Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Looking for a New Place to Live
My posting pauses seem to be getting longer and more frequent, but I have a good excuse this time. I have been looking around for a new area to live. I live in the suburbs which is as noisy as a city without all the conveniences of city, so I thought I should just move to a city (Sydney.) When I went to the city to look for an apartment I spent the whole time in my hotel room sick, so I took it as a sign that Sydney isn't the place for me right now. I probably look for signs that aren't really there and place too much importance on feelings but that's just how it is for me.
Anyway, I have one more area to explore next week and if that doesn't work out I'm going to travel the world for a year or two or three. It's a place called Bellingen, which is a quiet little place close to the beach and lots of good walking trails.
If Bellingen doesn't work for me I plan to visit lots of art museums around the world. Starting with Italy, then France, Spain, England, maybe Germany and possibly the United States. I would just stay in each place until my visa expired, so it wouldn't be a rushed trip. Flying anywhere from Australia is a loooong flight so when I land somewhere I'm never in hurry to get back on a plane.
I'm challenged by the burden of freedom. I have no responsibilities holding me down in any one place, I have been saving for a rainy day, and I have a job that can be done anywhere in the world. Every week I seem to have a new plan and a whole new direction, but each new week seems to create a more interesting plan. So I spend my time thinking about life while life marches on around me. ¶ 4:29 PM
Anyway, I have one more area to explore next week and if that doesn't work out I'm going to travel the world for a year or two or three. It's a place called Bellingen, which is a quiet little place close to the beach and lots of good walking trails.
If Bellingen doesn't work for me I plan to visit lots of art museums around the world. Starting with Italy, then France, Spain, England, maybe Germany and possibly the United States. I would just stay in each place until my visa expired, so it wouldn't be a rushed trip. Flying anywhere from Australia is a loooong flight so when I land somewhere I'm never in hurry to get back on a plane.
I'm challenged by the burden of freedom. I have no responsibilities holding me down in any one place, I have been saving for a rainy day, and I have a job that can be done anywhere in the world. Every week I seem to have a new plan and a whole new direction, but each new week seems to create a more interesting plan. So I spend my time thinking about life while life marches on around me. ¶ 4:29 PM
As long as you complaining about how much freedom you have/how few responsibilities you have is like complaining that your gold shoes are too tight! :P
Yeah, true.
When my friend suggested that I was now weighed down by the burden of freedom I laughed at her. Now I know what she meant though.
Still, I'm not complaining. I'm thankful and feel very blessed, but I was patient and I did work hard to reach this point, so I don't feel bad about having the freedom to do as I please.
When my friend suggested that I was now weighed down by the burden of freedom I laughed at her. Now I know what she meant though.
Still, I'm not complaining. I'm thankful and feel very blessed, but I was patient and I did work hard to reach this point, so I don't feel bad about having the freedom to do as I please.
If you feel like this, this freedom you feel is not actually freedom, but point of pointlessness. You need to have a goal, a passion. If you dont have this, you need to discover it and find out what you really want. Follow your instincs, dont think about it. Be about it.
(Just a thought... no right or wrong here)
(Just a thought... no right or wrong here)
Correct on all three David. The only dragon I have to feed is art, which can be calmed with a sketchbook and a pencil (but oils on canvas make her purr.)
Ville, I'm passionate about a few things, probably too passionate about some things, I'm just not passionate about the area I'm currently living in. I know what I want (what I have), I just haven't found where I want it.
But yeah, I probably do think about things too much. I'll try not to think everything to death in Bellingen.
Ville, I'm passionate about a few things, probably too passionate about some things, I'm just not passionate about the area I'm currently living in. I know what I want (what I have), I just haven't found where I want it.
But yeah, I probably do think about things too much. I'll try not to think everything to death in Bellingen.
What is it with you Australians? You have to go walkabout? ;-)... Well i quess everybody has to. Been traveling alot my self, since i am from the corner of Europe, Finland. Living in a small town of Turku. But world is not seeing places, its more about being in places, living them. To "travel" is not to "move", since it doesnt take you anywhere. Take a leap of faith. Just pick a spot and go there. Be there. And then get frustrated with the situation all over again. Spot doesnt matter?
