That's me on a rock.
Is it a selfie if you don't take it yourself?
Anyways, I notice I'm wearing a hat from Australia, a t-shirt from USA, a top from Canada, shoes from some sweatshop (😐😥). It's a wild world in so many ways.
Wild that we are so connected to many other places and people around this world, through our worldly possessions and otherwise.
And yet in this modern age, we are also in many ways FEELING more disconnected than ever. And this hurts. It hurts bad. It hurts our soul on a deep level.
And when shit gets real, when it inevitably does, then these missing connections cause real problems for our human psyche and our society as a whole.
No wo/man is an island, right?! Well from my experience, I can say that being able to connect with people with honesty and vulnerability can help a great deal. I grew up holding onto too much. It was crippling and unhealthy.
I didn't know any better though. Almost subconsciously, through the wider society, I learned as a guy, it wasn't safe to cry, to talk openly about my feelings, and to be truly vulnerable.
And all this fucking hurts. And it's hurting men and women, but especially men, all around the world. I know in Ireland the numbers of suicide in young males is through the roof.
Through tough times the last while, I have finally been able to take a step to be more vulnerable. It sounds simple but it's incredibly scary and alien to be vulnerable when you're not used to it. It feels like the whole world will fall apart. But it's worth it and it needs to be encouraged so men and women can be truly strong and healthy.
So yeah that's me wearing a smile, with huge thanks to friends who simply listen.
#community #friends #connection #vulnerability #walk #smile #talk #mentalhealth #openup #wildworld #fog #ireland
"Geimreadh ceoch, earrach reoch, samhradh ghrianmhar is fómhar biamhar." An old Irish proverb.
Winter of mist, a freezing spring, a summer of sun and bountiful autumn to come.
I got this from Garry Bannister's book - Proverbs in Irish.
Let's hope it's true. It was certainly a misty winter and freezing spring. The sun is out now for summer (thank the gods) and here's to an abundance in autumn.
I said I'd start to do a collection of images based on the proverbs for several reasons.
•To learn more Irish (Gaeilge), practice it, use it, share it.
•To get making art, even if it's really messy and kinda yucky, and share it here, since yes, behind it all I am an artist and I want to share it with the world.
•To mess around and break all sorts of rules with typography and fonts.
•To get over myself and find ways to free up the channels of energy and expression - I've been finding it hard to share here online. It seemed like everything I went to post was related to some personal difficulties in my life. Have been feeling so bogged down in this respect with relationship troubles / traumas and dealing with grief and my own mind.
Yes, I want to acknowledge these difficult aspects of my life and embrace them, but then it was getting to a point where everything was too intense.
So here is a very messy mess up of photos and a script and odd layers with filters on.
#gaeilge #seanfhocal #irish #proverbs #art #digital #photography #collage #colours #ealaine #ireland #summer
