MELODY VAUGHAN
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MELODY VAUGHAN This essay is part of a series called What’s emerging in me? Written at the shift of the seasons (the solstices, equinoxes and cross-quarter days) I like to reflect on how I am feeling within myself and my practice as we collectively move with/as nature in these moments. One of the reasons I love anchoring my emails to
MELODY VAUGHAN This essay is part of a series called What’s emerging in me? Written at the shift of the seasons (the solstices, equinoxes and cross-quarter days) I like to reflect on how I am feeling within myself and my practice as we collectively move with/as nature in these moments. Usually I like to write these essays in the days
A time when we traverse through spring towards summer. It’s a time of emergence and rapid growth; there is such a palpable sense that we are headed for the brightness of summer – the warmth and light feel a bit more reliable, we can dare to trust in the season in ways we couldn’t six weeks ago at the equinox.
Beginnings, new growth visible after months of seeds germinating inside the darkness. Maybe you are feeling it too, the tug at something inside, up and outwards, the energy emerging like sap rising in the trees.
MELODY VAUGHAN This essay is part of a series called What’s emerging in me? Written at the shift of the seasons (the solstices, equinoxes and cross-quarter days) I like to reflect on how I am feeling within myself and my practice as we collectively move with/as nature in these moments. I often feel like Imbolc arrives swiftly after the solstice
This is the time when we experience rapid change as the days grow longer and things are beginning to grow again.
And yet, it is not Spring. We are still in winter, where most of the work is continuing underground and unseen within plants and animals.This is a time of things growing and maturing within, of the gestation of
This is the time when the sun is at its lowest in the sky and only graces us with its presence for a handful of hours. A time when nature calls us to look within and embrace the gentle slowness of the season. We are truly in it now, this darkest part of the year. Solstice reminds us to be
The fertile void is the space between the end of the generative part of one creative cycle and the germination part of the next. It’s when the magic in the soil happens, the composting, the breakdown of things so that they become available as nutrients later. As in nature, these processes are on a molecular level, and so it’s easy
It is a time of change, a time when we move between worlds – of light/dark, abundance/scarcity, living/dead. It is said that at this time there is a thinning of the veil between our material world and the spirit world. This porosity invites us to commune with those things that have passed, or those things we notice are in the
Looking back through the images to find the beginning. I think it all started on the big train trip to Amsterdam/Berlin/Cologne in the summer between 2nd year and 3rd year (2013). When I started to take photographs that were less about recording distinct things and more about noticing arrangements and the intersection of textures, angles and light. For the next
What if we were to think of a creative/artistic practice as a spectrum. Not a linear, binary spectrum from one point to another, but a sphere of activity radiating from a central point, you the human at the centre of your practice.
A note on building sites:
They are hives of activity, and I love to watch people work. It is a site of simultaneous creation and destruction, both of which fascinate me. There are usually a number of holes in the ground, controlled glimpses into what is buried underneath. Usually it is just the tarmac topping and the crumbly rubbly
For a handful of days we sit in a kind of balance – where the daylight hours are equal to the night-time ones before we begin our journey back into the darkness. For our ancestors it held multiple significances – as a period of the second harvest, when the final crops were gathered, and as the closing of the cycle
We’ve reached the mid point between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox, a time that traditionally marked the first harvest and a celebration of the earth’s bounty. Summer is still in full swing, during the day it is warm and bright, and yet we have begun our journey towards autumn. It’s a good time to feel gratitude for what
We have travelled through space back to this point when the sun is at its highest and the days are longest, full of bright potential. Nature is bountiful with colour and nourishment, we are gathering in and appreciating all the growth of previous months.
A time when we traverse from spring towards summer. It’s a time of emergence and rapid growth, the air full of insects and birdsong. There is such a palpable sense that we are headed for the brightness of summer – the warmth and light feel a bit more reliable, we can dare to trust in the season in ways we
Equinox – the time of equal day and equal night – a moment of balance, and the threshold into spring and a new astronomical year. Beginnings, new growth visible after months of seeds germinating inside the darkness.
We’ve reached another point in the year – winter Solstice – which held such significance for our ancestors, and which offers us a chance to reflect within the context of this seasonal change.
Samhain traditionally marks the shift from the light half of the year into the dark. All around us, in nature, things are dying back, are being composted into material that supports the new growth in Spring. Vital processes which cannot be rushed, which give all life the quiet, slow time it needs to transform.
Six months ago, at the spring equinox, I closed down my email newsletter. It was a decision I’d been thinking about for a while and felt aligned with where I was personally (against the backdrop of ongoing polycrises) and professionally (within the wider context of figuring out my role outside of my craft work).
Here in the northern hemisphere we are welcoming the beginning of astronomical spring, as the earth tilts towards the sun. After this day of balance, where the length of the day and night is approximately equal, we head into the season of lengthening days and warmer weather. Such a gift to those of us who often struggle in winter. For
Tldr: I’m ending my email newsletter in March. I’ll be starting something different on substack. I don’t know exactly what that will be like, but I’m hoping some of you would like to come on that journey with me. Whatever you decide, thank you for being here over the last 7 years. Sharing.This has been on my mind a lot
Today is Imbolc, the ancient celtic festival associated with the goddess Brigid. It’s the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, and it heralds the shift out of winter and towards the spring.
I have written this post multiple times, trying to find a way to start. How I wish we were having a real conversation, where the failure of words, the imperfect beginning is not so visible. We’d quickly have stumbled through some sentences that try to convey the enormity of our feelings and experiences of living in this moment, that would
[Don’t fancy reading all this? Fear not! I’ve recorded it so you can listen to me tell you directly] In the Q&A yesterday I tried to define what this work is and I found it really tricky. I think that’s because every client is different, everyone’s needs are different, so I can’t possibly hope to describe what that might look
Image: Yeshen Venema How do you describe what you do? The 1:1 work I do focuses on the intangible side of a creative practice. I offer an undefined space for you to reflect, explore and understand your unique creative process. What would you say is your style or approach? I like to say that this work treads lightly between coaching
This month (July 2023) there are two opportunities for people to apply for funding to support their creative practice development – the Arts Council’s Developing Your Creative Practice fund and a-n’s Artists Bursaries. Maybe you’ve applied before, or maybe you’re considering putting in an application for the first time. Either way, have you considered including regular mentoring as part of your
Solstice twilight & moon How swiftly the seasons change and suddenly it’s summer! What I am noticing this year, is how different the solstice feels to me here in the countryside. I am much more aware of the length of the days, being able to see the sunrise and sunset more clearly, fewer buildings to obscure the view. I wake
Last year, I think it was, I made a playlist called ‘this winter will be different’ full of atmospheric and cosy music – medieval choral, contemporary folk, female singer-songwriters, even a nice bit of Eddie Vedder – and then completely forgot about it. Was last winter different? You ask. Well, no, not really. And it probably wasn’t because I hadn’t
If you, like me, find winter a bit of a tricky time, and you’re making a plan to be prepared, here are some posts all themed around self-care and compassion, that might help. Featured Nov 25, 2022 Preparing for winter with compassion Nov 25, 2022 Nov 25, 2022 Mar 21, 2022 It’s the start of Spring, but what season are
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