Have you ever looked closely at the sparkling light formed when sunlight reflects from water waves? It looks like little lights or diamonds, or maybe like little fireflies. In order to really experience the world around you, you have to be able to pause. But how can we do this with all the stuff happening around us, our increasing screen time and the social media swallowing up our time? Pedro Pondé sings so beautifully about pausing in his song ‘Pausa’.
Calma, pausa pra recomeçar
Mantendo a cabeça no lugar
Você só precisa respirar, ah…
The translation:
Take it easy, pause to start again
Keep your head in place
You just need to breathe
Reflection is essential to gain new energy and ideas. Are you reflecting enough? Or are you racing through life? If you had to visualise that, what would it look like? Is it a straight line, more of a chaotic line, or more short lines with busy periods? Draw your own and discuss it with a friend, maybe it can bring some new insights.
I’ve been struggling with speed lately, and I realized I don’t really want to go fast. I want to be able to standstill.
Look. Experience. Connect.
The world I live in sometimes makes that difficult. Everything has to be done quickly. After all, time is money. We have to be involved in everything, and we involve everyone in what we are doing ourselves. Mostly online, watching ourselves and others from a tiny screen. But does it really make us feel involved? Do we really feel connected?
During my holidays, I read the book ‘Offline Matters by Jess Henderson’. It confirmed what I had been feeling for a long time. Apparently, I’m not the only one who doesn’t want to run through life and waste valuable time on social media platforms where I can’t really see, hear and feel people. The author of the book, Jess, describes how we live in a ‘society of busyness’. Everyone is busy. There is always something to do, something to see, something to share. Now that we have more freedom and digital possibilities, standing still and living an analogue life is almost a sin. Strange in this time, where we really have to pause to see what is happening around us, to connect with each other, and to tackle the challenges of our time together.
Your time = your life
My time = my life
Our time = our life
The message from Voordekunst is in the back of my mind. Do you keep your followers well informed? Ehm. Do I want that? And do they want that? And what is the best way to do that?
The book raised new questions for me: how can I share my art, connect with people and create valuable, inspiring moments together that feel good for me and the other? How can I be more connected with myself and find time to spend on my art projects? As a result, I have decided to go offline for the foreseeable future and find my connection and creativity in the real world. I hope this will bring the creative spark back and answers to my longing for more connectedness. In a way it’s kind of scary to do it all differently and explore the unknown, but I think as an artist – and as a human being for that matter – I have to do this to move forward.
Offline = Connect
Standing still = consciously moving forward
As a nice starting point for this new chapter I organise
an event: ‘The right to slowness, curiosity and weirdness’ on Saturday 25 June from 15pm.
I would like to invite you to come together in my studio, which I will leave in Juli. In my studio I have a big white wall and I want to fill that white wall together with you. With art, creative stuff. With reflections and perspectives. With crazy things, nice things, less nice things and sweet things. Bring your artistic tools, scraps and frills. Do you want to join? Email me!
ps. Listen the song I was talking about ‘Pausa’ here.
ps-2. I am considering writing more of these short pieces with photos that I would normally share on insta. First attempt for more slowness..
