Thursday 7 April 2011

Days 25 & 26: Looking good naked

So, I feel I've neglected my blog this week but there wasn't much I could do about it. Well, actually, there was but it would have been totally out of character - I could have planned my time and my workload better. That's something I'm definitely working on but I'm not there yet. I'm hoping my new planning tools will help me - a magnetic white board on which I'm going to stick a big monthly diary that'll be coloured in and scribbled on with time blocked out for work, fun, exercise, communing with nature etc. Let's just hope I manage to drill the board to the wall soon - drilling isn't my forte but I'm determined to give it a go this time, and without supervision!

For today, however, I'll just have to accept that I had to neglect my blog a little this week to get my other work done. However, through that work, I have learned or been reminded of something - namely, that my anxiety around my ability to do a particular work project gets in my way and takes up my time much more than the actual doing of the work. Maybe when I take on my next project I can start from a position of self-belief and greater confidence in my abilities as well as an understanding that striving for perfection is a fool's game.

Today's post will be pretty short and sweet also - I hope to post something longer and a little more personal tomorrow. I'm in Somerset today (part of the work project) and it definitely is summer here. The sun is out, the fields are a glorious green and I've seen several people wandering around in shorts. Sometimes, getting out of London and into the great English countryside is such a tonic. Notice I'm not revealing my precise whereabouts. Ever since my Mum told me about the thriller she'd read in which the victim was stalked by her attacker via her Facebook and Twitter feeds I've been a little nervous about revealing my exact location!

Before I head off for my massage - yes, I've actually booked a massage (a rare event) - I just want to alert any Londoners who might be interested in taking their clothes of in the interests of bodily self acceptance about an event taking place tomorrow. Spirited Bodies was founded by three life models - Morimda, Lucy and Esther - who, as a by-product of their work, feel comfortable with their nudity and who now use art to empower other women to feel the same. As it says on their website, "it is wonderful to be comfortable being oneself", but so few women feel that way, partly because of a culture that tells us we should aspire to a certain image of beauty or body size. Tomorrow evening, that's Friday April 8, Spirited Bodies is inviting women (and one man it seems!) to take part in a life modelling event, creating Renaissance masterpieces like Rubens' 'The Three Graces' or Titian's 'The Seven Ages of Woman'. The event is entitled 'The Ages of Woman' and women of all, shapes, ages, sizes and colours are invited to attend. I can't say I've ever tried life modelling and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it for myself, so I'll defer to Spirited Bodies greater knowledge of its potential benefits, as stated on their website: "Life modelling can be beneficial to those overcoming body confidence issues, to women accepting and loving their bodies following pregnancy, illness, trauma, abuse or being over-sexualised. It is a powerful way to get in touch with yourself through meditation and being an inspiration for art." While I can see the logic in that I think I'll stick to my massage for today, but hoping all those who attend the Spirited Bodies event leave feeling empowered and more comfortable in their own skin.

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