Mid-Year; Mid-life

It's July? Already? Do you remember the childhood Summers that stretched on forever?

Recent reads

As well as being incredibly busy at work, doing artwork, and settling a new little cat into my home, I've also been doing some reading. A recent book was 'Before the Fall' by Noah Hawley, a superbly constructed tale which follows the aftermath of a plane crash from which a man and a young boy are the only survivors. The back stories of all the characters that didn't make it are gradually revealed alongside the ongoing investigation. The man who survives, Scott Burroughs, is a struggling artist of a certain age and this sentence describing his stage in life resonated with me:-

"The rootlessness of youth was replaced by middle-aged self-involvement."

I've also been dipping into Miranda Sawyer's new book 'Out of Time', an exploration of what it is to be middle-aged and realise what you have become, and what you haven't become. I had worried that I was becoming too self-involved, but if so, then I'm certainly not alone.

It's quite natural in your mid-forties to take stock, think about what still needs doing, and then go into complete meltdown when you realise that you're running out of time. I still have dreams and ambitions; the danger is to believe that there is some cut-off point, but as long as the mind and body are willing then why impose limits. One of my favourite artists, Louise Bourgeois, was still working into her 90's - more than working; she was a creative dynamic force. And so, I'm facing up to the things I still want to achieve -  I want to exhibit my work; I want to have a book of my work published; and I want to visit more galleries and museums around the world. I have changed as I've grown older, and I hope I'm a little wiser, but my passion for art remains constant.

Poppy - in my Tiny Urban Garden

This poppy was short lived, but I managed to capture it here in full bloom.

Amanda xxx