JUNE 2024
My goodness! However fast have the last six months flown by?!
“Time is passin’ like a solar eclipse.” sings Dua Lipa, as she headlines Glastonbury 2024 this week.
Once again, Glastonbury has become ‘The Coolest Place on Earth’ as more than 200,000 people including music ‘royalty’ and international celebrities descend upon Somerset for the biggest music festival in the world.
While I am principally a writer, I very much appreciate other creative arts of all kinds, as well as the artists behind them. And, as you’ve probably gathered, I love music, lyrics and choreography.
Capturing the moment
What fascinates me about all creative arts is their general reliance often on capturing a single, unique moment.
“I’m not here for long…Catch me or I go Houdini,” sings Dua Lipa.
’Houdini’ was written to embody the energy of a good night out and the fun and liberating side of being single, but the lyrics offer a deeper interpretation. Dua Lipa released it as the first single from her new album, ‘Radical Optimism’ – on the anniversary of the death of Harry Houdini (March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926), who was the world’s most iconic illusionist and magic’s greatest visionary.
Houdini’s work somehow still seems relevant today because he made an art form out of overcoming seemingly unsurmountable challenges. The success and dramatic impact of Houdini’s escapology depended upon planning, precision and split-second timing. It resonates in a way with some of the incredible feats that many of my clients are achieving in 2024 by finding new ways through, and groundbreaking solutions for, the difficulties posed by current global pressures. What is being achieved by my clients this year holds a unique “Wow Factor” and is further evidence to me that: “When the going gets (really) tough, the tough (really) get going”. To my colleagues: I am deeply impressed. You have excelled yourselves already in 2024, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year holds.
Lasting impacts
Creative inspiration, of course, has an impact that lasts longer than a moment. Events like Glastonbury Festival create lasting memories, only some of which are captured in photos, videos and stories.
While ‘the moment’ often lasts a tiny fraction of a second, the work involved in either planning this ‘moment’ or translating it into an art form requires many hours, days, weeks, months or even years, but its impact can last a lifetime or much, much longer.
In addition, creativity brings people together in unique ways, creates and strengthens friendships, fuels love, dreams, and passions, enables us to grow and develop, and provides the energy to drive on through challenges. It is essential in making an instant impact and lasting impression in the marketplace.
Fabric of our environment
As well as appreciating good music, I have a particularly deep affinity with visual creativity and have a great conviction of its power and fundamental importance. As well as its fame due to the Glastonbury festival, Somerset is a fertile ground for talent in visual arts. It is not surprising considering the inspirational backdrop of the incredible natural landscape of the Somerset Levels, as well as its rich history.
I have mentioned the stunning photography that is produced daily here in my previous blog. Few are better at capturing the moment on camera than fellow villager, Philip Dalton – award-winning wildlife photographer and film producer (Nature, Spy in the Wild, Snow Bears). As well as enjoying photography and film footage skillfully crafted in this area, I am also discovering the depth of other local visual arts.
Another example of how a creative moment can translate into a (very) long lasting work which has particularly grabbed my attention is the Glastonbury Mural Trail – A spectacular ‘outdoor art exhibition’ created by local artists who have painted more than 50 murals on buildings and walls throughout the town. The Trail has been expanded with the addition of several works already this year, including Jon Minshull’s ‘Dahlias’.
The Mural Trail demonstrates how visual art can actually become a large part of the very fabric of our environment and serve in elevating its functionality tremendously. For one of my clients in the healthcare industry, I was commissioned to write about a similar project in which the introduction of murals and ‘environmental art’ significantly improved patient perception of and adherence to a public health screening campaign in the developing world. It made it a success. Creative arts have a growing role in providing solutions to our increasingly complex society.
Equine Art Days
Towards supporting talented local artists based in Somerset, I am hosting a series of equine art days – “A Day in the Life of a Horse”, at the yard this Summer, and I am looking forward to welcoming the first artists soon.
It will be fascinating to see how they ‘capture the moment’ with my lively youngsters. I will be delighted to share the results of their work with you in my next blogs.
Rich Colors of Recovery
Of course, the natural world also largely revolves around the principle of grasping short-lived as well as longer-term opportunities And after such a direly wet and prolonged winter, we have all been relieved that Spring has actually happened! All of a sudden, we are surrounded by the colors, sounds, textures, smells, movements and rituals of Spring.
Male Kingfisher feeding young. Philip Dalton.
One ‘extra’ natural phenomenon this Spring was a powerful display of the Aurora Borealis – The Northern Lights. The visibility of the Northern Lights was particularly strong in May in our area. Light pollution is minimal in rural Somerset, so this amazing natural spectacle was widely observed here and elsewhere in the UK. Definitely a moment to capture, as many did manage to on camera.
Generally, I have seen the business landscape becoming more colorful so far this year, with powerful shoots of recovery emerging in the industries that I work in. Let’s hope they continue to develop to turn this year into a vibrant one that we can really celebrate.
Enjoy!
Returning to festivals, if you are a music fan, I hope you get to enjoy Glastonbury 2024 to the full, from wherever you are.
And have a great Summer, (while it lasts!).
“It’s your moment baby, don’t let it slip.” Dua Lipa.
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