(not trying to tell, but to listen)
(not trying to tell, but to listen)
I'll tell you clearly what to do. Visit Norfolk in England. We have a good climate (no bush fires or torrents of rain), nice freindly wildlife (no weird snakes, crocs or spiders), nice friendly people (no fundementalists - just a few quakers, bhudists and Church of England types), loads of old stuff like Norman churches, Roman Forts, Stone Age axe works, castles (none of your wacky modern stuff like in Paris, London, Madrid etc) and of course some of the finest art known to mankind (Tracy and Damien don't even visit Norfolk so you'll be safe from crappy pickled fish and slept in beds).
A good time to visit would be between 16th May and 27th May when there are a load of artists opening their studios to the public across Norfolk. I see that one in particular... Nicola Slattery is opening her studio then and this will be a great chance for you to see at last her recent figurative paintings and prints. I especially like her recent painting Chasing the Dove on her website at www.nicolaslattery.com I'm not sure what it's supposed to be about but to me it symbolises the difficult pursuit of peace. I guess she's been hanging about with some of those quakers and budhists i mentioned. She also paints a lot of sheep so if you felt homesick her pics might help remind you of your loved ones left behind back home in the outback.
A good time to visit would be between 16th May and 27th May when there are a load of artists opening their studios to the public across Norfolk. I see that one in particular... Nicola Slattery is opening her studio then and this will be a great chance for you to see at last her recent figurative paintings and prints. I especially like her recent painting Chasing the Dove on her website at www.nicolaslattery.com I'm not sure what it's supposed to be about but to me it symbolises the difficult pursuit of peace. I guess she's been hanging about with some of those quakers and budhists i mentioned. She also paints a lot of sheep so if you felt homesick her pics might help remind you of your loved ones left behind back home in the outback.
Earl, that sounds just lovely.
Yep, I say just go and stop worrying about it. Stuff can be put in storage and off you go. woo hoo!
Yep, I say just go and stop worrying about it. Stuff can be put in storage and off you go. woo hoo!
Jafabrit is suggesting you go to Woo Hoo. I don't know which part of Australia Woo Hoo is located in and it may be very nice for all i know but please be brave and try Norfolk.
I also forgot to mention that we have real beer too (not that gassy larger stuff some grudge bearing convicts keep sending over here trying to poison or chemically castrate the youth of Britain... poor Damien drank a couple of tins of it once at art college and has never been the same since...apparantly he now uses it in place of formeldahythe).
I should also mention the Broads. They are not at all like your Sheilas. No Norfolk broads are really something else! They will really float your boat if you know what I mean!!!
Book your ticket to Norfolk now, forget about Bellingen and Woo Hoo and we'll see you in May. I've heard many people say that Norfolk is a good place although they often shorten this to simply saying it's "Norfolk and Good".
Hope this helps you make your mind up in favour of a visit to Norfolk but if you do decide to go to woo hoo please let us know what it's like as I feel Jafa has perhaps undersold it a bit?
Dont think just do it! (Unless you are Mr Obama in which case my message is please...please.. think very very carefully and maybe sleep on it...)
I also forgot to mention that we have real beer too (not that gassy larger stuff some grudge bearing convicts keep sending over here trying to poison or chemically castrate the youth of Britain... poor Damien drank a couple of tins of it once at art college and has never been the same since...apparantly he now uses it in place of formeldahythe).
I should also mention the Broads. They are not at all like your Sheilas. No Norfolk broads are really something else! They will really float your boat if you know what I mean!!!
Book your ticket to Norfolk now, forget about Bellingen and Woo Hoo and we'll see you in May. I've heard many people say that Norfolk is a good place although they often shorten this to simply saying it's "Norfolk and Good".
Hope this helps you make your mind up in favour of a visit to Norfolk but if you do decide to go to woo hoo please let us know what it's like as I feel Jafa has perhaps undersold it a bit?
Dont think just do it! (Unless you are Mr Obama in which case my message is please...please.. think very very carefully and maybe sleep on it...)
# posted by 
: 9:52 AM
: 9:52 AM
i say, buy the ticket. make the move. it's better to try than to always wish you did. norfolk, madrid, florence, wherever... in the meantime, check out all your new potential homes - it's like a european art excursion - you might dig it: http://www.ovationtv.com/programs/staycation/
# posted by : 2:56 PM
: 2:56 PM
Sounds great. You have a marketable skill, will be working the whole time, actual staying in new areas you can learn about, and off the beaten path of tourism, you are young, go for it.
