Welcome back to my Blog!
This is not a normal studio diary entry to compare with my others, because I'm technically not in a studio and not even in Aberystwyth! Because of the guidelines that the Welsh government have set out for us.
This post is to show how I am coping with the ever changing time we live in, and how I keep myself motivated in this testing time.
I am now going into my final semester which will be the last few months in Aberystwyth (if the Government allows, crossed fingers!) , which is a crazy thing to think of. Third year is something I've been looking forward to since I was in college, the excitement of new beginnings and a big exhibition to end my time in Aber surrounded by my peers, but now that might not be going forward like we always imagined which is a hit in the gut to say the least. However what can we do but hope in the future we can, because there are people worse off than me and that is what we all need to think, these luxuries would be lovely but its not worth a life!
The pandemic has put a lot of strain on my studies the past year and I believe it will impact my last few months aswell, but I am not going to let that rain on my parade. There is a lot for us to learn from this, I have been taking much more walks with my mother, a thing we never had time to do before because I was either in university or with my partner and friends and she in work 6 days a week. It has been lovely to spend time with my family, even though I do miss my partner but as they say; 'distance makes the heart grown founder' and we will come out of this stronger than ever and I feel the same goes to my work.
Me and my Mam - photograph by Llinos Hughes
I have been sketching my walks I take with my family and it is lovely to look back at them and remember the memories we shared, and I like to think of it as a pure moment in time a lovely notion that I would like to capture in my future work. Because we can all relate to this situation and have memories in this pandemic of going on these walks around our local area, and taking time to observe and look where you never did before because life got in the way. For instance I went on a walk I'd never taken before which I had passed in the car but always too busy to stop. It was so lovely to see my home in a different light, I passed farms that never stopped at before to look at the wildlife, and a buzzard landed not even 100 feet away from me! (I screamed so it flew away however my sister got a photograph of it which is below) it is spectacular moments like that I want to remember from this pandemic, because it seems the bad overtake the good.
Photograph by Llinos Hughes
It is nice to have time to take in all these compositions and the many opportunities to go out and enjoy each others company and find something to be inspired by.
Therefore in this pandemic try and find something to push you ahead, one thought that helps me is; your in a unique situation now and take the advantage to show nothing will stop you from creating and getting inspired, because I feel I have more motivation than I ever did before to push myself! in time we will meet again and what a day that will be, we will have many stories, paintings and sketches to share with each other. For now ponder on and keep painting and observing and take this special opportunity as I am!. Happy painting everyone, Cerys.