Courageous Creating

Exploring Eriskay, Outer Hebrides, with the wind in my face.

Living a creative life is not only about making art. It is also about courageously creating how you want to live. For me, combining art with travel is my dream. It’s about following my passion and living a passion filled life.

Yesterday I was on the ferry from Barra to Eriskay, the two southern most islands in the Outer Hebrides. A woman in a motor home with a colourful scarf and hat got out of her vehicle and climbed up the stairs to the upper deck. I started up a conversation, as you do…

It turned out that Siobhan Daniels has been on the road with her van for the past two and a half years, touring around, writing a blog and has a book publishing deal in the wings. Her motto is to challenge ageism, live an adventurous life and along the way inspire other women to live their dream.

It’s a familiar theme for me and one I instantly resonated with. Pushing out of a “boxed” life where everything is the same, but safe, takes courage. Trusting that the universe is looking after you becomes easier as you start looking after yourself. How can you create a better life for yourself? Create is a verb - use it to take action.

On these islands there are many abandoned stone houses. I wonder what happened to the occupants. Did life get too hard? Were they forcibly removed and shipped off to Canada, (some were). Or did they choose to leave because the struggle for survival was all encompassing and taking a risk was better than staying put.

I think of these things as I marvel at the resilience of these former inhabitants who built their houses to shelter from the harsh weather and lived their lives to the best of the ability. Life is often challenging, but meeting it head on with passion, zest and the wind in your face, is exhilarating. Tomorrow I am venturing into the sea for some “wild Atlantic swimming” OMG!

All that remains of life on an island in the Outer Hebrides…