Most travelers are voyeyers, jsut watching others do, hangign wiht exactly teh same type of folks they would at home. They learn nothing. Your plan you can learn, and create at the same time. Sounds like you need your batteries charge, go for it!
At somepoint you will feel like you need to settle down, most of us do, and need structure of some sort, especially creative types. Constant change and chaos is great for new material, but cant stand back and see whats what when caught up in it, need to distance oneself and see what is true and real. Go for it!
You will find a place to accept life in, and tend to your garden. You will not find life out there, but can mature and get a sense of proportion, and feed the Muse of creativity, she is a ravenous creature. She will come to you later, and give back in multiples as all wonderful women do.
Will you till be Blogger extraordinaire? I think you have created something here, at a very important time in human history. Art is needed again, and must be both nurtured, and toughed up. Weakness is not healthy, one must be strong. So one can pursue truth wherever she leads, not preconceiveed ideas. The human brain is a tiny, delicate, deceivable thing. Seek more, and then it can come out when you.
I am happily stationary now, but after almost 50 years, and things i am amazed I went through, in one piece physically and emotionally, and maybe mentally, I am done acumulating, now to produce what I ahve learned. but new things are constantly being discoveed adn felt, that is for the young to learn, and do as those who came before have done.
Enought of the fatherly advice(just had to console my Annapolis son, just failed his MCATS, hard to study when working more than full time as an officer. He will pass them next time, its not unsual, just like the Bar, and most dont work like he does)
So go for it! But dont give up on Artnewsblog. You got something here. Life is out there, not inside, art is when we reconcile the two.
Good luck, Cali aint too bad, the Sierras in Spring are incredible, Yosemite is Gods Cathedral.
art collegia delenda est
Most travelers are voyeyers, jsut watching others do, hangign wiht exactly teh same type of folks they would at home. They learn nothing. Your plan you can learn, and create at the same time. Sounds like you need your batteries charge, go for it!
At somepoint you will feel like you need to settle down, most of us do, and need structure of some sort, especially creative types. Constant change and chaos is great for new material, but cant stand back and see whats what when caught up in it, need to distance oneself and see what is true and real. Go for it!
You will find a place to accept life in, and tend to your garden. You will not find life out there, but can mature and get a sense of proportion, and feed the Muse of creativity, she is a ravenous creature. She will come to you later, and give back in multiples as all wonderful women do.
Will you till be Blogger extraordinaire? I think you have created something here, at a very important time in human history. Art is needed again, and must be both nurtured, and toughed up. Weakness is not healthy, one must be strong. So one can pursue truth wherever she leads, not preconceiveed ideas. The human brain is a tiny, delicate, deceivable thing. Seek more, and then it can come out when you.
I am happily stationary now, but after almost 50 years, and things i am amazed I went through, in one piece physically and emotionally, and maybe mentally, I am done acumulating, now to produce what I ahve learned. but new things are constantly being discoveed adn felt, that is for the young to learn, and do as those who came before have done.
Enought of the fatherly advice(just had to console my Annapolis son, just failed his MCATS, hard to study when working more than full time as an officer. He will pass them next time, its not unsual, just like the Bar, and most dont work like he does)
So go for it! But dont give up on Artnewsblog. You got something here. Life is out there, not inside, art is when we reconcile the two.
Good luck, Cali aint too bad, the Sierras in Spring are incredible, Yosemite is Gods Cathedral.
art collegia delenda est
"Yosemite is Gods Cathedral"? I thought it belonged to Yogi Bear. You must have it mixed up with Norwich Cathedral.
# posted by : 2:11 AM
: 2:11 AM
go to Alaska, stay a year, the seasons are so different, the people are very friendly,
What do you do that allows you to work from anywhere?
What do you do that allows you to work from anywhere?
God was here before man, and got to play with the landscape a little bit, coming up wiht designs to give to man, who doesnt always use them very wisely. But the big fella got it right the first time. Or sista.
When you got thousand plus foot waterfalls comng from you in al directions, you get a little sense of raw power. Of teh beneficial kind, not like aussie and socal wildfires. water tastes great, straight from melted high sierra snow, critters all around, watch out for the bears and squirrels, damn fuzzy tailed rats. Can backpack up inot the hihg country from teh 4k foot valley floor up to over 10k. Look at Ansel Adams books, that isnt exagerrated.
