april lindsay

Carl Jung once wrote “As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.”  I love that he used the word kindle.  It is such a gentle word.  A soothing, nurturing word.  It is not explosive, or big, or overwhelming.  It very much links with how I am choosing to live my life.  Gently.  Finding joy in the small things. It sometimes surprises me;  those things that create joy in my life.  I get such pleasure from organizing my surroundings, having a place for everything.  Or creating small, simple works of art.  Or the odd big large expressive oil painting!  Cooking a good healthy meal.  Sitting staring out my window.  Lighting my candles (kindling the light?) and just being in the moment.  Going for a walk.  Connecting with a stranger.  Browsing the rails of my local charity store (ooh, creativity at its very best).  Seeing dogs play.  Seeing kids play.  Seeing adults play when they are with kids and dogs.  Such freedom and letting go of the stiffness and rigidity and seriousness of adulthood.

My BSc in Healing Arts has given me an underlying understanding of how much healing is inherent in creativity.  Even as a kid, I understood the meditative quality of mark-making.  I grew up in a small town in Tipperary, Ireland where I was enveloped by textiles and pattern, my dad a tailor and mother a dressmaker.  I studied Art at Kent Institute of Art & Design and moved on to study Healing Arts (Arts in Healing) for three years.  Having exhibited in Switzerland, United Kingdom and Ireland, I am now living, painting and loving New York City.

I delve in and out of highly creative phases and  I create all kinds of art, not just my precious Mandala’s.  I paint acrylics, I sketch little monsters, I write sometimes, I cook, I dance, I take photographs of crumbling walls and rust, I used to knit and want to knit more, I create large abstract oil paintings that take so much out of me that all I feel like doing afterwards is sleep.  I love sketchbooks, plans, vision boards, color boards, sketches, drafts.  Probably the same reason that I love looking at peoples’ shopping trolley’s.  It’s the mock-up.  The working towards.  The raw ingredients for a luscious supper.  The promise of what will be and the creative process in between.

I endeavour to make creativity a non-negotiable in my life.  A daily non-negotiable.  So that I can kindle my light and brighten my soul in the darkness of mere being with the hope of kindling yours.

Thanks for popping by.  Stay a while.  Browse a little.

April