Category: Creative Industry Professionals

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her dreams; every night.

Kat Wilson

With a splash of red and a hint of sass, I’ve watched this beauty pursue her dreams one day at a time over the last few years. One of the greatest privileges of this season is watching young creatives live out their dreams, laying in the grass musing, walking on our beach with them and listening hard to their dreams.

My friend, Kat Wilson has arrived at the business end of a project that has been in her heart for years. Rocking up to pub after pub, cafe after cafe and random friends backyard parties, she has packed and unpacked her instruments, day in day out, in pursuit of seeing her dream become a reality. With a gang of brilliant musicians and a bag full of blues rhythms that will make even the hardest heart smile, this Friday night her dream is scheduled to take flight.

A little gathering of songs, makes me reminiscent of my favourite sounds like John Mayer, Brooke Fraser, City and Colour and Corinne Bailey Rae. I can hear my favourite blues and roots hero’s shouting “This is soooooo good” in the corridors of music legend. Joe Harris, from Tone Deaf said this…

“The vocal haunts of Kat can be likened to taking a plunge into a wintery sea: bone-chilling but utterly refreshing.” 

She is sublime and her new EP “Everynight” is brilliant. 

Like I have not stopped playing it in my car since it arrived in my hands and it is sure to hit my creative muse repeat list. Have a sneaky listen here from Triple J Unearthed of her lead track EVERYNIGHT

The greatest part about being in a community of creative people who are pursuing their dreams, is when one of us wins, we all win. Celebrating, supporting, gathering and encouraging another’s dreams brings life and love.

So this Friday night, buy a ticket here, grab your gang, find directions to THE BOSTON, remember no thongs or steel capped boots ha, ha and start this weekend in style.

I know you won’t regret it.

Together let’s support creative dreams becoming a reality and if you’re not in Perth. Jump on I-tunes on Friday search Kat Wilson and download the EP, you will love it.

Amanda

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when making fills my enough tank.

Books
Books, Boards and our little shack.

There are many days in my creative journey that suck the life out of our inspiration tank.

At the moment I am calling it my “enough tank”

“I don’t have enough”

“enough is enough”

“That’s enough”

Tank.

You know the little void in our souls that I am talking about. It is the place that depletes sometimes so slowly and then randomly it can evaporate before we have even finished our coffee. Then out of the blue it explodes and we are inspired, overcome and intentional. Then as quickly as it filled, a leak is found and we deflate all over again.

The weather can impact my enough-ness, A full lists of tasks can sap my enough of its energy, sometimes people, too many stories, too much stuff, too much toddler-ing. Some days as I wade through facebook looking for my tank to fill, I realise that humanity has just vomited over me and I need to put a cleaner in my tank and start again.

There are some things, no matter how full or empty my enough is, that steadily clarify the inspiration I am looking for.

For each of us, these things are different.

For each of us our enough lines are varied and unique.

For each of us the inspiration elixirs can be stunningly opposing.

I like to pull down my blind, light a candle, read, put on music and think.

My enough tank is filled with big patches of water, that ripple and make me feel small.

When I fly into a country or city I have never been before, it is like my enough tank takes a deep breath of sensory overload and I feel inspiration dripping from my finger tips. My mind yells “get me a keyboard, get me a keyboard” my fingers are tingling with words.

When I eat ice cream on a hot day cooling my internal combustion operators.

When I feel sand crunching through my toes or the ocean envelope my whole body.

When I study scripture or listen to someone who has insight about a passage that I have never once considered.

When I sing with a large group of people, a shiver of inspiration pours into my tank that is begging for refreshing.

My inspiration tank empties and then it requires refuelling. Every single time I make something. I crochet, I knit, I paint, I express, I solve a problem…My tank she overflows.

What fills your enough tank?

What can you make today that will inspire your soul?

How can you bring your enough back from the brink of burnout?

I don’t think balance or time management is the answer, I believe it may be a little creative kindness to your soul.

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Going back to university on a curious quest

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When Cousin Chloe steps through the doors of Ballet…

My posts of late have been quite emotion packed. It was never our intention to unpack our deep and raw from this book, in front of our online audience, but one of the greatest privileges’ of this season has been to read your stories. The emails, the facebook messages, the comments.

Your stories encourage my story.

Your courage provokes my courage.

Your Rising Strong after a season that tried to take you out, makes me want to endure.

My writing and speaking this year has had a really strong theme about the in between seasons of our life. The bit between our beginning and the end, has so much more worth than our society gives it. Lately I have been sensing though my season is not in between any longer and next year is really the launch of something breathtaking.

I believe that God is the author and finisher of our stories, I know we need to be a big part of the story, we are the ones who make the decisions, we are the ones who say yes or no, but I believe He is at work always to bring all things together for good.