When you got thousand plus foot waterfalls comng from you in al directions, you get a little sense of raw power. Of teh beneficial kind, not like aussie and socal wildfires. water tastes great, straight from melted high sierra snow, critters all around, watch out for the bears and squirrels, damn fuzzy tailed rats. Can backpack up inot the hihg country from teh 4k foot valley floor up to over 10k. Look at Ansel Adams books, that isnt exagerrated.
thats awesome! i hope it plays out well for you.
if you make it to washington dc, i'll give you a tour of the city's art spaces.
if you make it to washington dc, i'll give you a tour of the city's art spaces.
Alaska, Yosemite, Washington DC, ..they all sound very pleasant but Norfolk is in Great Britain. There is a clue for you in the name of the country... and after all if you want to meet more colonists you might as well just wander outside of your present domain. I look forward to seeing you in May... in Norfolk...the home of great art and Nelson!
# posted by : 10:33 AM
: 10:33 AM
Ville, youre right, most of us love a good walkabout! Theyre good for getting lost and found.
Earl, I want to travel as much as I want to settle down, which is one of my many contradictions as a person. Norfolk may be a stop along the way but I first have to check out Bellingen in Aus.
I dont know much about Norfolk but I think of it as something like them boatscapes (new word?) of John Bellany.
It will be an art trip though, definately. I want to see all the art that I have looked at in books for so long.
And beer, isnt it served warm there? eww.. I like my beer cold, but do prefer Aussie red wine.
Donald, I also want to settle down, but once you get the travel bug it never leaves you. I'll still keep blogging if I travel too, it may turn into an art/travel blog though.
Shea, Alaska scares me. If there are more people like Sarah Palin there I would be afraid to leave my hotel..lol. I recently watched Into the Wild too, so freezing in a bus doesnt excite me either.
Im kidding, it looks like a beautiful place.
And, I look after a few websites, which allows me to pay the bills. All I need is a laptop and an internet connection.
Scenic Artisan, be careful as I could hold you to that offer someday ;-)
Earl, I want to travel as much as I want to settle down, which is one of my many contradictions as a person. Norfolk may be a stop along the way but I first have to check out Bellingen in Aus.
I dont know much about Norfolk but I think of it as something like them boatscapes (new word?) of John Bellany.
It will be an art trip though, definately. I want to see all the art that I have looked at in books for so long.
And beer, isnt it served warm there? eww.. I like my beer cold, but do prefer Aussie red wine.
Donald, I also want to settle down, but once you get the travel bug it never leaves you. I'll still keep blogging if I travel too, it may turn into an art/travel blog though.
Shea, Alaska scares me. If there are more people like Sarah Palin there I would be afraid to leave my hotel..lol. I recently watched Into the Wild too, so freezing in a bus doesnt excite me either.
Im kidding, it looks like a beautiful place.
And, I look after a few websites, which allows me to pay the bills. All I need is a laptop and an internet connection.
Scenic Artisan, be careful as I could hold you to that offer someday ;-)
Of course the beer is warm in Norfolk... like our hearts... seriously you only need chilled beer when you're burning your bum off in the outback... with a good easterly blowing over the broads you'll be glad the beer aint frosty..
# posted by : 11:01 AM
: 11:01 AM
"Scenic Artisan, be careful as I could hold you to that offer someday ;-)"
it'd be totally cool. i love showing off dc. especially the art side.
; )
it'd be totally cool. i love showing off dc. especially the art side.
; )
Ah you can get cold beer in Norfolk just like any where else in the UK. Norfolk is very flat with lots of churches and I have a connection with it so I can't say bad things about it..but I love London too so obviously London is a good place to visit as well.
Introspection is probably essential in an artist but don't let procrastination get you that's the bad one!
I think follow your instinct and just go somewhere you're lucky to have loads of freedom : )
Introspection is probably essential in an artist but don't let procrastination get you that's the bad one!
I think follow your instinct and just go somewhere you're lucky to have loads of freedom : )
The only thing I can identify with in your original post (additional comments a different matter) is that you spend your time thinking about life while life marches on around you. I am all too familiar with that scenario. Best wishes with all of it, just keep doing good things.
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