I do not feel happy when I feel cold. If you know me, the most frequently said phrase of mine, you can confirm, is:
‘I don’t do cold! The minute I get a cold nose, I get grumpy… ‘
Don’t ask me why, I just am. That is how it is.
HOWEVER
As always, there is a clause… I want to dedicate this post to a trip I completed recently, which negates the above statement and brings a little bit of nuance to me and my experiences and to my tolerance for distress… One of my friends, who is a total outdoor admirer says something that maybe, just maybe, made me think a few years ago: ‘There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad equipment/ attire.’
Few years ago I decided it is not going to fly for me to sit inside a heated house all winter. That is not me either. I like walking. I like being in nature. And I like breathing fresh air. And, exercise is good for you and important as we get older (I do not like exercise, I need to trick myself into exercising by doing activities I enjoy), and I digress..
I started asking questions about layering when moving outside in the winter. My family members suggested some great clothing, woolly layers, and so I have been saving and slowly stocking up on these and enriching my wardrobe with functional pieces that support me to be okay outside, in the cold, and not feel grumpy. So far, that had been walking excellently!
Then, slowly and surely, and kind of alongside my gear becoming more suitable, my comfort increased, and with that, my willingness to tolerate the distress of feeling cold. I suppose I have not even realised the change within me, until today…. So many enjoyable experiences, which make being on the beach a very wholesome occupation for me:
I love the shiny sand and the colourful stones.
Love the birds’ and waves’ noises.
Love the smell of salt in the air.
The whole sensory overwhelm of the beach is something that I feel good about. I feel connected, happy, and naturally me. I feel I can be my joyful self on the beach and experience the fullness without getting overwhelmed. All senses are involved, and it is good. Similar to how I feel in full flow when I am crocheting.
Maybe this was the reason why in 2019, (7 years ago now – WHAT?!), I took my blankets to the beach and photographed them in the wide space of the edge of the earth and water, where the two elements meet, the ever-moving and changing sea, and the solid, stable soil. My work had ALWAYS had elements of SPACE in it, so perhaps that is another reason why I took crochet oversized blankets to the beaches or local parks; to photograph them in natural light, and with sufficient space to showcase the WHOLE piece in its best light, to its best advantage.
I have enjoyed photographing my work in nature and have often scheduled time for it more and more since this first instance, AND you can see/ read their stories in all their glory under their NATURAL category HERE:
It has been part of my work to install crochet in larger spaces (mostly indoors) due to my previous aversion to the elements, since way before 2019, see HERE.
…BUT FIRST – BEAR WITH…
Let’s digress a little, don’t worry, you are safe, there is a connective point at the end.
Somewhere along the way, I developed a keen interest in photos like these: legs in motion. Don’t know why. Something about these, the presence of a part of the body, and the absence of the entirety of the very same body… Only seeing a partial image, yet understanding the context of the whole, and being able to fill in those details… Something about that catches my eye and draws me in! Big style!
AND THEN
Now then, until recently, I have only been a collector, a spotter of these, maybe a facilitator some times, like when it comes to my whole thing about putting my self, my own body, the creator’s body into the picture with them, stylising myself part of my work as much as my work is part of me:
AND THEN
During a soul restoring trip, I started thinking, how do I want to take a photo/ memorise this trip? I sat there, let the universe/ pixies help and guide me…
I KNOW
LEGS! Mousies, which are like selfies from low down, and perspective! What is small? What is far away? And these were the results, where I transformed from a mear observer and collector of moments into a creator of those very moments I cover and look out for, I started being more active in forming how I view experiences. After some initial fine tuning, I was happy with the results:
In the most recent progression…
We are coming to the connection of the legs and my love of crochet showcased as a beach adornment, in a combination of elements and varied complications, I am pleased to present:
It is still very much only in a stage of intuitive flow-seeking. I may ponder this a little more and perhaps watch this space for more discussion on unpicking the layers and how they fulfil functions for me in these images. Maybe for now, it is okay to not know.
“If you don’t know the answer, sit with the question.”
It is okay to spend my time by researching and reading, and by listening. I feel this is an okay place to stop. Knowing that I feel happy when I am on a beach, hot or cold.
