:
Jan – Maroochydore Beach
Feb – Pt Cartwright
March – Alexandra Headlands ‘Bluff’
April – Maroochydore (opposite Chambers Island)
May – Cotton Tree
June – Town of Seaside
July – Alexandra Headlands Surf Club
August – Pt Cartwright (Boat Ramp)
September – Maroochydore (Cod Hole)
October – Nambour
November – Mooloolaba
December – Coolum

Such a perfect way to end off the year, with this magical Tick off the bucketlist which Ive been making happen, throughout 2013!

Sunrise Keepsakes!
I’ve come up with various ways of displaying/keeping my ‘2013’ Sunrises…the creative side of me is loving coming up with new ideas for them!

Canvas

Calendar

From one simple sunrise in January 2013…to adding it to the bucketlist later that day…to an experience which just keeps growing – I love how ideas evolve into something magical!

ANYTHING is Possible…when you experience the magic of life itself!

So that was 2013…This Bucketlist thing really works! :D

Throughout 2013, even though I had a big chunk of not-so-nice ‘life stuff’ hit me – I still made a lot of my Dreams come true –  living life the ‘bucketlist way’ is testament to the fact that it really works – it gets you to focus on the things you WANT to do – and takes your mind (even if momentarily, in the lead up, and on the day/s you are ticking something off your list) off the ‘other, not so good, stuff’ in your life.  It WORKS!

There have been so many times this year that I have struggled to get through certain times, that I haven’t ‘felt like’ doing anything, that I just haven’t felt enthusiastic, that Ive just been plain exhausted, for months on end – my ‘life stuff’ was pushing me right down….but, as soon as I focused on making something happen on my list, or saw an opportunity in front of me, and started to make it happen…I had that delicious sense of anticipation once again – something ‘clicked’ inside of me, and I felt that awesome sense of passion and excitement build up – that’s one of the things I love about living life this way!

This year, if I just kept focusing on dealing with the ‘stuff’, and if I had said to myself ‘once this is all over, then I will go back to making things happen’…if I continued with that train of thought, then I wouldn’t have had these amazing, fun, awesome experiences this year!  Making these things happen, has turned a year that had the potential to be ‘a year to forget’…into a year that I had some pretty incredible things happen, and to be grateful for, and some amazing memories to always remember 2013 by! 🙂  No, I haven’t had a huge ‘bucketlist’ year like 2012 was – that was truly mindblowing! lol….but I have had an amazing year, nonetheless.  Riding a jetski, which I have wanted to do for as long as I can remember – and finally making the third of my ‘initial 3 dreams’ which Ive always had, happen – that day alone makes all the effort Ive put into making things happen this year (and I wont deny its been hard at times, with everything else that’s happened this year), well and truly worth it!  That day alone gave me a day of absolute pure joy, excitement..and adrenaline (which Ive grown to love! lol).  That, topped with everything else on the list which gave me joy this year – yep, I am so glad I made this year into what it was….rather than what ‘it could have been’.

I cannot WAIT to see what opportunities come my way in 2014 – Bring it on! 😀  I always bring in the New Year with an ‘Intention’ – 2014 will be GROWTH, for me, in many areas of my life!

Why wait…why not make 2014 YOUR year of Making it Happen!

Anything is Possible….when you ‘don’t wait’…when you focus on what you can MAKE happen – rather than what is happening TO you!

#99. Create something artistic/creative for my home – Tick!

Back in September this year, I discovered what I had been looking for, for so long – and it was just around the corner from my home – a local pottery group!  I had always wanted to (literally) get my hands onto a way to let my creativity out (my camera allows me to do this, I love my photography – as soon as I have my camera in hand and in a space which inspires me, Im in my ‘bliss’…but I had been searching for something I could actually create with my hands) – and this was my answer!

