initiative

Having initiative is a blessed thing. I'm referring to the fact that when you can initiate an idea and follow up on that idea, transforming it into something sensible (and finished) that helps you to look after yourself and others, to bring things about and this results in riding the waves of life.


Damien Hirst an artist (not the famous British one but hell does that matter -not to me) has set up a surprising online store. Why? He needs a new camera and sells artworks for whatever price you are willing to pay to support him. (This initiative reminds me of Les, the twitter friend we en-devoured to set up a fundraiser for last Christmas.) The novelty here is that Damien's idea is fun, slightly off the wall with a huge doses of quirky and I have already spotted one piece I'm going to bid on. The sentences underneath the photographs capture as much as the actual photo.

Damien's mission: "My mission is to decrease the value of art expressed in money and increase the value of art expressed in the true love for it. I want art to be cheap but loved and admired. I want art to stop being exclusive and start being for everyone. I want art to belong to those who can see beauty in it and not those who are looking for profit and prestige. I want art to make a difference. I want art to be fake, meaningless and cheap. Because only in this way one could learn to apreciate art for only one true reason - because it is art. I want our world to get infected by art. I want an art pandemic."

Well said and a toast to initiatives. If we didn't have those then love would surely have perished.

the things we do...

I must be insane at times. There I said it. Work is busy and there's tons to organize at home before my parents fly in for Christmas. Not to mention the fact my business needs occasional attention. But what do I do? I come up with an idea to support a friend of a friend on twitter to see we can raise money to fix his heating system as he hasn't the funds. He lives in the US and it's winter over there. Noble? Maybe. Insane? Definitely.


I guess I can't resist the idea of being able to help someone out and then not doing it because it's not convenient. Truth is: things are never "convenient". Dying relative? Oh not now! (See that sounds horribly insensitive - this is an example ok) Friend in personal drama? Ehm... sure. Organizing all the Christmas presents myself? Absolutely honey! When? Seeing people before Christmas wen I really can't? AArgh. Even my hairdresser is booked to the max. Of course. So I will have to chop my own hair.


Darn darn.


So what do we do? Staple all the to do lists together. Try not to panick. Just start at the top and work my way down. Thinking of that bourbon on Friday.


Now please don't expect any posts or emails around Christmas time at which I will have collapsed in a pile and got the phone off the hook, internet plugged out and it's just me, my dear canoodly husband, our animals, family and friends snoozing on the lawn or hanging about in the pool (not the goaties in that pool 'course) But before then I promise I will work my butt of to keep my promises and to help my friends.


Wishing you restful thoughts and a great family time for Christmas....