Your Box of Crayons.

A blue tinge to the light this campervan morning. Fast moving greying cloud spins overhead and out to the west once more. A sense of rain in the air. The sky changing shape and colour minute by minute has the cloud passes over head, light moving from blue to grey and the wind increasing from sparse to a breeze. I feel we are on the edge of a weather front and a rapid change as I sit. No sign of the usual traffic noises, so it’s the birds once more to provide the backdrop to this mornings reflection under the Oak. My morning companions the starlings are atop the Ash, sparrows abound, the usual far off cockerel, foraging robins dart here and there. A pair of long tailed tits, a relative rarity on the forage too. An early start and then a post conference decompression yesterday brings me to today. Working creatively with 50 counsellors from around the country means I was all reflected out, so it’s lovely to be back in my own space and take stock of the learnings. I don’t take to creativity particularly easily so collaging and drawing for a day as well as reflecting on the product of the activity was a challenge. Stepping into one of my many greys so to speak, pushing boundaries, part of the process of what the poet Rumi termed ‘ unfolding our own myth.’ The artist Matisse wrote of the courage required to be creative and the philosopher Nietzsche talks of sitting with the chaos of creativity. So a real challenge of manifesting, courage and chaos. None of which I am totally comfortable with. My usual need for order and planning being taken to the edge, immersed in the grey once more. It was however interesting to get lost in the process and be given paper, pens, a box of crayons and scissors.

“ Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten. Then when you hit puberty they take the crayons away and replace them with dry, uninspiring books on algebra, history, etc. Being suddenly hit years later with the 'creative bug' is just a wee voice telling you, 'I'd like my crayons back, please.” Hugh MacLeod.

So being given permission and getting my crayons back has been as I say, both challenging and illuminating. It also taught me the need to stay connected to my box of crayons. These morning reflections being part of them as well as my photography, my short videos, travel and drumming. All part of my own box of crayons. We all need a box of crayons it took me a few years to take them back so to speak. So here is to your box of crayons, take them back if you need to. I leave you with the words of the fabulous Ken Robinson whose book ‘The Element’ is a must read. Lovely days people.

“ Creativity is as important as literacy” Ken Robinson.