Rachel Brown, 30th April – 13th May 2022
The main hope for my stay was to be able to connect with the desire to paint again – a long term chronic illness has stripped me of energy and left with me a fear of doing too much and making myself more ill – a cycle for many years. I have had a creative stalling.
Within 36 hours of arriving I was painting. I felt compelled to paint, almost a frenzy. It was such a joy. I felt no reservations, no self judgement. I bobbed in the sea and painted and walked a little as I could manage.
I think entering into my two week stay with no tight boundaries, with a general hope and a sense of play in my work rather than any finished piece goals or painting toward any deadlines, gave me a sense of freedom and unlocked the joy in the process of painting that I was worried I had lost. It was a truly joyful and experimental feeling. A lesson in self belief and seizing the creative feeling when it grabs you.
