Valentines day

Birdsong is a beautiful sound that I have noticed loud and clear these last few mornings, despite the very wintry weather. The birds are heralding the arrival of Spring and it is a welcome and inspiring sound. They are calling out to potential and existing loved ones, and alerting others of their kind to food sources, predators, travels, nest sites and communal gatherings. Just the basic essentials of surviving life really.

I am sure that users of Twitter justify their involvement in it and the existence of it through believing that by contributing to it they are disseminating essential information, just the same as a bird in its song, but on a human level. I have always been of the cynical opinion that Twitter is of little long term or profound purpose. I guess that a very high number of tweets are banal, reactionary, egotistical and self publicising. However, that said, there are skills required to use Twitter - dedication, an opinion, making time to respond to others, stating your thoughts and feelings, 'following' others and finally, being yourself.

While drawing this, I imagined two people falling in love just by following each other on Twitter, entranced and captivated by the mundane nature of each others 'tweets'. This got me thinking. Maybe I could put my opinions of Twitter to one side and just for a Valentines Day moment, think of Twitter and other social networking tools differently. After all, we all know that surviving a relationship involves tolerating an awful lot of everyday boring stuff and not always with the soundtrack of beautiful birdsong. Just like reading Twitter. So, are the skills required to use and enjoy Twitter really just the ones that anyone in a relationship needs to survive beyond Valentines Day. Now, what about blogs…?

Illustration

Here is a simple illustration for a housing assocation. It demonstrates in a graphic form the ways that a customer can influence decision making in the organisation and the path of that influence.

Chalky Downs

During that time in between Christmas and New Year (as it is now), I get a craving to get out of the house, see a big sky and inhale fresh air. It is a reaction to being indoors, over indulging in good food and drinking plenty of red wine. One of the places I love to go is up on the South Downs. The sky gets bigger as you climb and the view further. The day before yesterday I set off with my husband our two boys and two dogs from the base of the 'northern face'. Due to illness and cold, however, our ascent was cut short but today, I set off again in -1˚C of frost and a keen northerly wind. Just me and the dogs aiming for the sun at the top. Whenever I walk the Downs, I always notice tiny animal paths worn on the grass, sheep trails, mountain bike tyre tracks and, on this path, the way that the chalk is worn away by heavy rainstorms leaving gulleys in the chalky, soft path. I wish I had had a pen and paper or a good camera with me. This picture is a sketch of how I saw the path quickly jotted down in Illustrator. Not right but a good reminder of my frosty, chalky walk. I would like to do some more 'sketches'. Ideally even a painting or two adding some better observed details.

Christmas 08

There was something not quite cute enough about the previous bird illustration, so I have adapted it. Now, I just need to sort out how to make it into an e-card....