I had a touch of the blues on sunday. It was a wet day and revisiting old spaces the day before had unearthed feelings that many people might think are better buried. But I can only be me and I am wont to look beneath the surface. It's part of my being and part of my work both as an artist and as a shiatsu practitioner. Allowing myself to be vulnerable to feelings of all sorts may challenge me at times but it gives me a greater range of shades and colours to play with. 
However, to cheer myself up and stop me from un-necessary wallowing, I went to look at some of the local open studios http://www.nnopenstudios.org.uk/. Last year I took part in this event and it was a good experience, it stretched me out of my comfort zone and created opportunities and it was hard to resist the call for artists back in December but I'd like to be a little more embedded in my practice, a few more steps along the way before I do it again. 
So it was with real interest that I went to explore Anderson's Yard, home to Studio Do, Ray Striker and Jan Crombie amongst others. And also the homes of Annie Hall, and Jennie Durrant. It was deeply inspiring to talk to other people who are giving their practice as artists the same amount of time and space in their hearts as I am, to see what they are doing, and to listen to the thought process behind their work. Every one is so different and celebrating those differences made me feel more whole, more connected and easy with the world. 
There is still one more weekend to go of the event so I will have a browse through the brochure during the week and maybe pop in on a few more next sunday. It is such a gift to be allowed to witness and share another person's creative process.