Today was about looking for connections that I could use to understand this small island and its place in the world. Last evening I met with Lucy from Eiggbox and had the most stimulating meeting I have had for a very long time. Eiggbox is a project that has a soul located in the island and the community that call it home. A creative space that lives in the minds for now but going through a process of translation to a physical building in the coming years. I have a very strong arts background so Lucy and I found ourselves on a similar page almost immediately but it was much more than that that inspired me. Lucy understands the island and the uniqueness of it and can see the opportunity that Eiggbox offers. A place creative work and potential collaborations between local artists and also involving visiting artists in the form of residencies. For all her creativity Lucy is also a pragmatist and so has defined an economic model that has great potential as a self sufficient social enterprise. I admired Lucy and felt privileged to have met her. I am now working on a piece following this initial interview but this will only be the start. Scottish island mum is committed to following the development of Eiggbox and, in due course, I will devote a page of this blog to the project so that we can all share in the journey.
Meeting Lucy and seeing her evident connection with the island made me more determined to forge my own connections. I have to put my feelings that I shouldn't be here to one side and have a more determined research strategy in my limited time here. Before I came here I thought my research would be based on oral histories as I attempted to uncover the community that is Eigg. That has now all changed and I think location has everything to do with that change. My little cocoon is based in the north west of the island in a place called Cleadale and this is crofting country. There is my most obvious connection and I almost missed it. I might not technically run a tenanted croft but I do run a smallholding and, ultimately, the goals are the same. Firstly to preserve the landscape and tread lightly and secondly to earn a living from that very land. Lucy's husband Ed has a licence from the Scottish government to harvest and sell bluebell seeds. I run a cut flower and willow smallholding so we are not worlds apart. I had not realised the peril that bluebells are in until I read their website so I would want to do an initial appeal for readers to buy seeds from Ed. You will be supporting him in making a real and critical difference. 
I have achieved two things together as part of this growing connection with the island. I have walked along the road which passes most of the crofts and studied how the land is divided and used. I have also visited the crofting museum and it was there that flickering thought patterns began to crystalize. A traditional Scottish blackhouse the museum has been preserved as if the last inhabitants had just popped out to the shop. These living museum always have a story to tell and this one was no different. The story settles on a family owned croft for over 90 years which witnessed almost continual change and challenge. Crofting was and is a challenging way of life and fell out of favour in the post war period. Now, however, the Crofting Council have a large and growing waiting list of people wanting to take on a croft.
This croft is typical I feel for the struggles facing crofters and this is captured by the words of Roy Gibson who says 'the land has held the people - the people have not owned the land'. There lies the problem that dates back hundreds of years. Crofting is based on a tenanted model so this limits what can be done with the croft. Restrictions have been placed throughout history that have made it harder and harder to earn a decent living from a croft.
On Eigg the Trust owns the land since the 1997 buy out and they assign the crofts. Cleadale in a crofting community that is of this century with its harvesting of bluebell seeds, its gardening courses and its organic vegetable growing. The diversity in intent is all about each crofter finding their way on the island and that speaks volumes. However, I still believe that it is a challenging existence and no one does it to make their fortune and that is an accepted part of crofting. Interestingly, I realised today that my writing residency on the Isle of Lewis is based on a croft and they have a completely different model from the one operating here. I feel this crofting story will run a little longer yet.
Now I have something to connect with I feel slightly more at ease about being here and sharing the island with the wildlife. My second research strategy was to use a tool that I have spent the last few years developing. I took myself off to the beach to do a meditation that had called me the very first time I stepped on it on Saturday. Although not alone it was easy to find a spot to sit and prepare. Using the relatively simple technique of visualization I followed a shard of blue light that hung in the air above the Isle of Rum. Taking that view into my minds eye the meditation was easily accessed and rewarding to complete. I am currently leading a course on meditation through writing so I recorded the meditation and have published it on my Isle of Eigg page.
As I walked up from the beach I could hear band practice with some serious heavy metal music making. A line of sheep chilling on the path having arrived just in time for the start. I even saw heads bobbing up and down. Another example of how the Isle of Eigg works and believe me this place really works. Until tomorrow. xx
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