Author: Amanda Viviers

Place: Milkd

Poison: Long Mac

Favourite Thing: Trucker Hat from Kym

Growing up I totally struggled with the concept of beauty. Am I beautiful enough? What really is beautiful? Why are my peers so focussed on beauty?

I can’t say I am completely numb to these questions, but recently I read a quote about beauty that intrigued me…

‘Beauty overwhelms us, enchants us, fascinates us, and calls us’ Fr Andrew Greeley

I think the word beautiful has been given a false identity by the covers of Vouge and Marie Clare.

Beauty can be found in the folds of wrinkled skin, it can be found in the eyes of a friend towards another who continually hurts her or it can be found in the midst of a rubbish heap as a mother feeds her son.

I love beautiful things, but mostly am obsessed with finding beauty in others.

I was recently in Thailand, with Sr Joan, a heroic woman, who lives breathes and beautifies the slums of Khlong Toei, Bangkok. One photo memory that I cannot remove from my mind is this picture of a grandmother feeding her grandchild milk, whilst sitting right on top of a rubbish dump.

The quote ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ is so completely true. Many would be repulsed by the rubbish dump, many would be annoyed with the mangy dogs sniffing about, however this grandmothers eyes were lost in her grandchild’s with complete abandonment.

The recent media campaign by Dove, is brilliant. They are trying to remind the public that beauty is not defined to a size 8, waify, blonde, big-breasted woman. Yes, she is beautiful, but so are you.

Creativity and beauty go hand in hand. Without beauty, why paint, photograph or capture the sunset in a lovers eye. Without beauty, why even notice the flowers in the middle of a field of dirt? Without beauty why even bother to express creativity?

My little thought basically is, that beauty can be found in anything, even you! It all rides on the perspective and the eye of the beholder.

Beauty beckons, Beauty invites… come, explore, immerse, love, follow, intrigue, unveil, connect, enjoy…

Beautiful!

A

Place: My Office

Poison: Water

Favourite Thing: new lamp from Ikea!

Wandered around a great coffee haunch this morning and was intrigued by a new word they had on their chalkboard out the front.

Word: Bathos

Meaning: sudden change in speech or writing from a serious subject to a trivial one.

This made me smile. As intense as I am about creativity and life, I can become so full -on in the midst of conversations and get completely frustrated when one of my friends are completely random and take the conversation in a million directions.

In my immaturity, I would get frustrated as I try to make sense out of what is happening in the midst of the conversation. In my old age I am hopefully becoming more flexible, and realise that a bit of bathos is good for the soul!

Last night we saw a great friend off at the airport. As the gang stood around waiting for the final boarding call, there was much bathos. One minute deep, the next minute very random potato watching!

Whilst lining up for coffee I thought about bathos and creativity…To be deep and random, to be spiritual but flexible, to be thoughtful yet spontaneous, is a beautiful way to live.

Here, here…

A

Place: At Green Tea Cup Club- Location (top secret)

Poison: Chai Latte

Favourite Things: Polly & Bonnie

Well, this week after much soul searching, I have come face to face with a couple of little, but startling mistakes. When you move so fast and life keeps on steaming on, we all make mistakes. Its good to address them, maybe ask forgiveness from those closest and then move right along addressing the problems and making the necessary changes.

When it comes to creativity though, sometimes there are mistakes or parts of our expressions of creativity where those mistakes create an authenticity, that makes the artwork fresh!

In my book Capture- 30 days of inspiration, I had an amazing editor, Sarah Churchill, who helped me keep it real, but edited the mistakes out of my book, without editing out my creativity and voice.

Despite both our fine tooth combing of the commas, question marks and abbreviations, we came a cropper with a few small grammatical errors in the book.

Here is one mistake. ‘Map Page- Hannah Story- instead of Hannah’s Story’

Have you found any others?

Humbly yours

A

Place: Milkd

Poison: Cappuccino

Favourite things: Book ‘Great Speeches- words that made history’

I have a random book that lazes on my bedside table, begging for me to read and get some late night inspiration. And last night that I did!

It is a book of great speeches that made a difference in history. The one that captured my attention last night was from our former Prime Minister, John Curtin (held office 1941-1945).

This speech went over the airwaves to support Australia’s allegiance to America in its war against Japan.

‘I speak to you from Australia. I speak from a united people to a united people, and my speech is aimed to serve all the people of the nation’s united in the struggle to save mankind…We have all made mistakes, we have all been too slow; we have all sown weakness- all of us! This is not a time to wrangle about who is most to blame. Now our eyes are open.’

My eyes are open. I have never been exposed to war before in my life, and one month ago I arrived back from the Middle East, in which I spent one week in the most beautiful village on the border of Syria and Israel in South Lebanon called ‘Mimess’. Mimess and its people have captured my heart and since I have been back I have been a wreck trying to figure out what I can possibly do to make a difference in the political and humanitarian mess, called the Middle East.

Many of my friends and family who have taken the time to notice what is happening are asking, How did this happen? Who is too blame? And I truthfully hold the same sentiments as John Curtin. We are all to blame! I hate war, I hate it right to the very core, but sometimes there is nothing else that can bring change to the hearts filled with much pride, arrogance and selfishness.

Many generations that have gone before us, (in fact I would say all generations) have been confronted someway by war. However, I don’t want to live my life encased by my cushy, cafe-enhanced everyday, without being aware and making a difference to what is happening today, right now, on our planet.

But what can I do, But what change can one very flawed, wreck of a woman, sitting here in Perth, Western Australia bring to Mimess, Lebanon.

That is right where creativity becomes powerful. Creativity is the ability to take something confusing, baffling, and emotional, bringing some sense of reality and purpose to it.

I pray today that I would find some divine inspiration; so that I can do something to help those children I played soccer with on the streets of Mimess. I hope that I can help in someway to let the lady I helped redecorate her fruit fridge, know that my thoughts and prayers are with her and her family and that they are not forgotten.

Affected, but so willing to do something to bring change!
A

Place: Riverview Auditorium  

Poison: Diet Coke  

Favourite things: Riverview Music Team, rehearsing!  

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?  

Thou are more lovely and more temperate.  

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,  

And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.  

Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines,  

And often is his gold complexion dimmed;  

And every fair from fair sometime declines,  

By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimmed.  

But thy eternal summer shall not fade  

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;  

Nor shall death brag thou wand’rest in his shade,  

When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st,  

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,  

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.  

William Shakespeare  

Although today was nothing like a summer’s day, it was a fine one indeed. Started with a coffee and a stroll, then a brief drop in on some breakfast lovin, then bridesmaids shopping, finished with a catnap in the arvo! Who can complain about that.  

Whilst shopping with Miss Elly and Tam, I found Morrison’s, new summer catalogue which Shakespeare’s finest sonnet was spotted throughout.  

Here’s a toast to a hot chocolate, with lots of marshmallow’s and syrypy type of winter’s day. I hope someone writes a poem like this about me one day, ‘When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st’  

Am I like a summers day? Warm, embracing, inspiring and fresh!  

Sleepily  

A