Sometimes, lovely friends pull you into the most magical experiences…
Dank u wel, Jurjana, for a day full of ancient wonders and beautiful photographs.
This photograph arrived, via Jurjana, just now and it made me smile. It’s rare that I am ‘in’ a photograph but I had to post it. There I am, in the midst of the archery guild members while they make their ancient toast, in the very old City Hall here in Antwerpen.
Photo credit goes to Tom Meeus.
Maurizio Carnevali was one of ten international artists creating a Brussels-themed sculpture in Brussels recently. I wandered by, with Paola, on Saturday and could have spent hours attempting to capture something of the artists and their work… then came the rain.
This is the artwork created by Italian sculptor, Maurizio Carnevali during the 1st Brussels International Sculpture Symposium.
The symposium took place between 2nd and 16th July and was rather stunning. Ten artists, of international reknown, created a Brussels-themed sculpture in Park Parmentier, Sint-Pieters-Woluwe.
I only arrived on that last day, as finished sculptures were revealed, artists were thanked, and champagne was poured. Thanks for letting me tag along, Paola. A lovely outing despite the rain.
I couldn’t not share this over here ... This animate was adapted from a talk given at the RSA by Sir Ken Robinson, world-renowned education and creativity expert and recipient of the RSA’s Benjamin Franklin award.
Click here for more information on Sir Ken’s work.
But I loved this too ... Sir Ken was asked by the British newspaper, the Observer, to contribute a 280 word piece on passion to the regular series on Life Lessons.
Here it is:
Make the most of whatever it is that floats your boat…
It was Jeremy Bentham, I believe, who said there are two types of people in this world: those who divide the world into two types and those who do not. Well, these days I do. On the one hand, I’m constantly surprised by how many people settle for so little fulfilment in their lives, who endure their lives rather than enjoy them. On the other, I know people who simply love what they do and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. “This isn’t what I do,” they say, “this is who I am.” There are people in every walk of life for whom this is true: people who are in their element. Being in your element involves doing something for which you have a natural aptitude. But it’s more than that: it’s about passion. You have to love it, too.
Passion can be a disconcerting idea in Britain, conjuring up images of fiery glances, pounding hearts and a hint of castanets. It’s not always like that. Passion is a deep attraction. It can be for someone else or for a process: music, maths, cooking, sport, entrepreneurship, teaching… whatever fires your imagination and stokes your energy. We all have different aptitudes and we have unique passions. The challenge is to find them because it’s in the fusion of both that we live our best lives.
An original meaning of “passion” is to suffer or endure, as in the Passion of Christ. Its modern meanings have evolved to include love, attraction and pleasure. Finding our own element is also a journey from endurance to enjoyment. It’s a vital step, too, in moving from being one type of person to being the other type.
I love climbing literature and films about as much as I love reading the stories of war photographers and journalists .... it’s like that with me. A bit of an armchair passion.
Perhaps this short film gives you an idea of what it is about this kind of life ... where it’s just about what’s in front of you. And there’s more treasure over here at Camp 4 Collective on Vimeo. Found on Jimmy Chin’s blog.
I had to add a link to the incredible Alex Honnold’s film too ... but you’ll see, the Camp 4 Collective have a whole range of short films on their Vimeo site.
Towers of the Ennedi from Camp 4 Collective on Vimeo.
The North Face®: Towers of the Ennedi from Camp 4 Collective on Vimeo.
I met Tony at Kathleen and Manuel’s wedding in Madrid.
He was the pipe-smoking guy talking with the fabulous Peter after the wedding ceremony. My camera wanted to capture him.
It turns out, he is Kathleen’s rather superb voice teacher. He plays guitar like an angel ... I suspect there is more but I’ll find out and get back to you.
Anyway, meet Tony Madigan ...