For some this won’t make sense, but others you will know what I’m talking about, because you have lived it. The dance of faith. The opportunities that come about that you would never have been able to pull off. The ideas that are not your ideas, but they are divine.

One thing I have been playing around with for a couple of years is going back to finish my masters. The thought of adding something else back into my diary, completely does me in, but I have been finding a divine curiosity that is leading me down paths to find the very things I was created for. A curious dance with the divine and the timely sense that new is awakening.

This year I have enjoyed exploring people’s stories through the creative retreats that I have been running. I have run over 40 solo, private retreats and also I ran a big one, with my dear friend Cate Williams. Both of these journey’s have lead me to explore starting a Masters in Counselling, majoring in Art Therapy.

I don’t want to become a Counsellor. I want to help people creatively find their voice through creativity, I want to form my speaking and writing with study that will compliment my big idea, that creativity changes everything.

I believe so deeply in the power of connecting everyone of us with the Creator and finding a grace that was designed in you before the earth was even formed. Women need to give voice to the deep utterances of their souls, they need to give voice to those parts of their story that tried to hold them captive and to express the beauty that we see and create.

When we make we find healing.

When we are curious and we look behind the veil of something, we find refuge.

When we seek out new possibilities, we leave our past pain behind.

I’m on a curious quest to find more skills, to find more information, to keep going on the journey of what I feel compelled towards.

A divine path set before me, that takes courage to step out into.

What about you?

What are you curious about, that you keep shutting down?

It could be a significant key that unlocks your next?

What is inside of you that needs to find its voice?

Maybe you want to come and spend a day with me exploring those thoughts…

If so click here.

Speak again soon,

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Makers who find healing

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Every day my son Maximus and I have a silent ritual.

We take our baby Liberty to bed, we put her sleep bag on, we sneak out of her room, count one, two, three and take a deep breath and run to our making stations.

Maximus calls himself a master builder. The lego movie came out in perfect timing for my three year old to begin an obsession with building. At three he can sit at a table for three solid hours or more and build. When Libby is around the lego becomes a weapon, when she is asleep the maker in him comes out to play.

I see the glint in his eye as the fire truck is built, the stories that he makes up with his police men and the baddies who get caught and dragged off to jail. His lego world is full of activity, life and freedom. As he makes these little worlds, he finds his true personality and confidence.

Just like my three year old I am obsessed with making.

When my babes are falling asleep, I start to creep slowly, then I end up running towards my latest project.

It doesn’t matter if it is my laptop and a new book is in the wings, or my basket of wool as I create presents for someone, or my colouring in book as I reflect on what is going on in my mind, or my herb garden, my vision board or even what is on the stove cooking for my family for dinner.

Every time I make something, every time I produce something, every time it brings healing.

It heals my inner critic.

It heals the voice that says I am tired.

It brings a smile to a heart that is weary.

It expresses something I have been trying to say for weeks.

It unlocks my frustration and anger.

It calms my impatient attitude.

There is something so precious about making.

If you are feeling isolated, lonely, misunderstood, heart broken, not enough…

Then

Make,

Maker,

Make.

You were created to.

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If you are looking for some homemade christmas ideas click here to check out my downloadable book with 30 maker ideas.

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jan 9 | Gather + Grow : Photography for the un-photographer

gather and grow

Coffee, Cake and Chats with people just like you…

Gather and Grow is not about industry professionals trying to tell you how good they are and how far you are away from their brilliance. It’s about everyday people having a go and hanging out with those who have just a little more experience than you.

“Look at what you want to change, gather a few people who believe in it like you do, and start moving forward. It’s important to remember that you don’t always need a destination. Sometimes, you just have to make forward motion. And you absolutely can.” Debby Ryan

Do you have a camera, that you have no idea what to do with?

Do you look at everyone’s instagram feed and wonder how they possible get to brand their vibe with so much beauty?

Do you have a blog and your greatest weakness is finding photos for free?

Do you want to bring a greater level of content to your social media feeds?

This gather and grow is about photography for those who ARE NOT photographers. DSLR Camera’s, Simple Editing Tips, Apps and Settings. Tips, tools and chats with each other to learn and grow together. Bring your camera, computer and lots of questions for each other.

What: Two hours, hanging with new friends, with coffee, cake and lots of chats.

Who: Ten places only.

When: Saturday January 9, 1.30pm | Gather + Grow : Photography for the un-photographer.

Book today to come gather and grow.

$25 per person including coffee and gluten free cake/ slice and free download code for one of Amanda’s E-book Capture 30 days of inspiration.

At The Pond Barista:

10/62 Penguin Rd
Safety Bay WA 6169
To book into this gathering click here today, limited places available.
photography for the un-photo