Creativity Blooming

The year has got off to a running start! Here are a few of the creative things I’ve been up to…

In the Recording Studio

I have been in the studio the past couple months recording some wonderful new worship music. My incredible friend Mikali Anagnostis has written four beautiful songs much-beloved by our church community, bringing together life-giving theology, poetic language and moving music. It’s been a privilege to watch their music emerge over the past few years, and I was delighted to play flute on two of the tracks. Stay tuned for the release of this EP in coming weeks; it will be plastered all over my social media!

Poetry in Progress

This year I am dedicating more time and energy to writing poetry. The balance with paid work is sometimes precarious, but it is enriching and exciting to dive deeper into my poetic craft. The manuscript-in-progress is definitely making progress!

Annandale Creative Arts Centre are running The Artist’s Way groups again this year, working through Julia Cameron’s book/course on creative recovery. It has been wonderful to participate in one of these groups and I am enjoying discussing the intersections between spirituality and creativity in community.

I have also begun performing more regularly at open mic nights around Sydney. This past week I competed in my first ever poetry slam and placed third! I performed gaze at Bread and Butter Poetry Slam, a poem about being perceived as a nonbinary person. You can watch the video on my Instagram.

Insights

Feel free to read my most recent articles in Insights Magazine, about World Pride and about the difference between including and affirming LGBTQIA+ people at church.

A Wonderful Resource

I thought I would share one of my favourite resources I have been using recently. Thanks to my experience during Toolkits: Poetry last year, I have fallen in love with ekphrastic writing. There is something meditative about spending time reflecting on visual art, and it often takes me out of a perfectionistic headspace into one where I am more present. I have been exploring The Vita Divina Project by enfleshed, a collection of artworks by LGBTQIA+ people of faith with accompanying guided journalling questions. It’s a very open way of engaging with art and with spirituality, even if church isn’t your thing (and it's available online for free).

Check out my previous newsletters here.