More Strings to Play

This week I got another instrument. This is my bouzouki, made in Romania, travelled up here from Yorkshire. Playing music has become so important to me over the last three years. It is so much fun, it offers a sense of progress and different processes to master. It allows you to be creative without any… Continue reading More Strings to Play

One Long Journey Leads to Another

This is my Baglama Saz. I heard someone playing one on YouTube and loved the sound, so I bought one. It arrived two years ago today. I followed its journey from Istanbul to Leipzig to East Midlands to Aberdeen, then to here. The second journey started with me slowly learning how to play an instrument… Continue reading One Long Journey Leads to Another

Trusting the Process

Earlier this week, I watched my current favourite TV programme, Portrait Artist of the Year, in which people paint a celebrity. As a non-artist, I marvel at what these people produce in four hours. They paint a good likeness, while capturing the spirit of the person. The common theme is that they all have a… Continue reading Trusting the Process

Gratitude

There’s an old Sufi story about the philosopher who is asked, ‘Why are you always so happy?’ He replied, ‘I wake up every morning with a choice – do I feel sad, or do I feel blessed? I choose to feel blessed.’ Recently, I’ve had conversations with people who keep talking about what they’re missing… Continue reading Gratitude