Authenticity ...

My lifelong friend Simon Buttonshaw dropped in today - he brought of his many journals to assist in a sharing of where he has been the last 12 months. For over a decade now - each and every day - he has written a page and painted a picture of that captured, in beautiful detail, the living of his life - much of it in the south of France some also here in Australia. Each day, each picture, represents a unique slice of life - for this is how artists see the world - in slices, in moments, and every single moment supplies us with an opportunity to see things from a new perspective. It was such a privilege for me to leaf through his journal ... and as we did so, we talked about the importance of process, about the value of authenticity, about how we have lived our lives. But that word - authenticity - came up again and again. For it is easy to see, we live in a world of 'polished contrivances' - in a world where immediate gratification and indulgent self-importance have become the 'norm'. In walking the 'authentic path' we open ourselves to criticism, to envy, to ridicule, to embarrassment, etc ... it is indeed a 'path less travelled' but one replete with reward and discovery. - JBW