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Feb 17
in Inspirations, Tonga, Wisdom and Inspiration

“Try and be a piece of paper with nothing on it……

“Try and be a sheet of paper with nothing on it. Be a spot of ground where nothing is growing, where something might be planted, a seed, possibly, from the Absolute.” ~ Rumi

Have you ever felt like that??

I came across this quote this morning and I felt reassured. I’m in a space of … hmmm perhaps ‘blankness’ … emptiness… not a sad or depressed emptiness…. just feeling like I’m a lolly jar which has just been emptied – ready to be filled with fresh new ones…. or like “a piece of paper with nothing yet on it..(Rumi)”.. ready for new words; new markings; new ideas… ready to be filled with freshness.

Last year was huge – some of which included; my close friends leaving Australia….a trip to the east coast of US (which I managed on my own!), to share visions, professional development and friendship with some amazing photographers led by John Paul Caponigro…. A fantastic journey with Max to Karijini for a fabulous workshop led by Christian Fletcher, Tony Hewitt and Peter Eastway…. Had surgery on my lip….  Swam with, and photographed the whales in Tonga, led by Darren Jew….Re-commenced my Bodywork and Healing practice (which I closed at Christmas)…. Faced losing Max whilst frantically driving him New Years Eve to the hospital when he was having trouble breathing…(he has since recovered 🙂 ) … Supporting Max  and James to prepare for their journey through South America in Penny our 1923 Vauxhall Penny in South America  and now… now I’m quietly sitting healing the back of my patellas which I damaged when my femurs smashed up under them when I fell whilst squatting doing a floor massage the week before Christmas.

I knew I had damaged my knees during a bodywork session the week before Christmas… but just pressed on. Foolish. I got ‘through’ Christmas.. and whilst Max was in hospital I handed my knees over to the Doctor and Physio and a later MRI and a with miracle cancellation appointment enabling me to see a top Ortho a few weeks later, revealed the exercises which I had been so diligently “could not have been causing more harm”. So ..leg brace for a few weeks and suggested 3 – 12 months recovery. Bummer…. but hey…. this is LIFE!! .. (and a result of all my own choices! – even if it was an accident that my foot was caught on the mat.)

So… no stairs.. no driving… no outdoor adventures or photo expeditions…. no Zumba. No running 🙁 🙁 🙁  I’m finding that the most difficult… and being told I may not be able to run again is something I just refuse to accept. So I’m just shufflin’.  NO PITY please.. I’m good. 🙂 Thank goodness for online Woolies delivery!!! LOL

.. and feeling like a blank piece of paper. Feeling like “a spot of ground where nothing is growing, where something might be planted, a seed, possibly, from the Absolute. (Rumi)” Feeling like a jelly bean jar which has been washed and cleaned.

I’ve cleaned my studio and it is fresh. I’m just cleaning all my works for my exhibition in Melbourne at Red Gallery opening on April 10th. 🙂 . …. Being in my studio feels like I’ve started to have just a couple of fresh new jelly beans dropped in. I feel like a seed has been planted.

Have you ever felt like this?… in a space where things are coming a circle of completion and you are on the cusp of a fresh new way of Being?? I know that this is an important time for me… not just personally but professionally. I sense it is time for me to perhaps revisit images locked away in harddrives… perhaps I can read artist books… perhaps I can learn about other photographic artists. Perhaps I can become aware of any glint of direction for a new and fresh exploration of myself through a body of work.

Perhaps I am that blank piece of paper on which new and fresh ideas to be written then read…..new words shared….. fresh ideas drawn… sketched… painted…. coloured…..and maybe that piece of paper could also even be folded and shaped….

ahhhhh….. thank you Rumi… …  “a piece of paper with nothing on it….. ”

 

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About the Author: Julie
I am a Journeywoman. I live my life as an explorer. An adventurer. An Observer. An Artist. There is no differentiation between how I live my life and the art that is an expression of it. It is through my experience adventuring the unknown, that I learn more about myself. My aim through this connection is to live where my expression is fully in alignment with the essence of who I am. “In the field of Fine-Art Photography, Julie stands apart from others with the way she sees the world and expresses her connection within it. Julie Stephenson’s photographs are sublime. Her work is an expression of her deep connection; and a gift to the world.”

