On Strong coffee, grey hair and making Art
What energizes and motivates ..
It’s 5am , my eyes are wide open and I am just stretching and getting ready for the day. Roosters (7 of them ) are crowing outside to indicate the day has begun. (They crow all day and into the night but at this time their mournful competitive screeches sound determined and synchronized.
First and foremost the one dog and two cats require feeding or the chorus of pleading will be endless. I plug in the kettle , open the cans and commence the early morning rituals..Lights are dim and I can complete these tasks in a somewhat semi comatose manner -such is the habit.
Morning is my most productive time of the day . After this part is done is my sweet reward of strong freshly ground coffee and peace. My mind is pretty activated (part caffeine/part morning solitude) and it’s in this precious window of time is where my day starts to blossom and my thoughts germinate ..
This is a definite change over time. I do recall a time when keeping fully covered and comforted by blankets until I was forced to rise was the norm. Sleeping in a luxury . Now I fold into the night early (nine or ten pm) and wake up in the dark.
Can you relate?
The upside of all this is a reversal in energy output and the downside is it’s hard to attend late night events without yawning .
The other thing is I feel motivated to make art and energized to do so after morning ritual , walk and a bit of breakfast . The downside to this in winter is it takes a while for the natural light to return so distractions potentially occur. When do you enjoy creating/feeling productive? Sometimes its not a clear divide between morning and night time makers and creatives..
In my experience ..the passage of time and changes in my own body and psyche have changed the way I work and play.
As for the grey hair..This is definitely a larger topic ! I am relatively new to the experience of living with my hair in its natural state as I had it bleached and blonded for 20 or so years now by my live in hair stylist ( husband . ) Two months ago I decided enough was enough-Will the real me stand up! He had been cutting all of the lightened bits off gradually at my request so I could tentatively decide if I was in the comfort zone of making the change. (I had no idea what my colour or lack of it was after so many colour treatments!) My scalp felt dreadful and the bleaching did not feel like it was a healthy ritual
The topic has been a bit more hot and pressing over the last few years with celebs like Andie McDowell and Jamie Lee Curtis setting a tone with going grey all the way. Nonetheless I notice its such a symbolic notion that grey equates aging and old -particularly for women .
Another bonus of getting older is acceptance and giving less of a hoot about what others think of us. It’s not giving up or giving in -it’s just being ourselves ..however we choose to be.
For another thread or topic perhaps ..How much does our personal image affect how others perceive us as artists..professional or otherwise ? Are the algorithms of certain social media geared towards a particular image of youth and should we be concerned?
My hair and scalp feel healthy once more and I am exactly the same person.
How do you feel about your grey hair?
Enough said ..Cheers Heather
In my family some us had grey hair as early, I did as an 11 year old. I remember a young friend of mine from school yanking out one of my 'greys'. I was furious with her. I always thought of my grey hair, back then, as symbols of love from my female ancestors. Though my Mum coloured her hair way into her 70's, my sister and I never thought about our silvery grey streaks, our hair in its natural form was just part of us. And we found it hard not to exchange looks and burst into laughter when other women stopped us on the street to ask where we got our hair 'done', or how brave we were to leave our hair natural. Not having grown up in North America we were a little less pressured by the society norms to follow through with fashion, styling, the current home decor, but I have come to understand how much pressure there is put on women to look young.
I love the term ageless because so much has revolved around age and youth, it is high time to stop focusing so much on it when it comes to appearances.
I too am an artist, 50 plus as you put, but I am proud of my 66 years because I made it - to cash in on my pension đŸ˜€ and also that all these years have given me so much experience and courage. Thanks for this great space Heather! I am enjoying your writing and thoughts as much as I enjoy your art making.
Going gray was a decision to free myself from my always a bit too late notice of exposed roots. Eventually I stopped noticing my gray in the mirror. At times I squint and the gray streaks remind me of spraying blond streaks in my teenage years... lol
In the end, I believe that the gray in my hair, like the lines on my face, are my proof of a life lived.