Here’s how it has all unfolded, as written in a previous blog!…
https://chasingmydreamsbucketlist.com/2013/09/09/99-create-something-artisticcreative-for-my-home-the-beginning/

The various steps to creating my first pottery piece…

Finally, after many months of creative fun (pottery is a big lesson in patience with all the different steps you have to go through to create your piece – and patience is not one of my best attributes..haha…) – towards the end of December, and after two separate ‘firing’s in the kiln (being in a group, we have to wait until there are enough pieces to warrant turning on the kiln) – I had my finished first piece in front of me!

My ‘beach-themed’ vase..I am so proud of my little crooked vase! haha…

I am SO proud of my cute little blue vase haha…so much love, fun and imagination went into creating this piece – no its nothing like I first visualised in my mind, that it would look like – but I had to let go of ‘I want it to look like this’ and just let it have a mind of its own..and thats the thing with creativity – it will be, what it is, and not necessarily anything like the first idea that hit your mind when you started.  When you have a creative mind – an idea might hit your mind – but 15 minutes later, a completely different idea may hit it, and there you go, off on a totally different direction! haha….love it! 🙂

I cannot wait to start back with my awesome group of ‘potters’ in the New Year, and continue on my next piece – Im aiming for it to be a potplant holder…but you just never know what it may turn out to be, once its finished! 😀  I love being around other creative spirits…and going into the pottery room every week is like bliss to me – so much creative, imaginative, fun minds and energy in the one space – its awesome! 🙂

….Oh, and something Ive recently discovered, the building has a couple of pottery wheels (I never knew this, until recently!) – I might get to recreate ‘that scene’ from the movie Ghost! haha 😉

UPDATE Feb 2014 – just a few short months later, after I joined my pottery group, and I have a few more ‘unfinished projects’ in the making – this is all SO much fun! I love being a part of this pottery group…I love the building where we meet, it has such a creative ‘vibe’ to it – other ‘arty’ type groups meet there as well.  Its so easy to get ‘lost in the moment’ in this building and group, which is so important in our busy lives, to take time to ‘get lost in that which we love’!  Creating is one of my passions…so whenever I am able to get to pottery, its a time where Im really reaching into something which I love – which is what life is all about – doing what we love! 🙂

More creations slowly being pieced together!

Not only am I creating these pieces for myself…but I will soon be joining in, in a ‘communal piece’ – a mural that will be placed on a wall somewhere, where each of us in the group will be creating a separate piece of the mural, to be put together as one big piece! How exciting! 😀

COMMUNAL MURAL – March 2014 Update!
My pieces Im creating for myself have been put aside for the moment, to take part in creating a communal Mural, to be hung at the building where we gather for pottery group.  When the concept of the Mural first came up, I had NO idea what we were going to be doing…I was just a ‘newbie’ to pottery, and I just didn’t know whether I would be ‘good enough’ to contribute a piece to something that is going to be made from other much more experienced creators, as well as someone like me who is still learning the basics.  But, each piece of the mural is uniquely ours…and that’s the magic of it – I don’t have to be ‘as good as the others’ – my piece will fit into the mix of the Mural as one whole complete piece – and I cannot wait to see the finished product!

Slowly but surely, its being created – everyone has been matched with a ‘piece’ of the mural, for us to create our interpretation of that piece. My piece contains leaves, grass, and quondongs, which are a type of fruit/berry…  Heres my ‘piece of the puzzle’, which is yet to be fired – the piece will chance colour once its been fired up:

My little piece! 🙂

Heres a few more pieces which have been created by others..we have some amazingly creative people in our group! 🙂  The bottom right photo, on the wall is the picture that we are all creating, into one big mural piece – its like a big jigsaw, and we all are creating a piece of the puzzle each!  Its a little difficult to see in the images here, but it is going to look amazing, once its finished!

Pieces of the puzzle which will one day, be one complete Mural!

This is quite exciting to be a part of – from my decision last year to simply ‘join a pottery group’, and start creating my first crooked little blue vase for my home…to now be a part of the group who is creating this awesome communal Mural – this is all SO much fun! 🙂

Anything is Possible…when you’re inspired to create!