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2 Comments:

  1. Neil Burton
    February 17, 2013
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    Julie – Sorry to hear that your mobility is temporarily affected. It is something we all too often take for granted. However remember what Peter Eastway espouses – photography is two steps – capture and post-production. It could be a great time to rescreen your image library with fresh and unhurried eyes and discover new gems lurking in there, bring them out and cut and polish them. So that could be your true gift at the moment.

    Cheers,

    Neil

  2. Julie
    February 18, 2013
    Log in to Reply

    Thank you so much Neil for your well wishes and words of wisdom. Yes… I will discover new gems in my terrabyte library…. and cut an polish them. This gift of time and space is what many yearn for, so i will accept it with grace (although I must be honest and say I do still miss running … hehehehehehe)
    Love Julie


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skeinydipping

I looked down and saw my hands. Hands which have t I looked down and saw my hands. Hands which have touched; have loved; have created; have worked; have nurtured. My hands.   

I looked down and saw on my wrist and fingers items from around the world which have so many stories; items which have all been created from the heart and made by the hands of others. 

I looked down and saw beautiful yarn. Yarn which has been handled carefully through shearing, dyeing, skeining, balling; and now being knit in my beautiful hands. 

My hands are one of my gifts. This year I’ve really missed the touch of another with my hands, to feel the heart of another through my fingertips; but so grateful and love my hands which touch and feel; work and play!

What do you see when you look at your hands?

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Knitting a fabulous  #slipstravaganzamkal by @westknits .
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#gratitudeattitude #westknitsarethebestknits #westknitsmkal2020 #knittersofinstagram #knittersoftheworld #knittersofaustralia #indiedyedyarn #handmadewithlove #handmade #handmadejewellery #fromtheheart #createeveryday #livetotravel #healing #healinghands #creativehands
My life is wonderful… and I have so many stories My life is wonderful… and I have so many stories. I’ve had adventures on all continents. Slept being rocked by the sea; felt the ice on my skin in both polar regions, and felt the silence of the deserts. I’ve walked stone steps in monasteries at altitudes where each step I’ve taken consciously and mindfully; focussing on treasuring every molecule of oxygen in the rarefied atmosphere. 

COVID has paused those adventures, but I draw upon my experiences as I navigate adventuring my days in a different way, on our ‘home range’. 

I recall my steps in Tibet as I walk through our bushland. I am mindful and conscious of my surroundings. I listen. I feel. I feel happy here. I am content.

My new stories may not hold the same experiences of connection with others; and may not be of extreme challenges or crazy things  (which I am rather prone to doing! 🙂 ) but they are not less wondrous… as I smell the warm eucalyptus waft from under my feet. 

I weave my stories, and this story is of my personal journey on my daily walk through our bushland. 
You can see some of my other woven stories on my website - link in profile. 

How do you express your life’s stories?
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#weaversofinstagram #indiedyedyarn #indiedyed #rigidheddleloomweaving #ashford #inspiredbynature #contentcreator #emotionalbalance #homedeco #handcrafted #makersmovement #creativelifehappylife #wellbeing #travellerlife #journeywoman #weavingaustralia
“....The Assookinakii cowl was created for those “....The Assookinakii cowl was created for those times in your life when you need a meditative and healing knit. Assookinakii (ass-s-oo-kin-uh-k-EE) means ‘healer’ in the Blackfeet language, thank you to Cut Woods School in Browning, MT for the tradish language support”. –  Candice from @thefarmersdaughterfibers 

Knitting this beautiful cowl by Candice from @thefarmersdaughterfibers for @sistersunitedmt ; WAS healing. 

As my hands gently formed the repetitive stitches I reflected on the word ‘Assookinakii ‘ - healer. I am a healer. I don’t understand it. It’s something unseen. Something within me which has been recognised by Ngangkari and ‘clever men’ here in Australia; and shaman and healers around the world as we travel. This recognition always has caught me by surprise; as I seem to walk a line between two worlds. 

As the stitches slipped from one needle to another and the beautiful colours of @spincycle_yarns revealed themselves; in the pauses between the stitches I heard a voice whispering to continue to seek connection with the natural world and listen deeply. 

What has been healing for you this year?
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#healingjourney #meditationpractice #dyedinthewool #assookinakii_cowl #knittersofinstagram #knittingaddict #livinglifetothefullest #happydays #shaman #healer #healersofinstagram #listentoyourheart #indiedyedyarn #handmadewithlove #knittersgonnaknit #knittersoftheworld
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2017 All photographs created by and property of Julie Stephenson.