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"Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment and without judgement." Jon Kabat Zinn In February 2012 I began a photography project which I called Take One A Day and Two on Sundays - my own prescription for recovery from a period of serious illness. I decided to post one interesting photo on Facebook every day (and two on Sundays). The project got me out of the house and helped to lift me out of the doldrums. My approach to photography is inspired by the concept of 'mindfulness' which I was introduced to at Blythe House Day Care Hospice in Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire. This unique place offers counselling, therapies, information and support to people whose lives have been affected by life-threatening illness. Courses in Mindfulness and Self-Compassion are part of their 'Living Well' service and these were a lifeline to me at a very difficult time. Since then many things in my life have changed. I have come through a breakdown and I'm doing o.k. I live with chronic fatigue but, thanks to mindfulness and the pacing I learnt at Blythe House, I now exhibit and sell my photographs through The Green Man Gallery in Buxton which I also help to run. Photography has become a habit, a need, a purpose and most of all a joy. My camera goes everywhere with me. The decision to post my photographs on Facebook was the best I could have made. The feedback I received encouraged me to exhibit my work and continues to inspire me to continue with my project. I'm also indebted to two artists and friends: Catherine Sarjeant, who runs art drop-in sessions at Blythe House, and Suzanne Pearson, a painter and print-maker. Both of them did so much to help me believe in myself again. |
Subjects
The Natural World
'Noticing' is now a way of life. Wherever I go I take photos of the things which catch my eye. I don't always know immediately why something has caught my eye but the process of photographing it, spending time with it, helps me to discover the reason. I am endlessly fascinated by the natural world, in particular everything that lives and grows around me.
I’m never more 'present' than when I’m taking photographs...
'Noticing' is now a way of life. Wherever I go I take photos of the things which catch my eye. I don't always know immediately why something has caught my eye but the process of photographing it, spending time with it, helps me to discover the reason. I am endlessly fascinated by the natural world, in particular everything that lives and grows around me.
I’m never more 'present' than when I’m taking photographs...
...observing how sunshine through petals, leaves and seed cases reveals their
colours and structure... |
...noticing how the light catches a delicate thread of spider silk stretched between stem and flower...
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...discovering how shapes and textures are repeated in nature.
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I started my photography project in Spring, just as my garden was coming to life again, so it's hardly surprising that the first subjects to catch my eye were new leaves, new shoots, flowers and insects. My garden is fairly wild and most of the plants are common to every garden in Buxton but the changing light and the very special climate here (in June 1975 snow stopped play at the cricket ground) can make the ordinary extraordinary.
The majority of the photographs on this site were taken in my own garden, in the garden of Blythe House Hospice and in the parks, woodland and countryside around Buxton. I've documented the changing seasons through my macro lens, often photographing the same plant at several different stages of its life, to create a detailed portrait of my immediate environment. Chronic fatigue has restricted my activities and my travels but I've found a deeply fascinating world on my doorstep.
The majority of the photographs on this site were taken in my own garden, in the garden of Blythe House Hospice and in the parks, woodland and countryside around Buxton. I've documented the changing seasons through my macro lens, often photographing the same plant at several different stages of its life, to create a detailed portrait of my immediate environment. Chronic fatigue has restricted my activities and my travels but I've found a deeply fascinating world on my doorstep.
My home town
I live in the beautiful town of Buxton on the edge of the Peak District.
At 1,000 ft above sea level, Buxton is the highest market town in England. It sits in a bowl of hills, surrounded by wild gritstone moorland to the north and west (known as the Dark Peak) and the limestone plateaux and gorges of the White Peak to the south and east.
The town is full of trees and encircled by woods of oak, ash, beech and silver birch. The Victorian Pavilion Gardens with its magnificent conservatory is just one of the jewels in Buxton's crown. The gardens are just around the corner from where I live and I walk there as often as I can.
I live in the beautiful town of Buxton on the edge of the Peak District.
At 1,000 ft above sea level, Buxton is the highest market town in England. It sits in a bowl of hills, surrounded by wild gritstone moorland to the north and west (known as the Dark Peak) and the limestone plateaux and gorges of the White Peak to the south and east.
The town is full of trees and encircled by woods of oak, ash, beech and silver birch. The Victorian Pavilion Gardens with its magnificent conservatory is just one of the jewels in Buxton's crown. The gardens are just around the corner from where I live and I walk there as often as I can.
'Buxton Cupolas' - The Opera House and
the entrance to the Pavilion Gardens
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'Woodlight' - Spring light in Corbar Woods
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'Buxton Icons' - The Opera House, St John's Church and The Old Clubhouse
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Living Waters
Like many of the artists who live and work locally, I am inspired by Buxton's waters - its wells and springs, its streams and ponds, the River Wye on which it stands - and the beauty of rain which falls abundantly here.
I'm fascinated by the reflective and mercurial properties of water in all its forms and I'm constantly on a quest to capture these through my camera.
Like many of the artists who live and work locally, I am inspired by Buxton's waters - its wells and springs, its streams and ponds, the River Wye on which it stands - and the beauty of rain which falls abundantly here.
I'm fascinated by the reflective and mercurial properties of water in all its forms and I'm constantly on a quest to capture these through my camera.
'Aquatic Distortion'
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'River Abstract 2'
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'Abstract Melt'
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People... and music-making
Music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember and there is music everywhere in Buxton. I love to explore the relationship of the musician with their instrument and the singer with the song during a rehearsal or performance. Fortunately my musician friends seem happy for me to make them my subjects.
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Links
There are many sources of information about mindfulness. The Mental Health Foundation's 'Be Mindful' website is a good place to start www.bemindful.co.uk
The Green Man Gallery www.thegreenmangallery.com
Blythe House Hospice www.blythehousehospice.co.uk
Buxton www.visitbuxton.co.uk
The Peak District www.visitpeakdistrict.com
Caroline Small's writing, theatre and storytelling website www.carolinesmall.co.uk