Geoff interviewed me for his year 11 multimedia class. I appologise profusely for saying ‘sure’ so much. I was also sitting rather hunched over. I blame the chair – and being interviewed.

Please note, I am a junior graphic designer and have only had one real studio experience (the other place that shall not be named, shall not be named and does not count).

Design Work

We ought not to think of building holiness upon action,
we ought to build it upon a way of being.
For it is not what we do that makes us holy,
but we ought to make holy what we do.

Meister Eckhart

This year is the first time I have ‘actioned’ Lent. I have let up with Facebook for the entireity of the time (no Sunday reprieve for me). I mostly don’t miss it, but I do catch the impulse daily where I do the ‘bah-humbug’ I can’t just go and stalk that picture of my friend’s wedding or baby. I tell you, so many significant events!

In terms of doing this whole Lent thing I am somewhat of a rookie. The whole no Facebook thing has certainly afforded me more time, oh how gloriously long the evenings! But I am terribly wonderful at filling up said time with other things: internetty things mostly, and I am not so great at using this relinquished time in perhaps more beneficial ways…

I’m not sure I fully physically understand the purpose of Lent. Self denial I can do. Here. I am doing it. But taking something else up: curating my time, priority setting, stillness. No. not so good. But trying to try.

Eugene Cho has a great post on Lent, well worth a read

This post is part of the 100 Theme Challenge

100 Theme Christianity Life

It’s interesting the whole ‘listening to God’ thing. We talk about it a lot with Soul Survivor. It’s something I find both easy but difficult. Things tend to wriggle their way at me terribly abstractly. It appears I listen better when I have a couple of things to connect the dots. The other night Geoff and I were up at Surrender Conference as the Soul Survivor team were running the youth night. I was praying and God started talking to me about a well. I did a bit of a well, well (heh get it), what’s with this and I got this idea of this well that was terribly deep, unfathomably deep, although full of what – who knows, I did contemplate it but my mind baulked at all the cliches eg. God’s love, and it wasn’t actually that anyway because it didn’t feel right, (not that it’s not right…) so I let it slide.

I got to pray with a small crew – one of the guys had left his world behind (eg. possessions) and was seeing where it would take him, and it was good. I did a stint at the Soul Survivor stand, and a was somewhat accosted by a 9 year old asking about Soul Survivor. I did my best to  but he came back with a frustrated, ‘But what’s it all about?’ (followed by, do they do graffiti workshops?).

On the way home, I spent chunk of time thinking about the evening and then the question: ‘But what’s it all about’ for me personally. And to be honest it’s been a bit bland. Not sure what things really look like/where they are going and frankly I’ve been quite lazy about asking/finding out or thinking about things deeply (or just at a bit of a loss because things have felt at a bit of a lull) about what I should be doing differently/where to. I happened to also have been listening to a terribly old Sixpence CD (note that Geoff wasn’t in the car… otherwise it would not have been playing) I turned on the CD as I hit the Eastern, and the Lines of My Earth came on.

Well.

The lines of my earth
So brittle, unfertile, and ready to die
I need a drink, but the well has run dry
And we, in the habit of saying the same things
All over again
For the money we shall make

This is the last song that I write
Till you tell me otherwise
And it’s because I just don’t feel it
This is the last song that I write
Till you tell me otherwise
And it’s because I just don’t feel it anymore

It should be our time
This fertile youth’s black soil is ready for rain
The harvest is nigh, but the well has gone dry
And they, in the habit of saying the same things
All over again
About the money we shall make

This is the last song that I write
Till you tell me otherwise
And it’s because I just don’t feel it
This is the last song
Till you tell me otherwise
And it’s because I just don’t feel it anymore

This is the last song that I write
Till you tell me otherwise
And it’s because I just don’t feel it
This is the last song
Till you tell me otherwise
And it’s because I just don’t feel it anymore

The well is deep. I have been told ‘otherwise’.

I am not sure what this looks like. My suspicion is that this is the nudge to get things moving again. He is good.

image source

Christianity Life

Finders Keepers was dandy. I went with my friend Sam on the Saturday and after braving the masses of Collingwood fans we made it down to Shed 4 whereby I had an epic coughing fit and probably disturbed more than just the people infront of me in the lunch line.

The food area was much better set out this year with the coffee split off to the side and more sitting and eating space. The paper installation above the stage was pretty fantastic. Thumbs up to the cupcake stand at the front – we did a lap, had a cupcake and did a second lap, I truly appreciated the Ewok, it was quite excellent.

In terms of stalls this time around – there was a fair chunk of overlap from last time (both good and bad), one of the stalls I really loved last time wasn’t there (who sold super cute rabbity things) and there seemed to be a bit of an excess of silver jewelery. I also found that the prices seemed less accessible – I think there were more stalls in general and more that were charging more. I consequently bought less and was a bit less excited about the whole thing. It’s all very well but I’m not going to buy more than one or two things if the prices are jacked up however pretty and lovely they are. It’s fine to value ones craft, but make it affordable – it’s a market. There also seemed a few stalls that didn’t quite fit the mold of what I expected/wanted. There were a few selling rather non-descript scarves and one quite quilt’ish/old ladyish stalls that I would expect to find at your local market not a craft/design market that is held twice a year.

I came away with an excellent print by PrintSpace, and a very cute coin purse (at the ONE stall who had outstanding prices and were consequently extremely busy the whole time we wandered) Only Midge. But that’s it.

Other favourites (but alas either didn’t have the spare coinage or have too many brooches already…) Angus & Celeste and also Brkich there were also some extremely cute toys around that had great personality.

It was a good day out but perhaps a fraction disappointing compared to last time. Or maybe I’m just a cheapskate.

Culture Design Sustainable

Tonight my sister and I are going to see The Magic Flute. I have never been to the opera, but I grew up with this one in some form of tape (I think!) and as Laura and I are turning 25 in not too long, it seems fitting to celebrate in some vaguely indulgent, grown up way. I am rather excited.

Culture Life