A day of working on my new site punctuated with a lovely walk on Kildonan beach to collect beautiful blue mussel shells for my Christmas wreaths. I try to include a little bit of Arran in all my wreaths and I have some lovely white and silver hearts to work from. The mussel shells will be perfect.
At this time of year I don't think a day is complete unless I have foraged for something. Autumn is a time to gather and share and it is one of my favourite times of the year. September is my favourite month on the island as the visitors return to their lives and the island returns to the islanders. Everything seems to slow down and the stillness on the calm days is broken by raging autumn storms on other days. The contrast is what makes island living so refreshing.
On the beach today we were lucky to see a large group of seals, a heron and lots and lots of oyster catchers. Kildonan is a magical corner of the island and I think the wildlife know that and gravitate towards the bay. A large black seabird glided across the bay but it is yet to be identified. The boys are searching the books as I write. I have always been a fan of the colour grey as it has so many shades to it. On a day like today it is the greys that dominate but in a way that puts the view into infinity. The stillness and calmness wraps itself around you and you can not help but relax and let go. It was the perfect walk. The walking continues tomorrow with a new walking pal and we are off to the dye mill. I am hoping that the turning colours in the trees will give me some captivating autumn images.
The rest of the day has been lost in a whirl of editing and emailing as the site begins to come together. As I re-read all the pieces that will appear on the launch I am truly moved by the writing and I instinctively know that One soul many hearts has a place to fill. In a world that is not always kind or loving this new site will provide a little virtual haven where we can all disappear to in search of inspiration. The images that are being collated are all capable of making us pause, look and reflect and that is an essential element of the site. One soul many hearts is not like Scottish island mum. It is not something you will feel the need to check on every day. It is a place that you can visit when you need to feed your soul and take some time out of your daily activities. I am working on a commissioned piece at the moment based around the concept of sabbatical and it is proving fascinating. We perhaps understand the term sabbatical differently but we all understand the essence of it. We all understand the need to suspend daily life from time to time to create time to just 'be'. One soul many hearts will have its own sabbatical essence and I do hope as many of you as possible stop by from time to time.
I am particularly keen to showcase creative work from young people. It might be a piece of writing, a photograph or a creative project but if you know of anyone do point them in this direction. I am lifting a key saying that I hear often from young people as the theme for my first photographic gallery in November. 'Keeping it real' is the inspiration behind the gallery and I am looking for photographs that speak to that phrase. They should not be subjected to any changes via software as I am on the hunt for authentic images. They can, however, be on any subject. I just need the photograph, a suitable caption and any relevant web links and/or contact details. Please pass this opportunity among your friends if you can - many thanks.
I have also put my first call out for sponsors for the new site. I want to look at sponsorship innovatively and not just focus on monetary exchange. There are lots of ways that sponsorship can work and I am looking for individuals and/or small businesses who might be interested. In return your work will be featured on the site in a sensitive and responsive way which will include an editorial written by me. There are short term and long term opportunities available so do get in touch for a chat. Scottish island mum has had over 27,000 page views since January of this year and has upwards of 250 readers who visit the site daily. It should provide excellent exposure opportunities for your work and I am delighted that I already have someone who has offered to sponsor the site.
The areas I am still light on are the 'small corners of the world' page and the 'inspirational books' page. The former is focused on short reviews of places you have visited that have truly touched you in some way. It can be from anywhere in the world but off the tourist beaten track is probably more engaging. The latter is a small book review based on a book that has made you stop and think. A book that has spoken to you in a unique way is exactly what I am looking for. Both these pages strike at the heart of the site as they are about sharing. You need never have written before as this provides a platform for us all. Do contact me if you think you have something to share.
Once the site is launched on October 11th I can breathe a little more deeply for a while. It is not a site that requires daily input and I do want the launch format to sit for a while to give time for it to breathe as well. Daily updates including all opportunities are already being posted on the sites facebook page so if you haven't popped over to hit the 'like' button you might want to just do that. One soul many hearts has a different currency and flow from Scottish island mum and I would hate for anyone to miss out. I would, of course, be grateful if you can then share the facebook page with your facebook friends as this will help the spread of the site in the run up to launch day.
I don't want anyone to think that I am neglecting planning for Scottish island mum because that is also underway. I have decided on a draft format for the site post 2013 but this may well change when I get feedback from you guys. I am aiming for ask for feedback in November that will help Scottish Island Mum move into 2014 but if you have any gems of wisdom do message me anytime. I am always so grateful for all your feedback. A week without wifi last week did make for an interesting couple of days but I have managed to catch up so I am cooking on gas again.
I just want to end by sharing a small piece of feedback that I have just received from a student on my meditation through writing course. She has kindly allowed me to share and to let you know that her life has been a real challenge for the past few years. She wrote 'this course has taught me many thinks but the most important of them all is that I have a voice and it can be heard. It might be tiny but it is growing each and every day through the exercises on the course and for that I will always be grateful. Recent years have been really tough and I had rather lost my way. Now I have found a path that I can walk down and feel a growing sense of happiness.'
You will know that I cried....
Until tomorrow. xx
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