Hi,
How’s things? This week, the Jones family have been enjoying a staycation and it’s been fantastic. My, that’s unusually positive and drama free isn’t it? 🤪 What a joy to be able to be able to say that, given the last few summer ends have been difficult, mentally speaking. Fingers crossed the negativity goblin remains in their cave eh?
Are you local?
Sadly, the immortal words of ‘the local shop’ from The League of Gentlemen have not been heard in our wanderings around the East Midlands. Maybe that’s a good thing, given what the shop owners get up to. 😉
So, I’ve had the pleasure of early-ish dog walks accompanied by the Ever Lovely Mrs J in not too hot weather. Then home for a trip out with Child 2.0. We’ve visited a few castles, a stately home, art galleries, and museums. I should add that these were at the polite behest of Child 2.0.
But, Lynn, museums…? Yawn?
Um. No? Not if you go to the right ones. Plus, as a neurodiverse geek, I’m forever grateful for no-one in our family asking to go to a sports thing – or worse, try to get me to join in.
There’s only two sports I do: napping and sarcasm. Both remain tragically unrespected at a professional level. 🙂 Actually, I dare not Google either, as I dare say there will be some tongue-in-cheek competitions for both. 😁
To see the world differently: Part One
One of the days out included a trip down to Leicester to see the Vincent Van Gogh Digital Experience. I did have a wry smile to myself, thinking that when I’m usually in Leicester, I’m on my own and not dressed in Richard mode! 🙂However, knowledge of where to park and the shops & eateries is not always a bad thing. Even if my sense of direction is mostly orientated by using certain go-to shops as landmarks 🙂
Now, Child 2.0 is the artist in the family, and Mrs J is the clever & cute one. I am not very knowledgeable about history or art, but if there’s an opportunity to learn at my pace, I’ll give it a go. Okay, so I’m aware of the artist’s struggle with mental health. It was news to me that he may have had an issue with his eyes, resulting in his choices around colours. But, I’m conscious that there’s a whole world of more informed people out there and one visit to an exhibition does not as expert make 🙂 Yeah, Dunning-Kruger: not been personally, but the postcards look nice 😁
So it was that I found myself in an old church, leaning back in an old deckchair, while the walls were awash with light and sound. Paintings, history, and words made vivid… and, emotional twit that I am, it was a bit much in places. Not in a bad way; just, impactful. Personal. Even, perhaps: enlightening.
I am not an adventurer by choice but by fate
Van Gogh
The item below was attributed to Vincent, but as I like to check I’m not making things up, I’ve yet to find confirmation:
Normality is a paved road: It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it
Van Gogh (attributed)
Well, as those words grew large on the church stone as canvas, I felt kinship and sadness. The latter that perhaps the artist had struggled with feelings of being the outsider – alien, even – in some way. Although like all good quotes – be they prose, lyric, poem, or an account – perhaps the witness brings much to them as well. 🙂
I didn’t choose to be trans. I guess you could argue I chose not to repress it, but I’ll say right now, I have tried to be ‘normal’ – even if that’s a thing for the complexity and variety of what it is to be human. I think it was Richard O’Brien who said – on being trans – “I would ask ‘are you sure?’ It’s not a journey I would recommend“. But, sadly, I can’t find the source of that quote, and I’m conscious of A) making stuff up because memory isn’t great, and B) O’Brien’s sage wisdom & wit of “He who quotes himself has a fool for a source” 😁
So I don’t know what ‘normal’ is. It’s not a setting found in my mind or in my soul. I would absolutely not look down upon anyone who said they would and I’d be the first to gentle step away from any flag, that suggested ‘abnormal’ is better. As a friend once said to me: not better or worse, just different.
If there’s a point to this What Lynn Did on Her Holidays, I would say it’s likely to be this: that it’s okay to be odd; it’s okay to be different; and walking a different route – one where maybe the flowers are fancy, the scents rich & moving, is not a bad thing. Nor is it a bad thing to enjoy a world where you don’t have to chose art, vibrance, or emotion. Just, whatever you pick: do remember to be kind, for kindness matters, always ❤️
Academic / To see the world differently: Part Two
I’m going to two tone this section as it was A Level results day. While it’s been a looong time since I had the -ahem- pleasure (/s) of getting my results*. For those of you who’ve done well (or who’s kids have), congratulations. For those of you who have not got what you’d have liked, that’s okay too.
( * Key benefit was leaving my home town ).
Child 2.0 and I were visiting Wollaton Hall – there’s a natural history museum there, and, for the geek massive, the Hall now has a handful of photo’s about the Batman film. While we were there, there was a new art exhibition by Dr Willard Wigan called Miniature Masterpieces exhibition featuring Disappearing World. You’ll know I’m no art guru, so Wigan’s work was both new to me and completely fascinating. Do have a look via the above link for more information.
Okay, so now the preamble is out of the way, why am I mentioning Willard, and what’s this got to do with exam results? Well, I spotted this photo (see insert) about Willard’s life and how as a young man with undiagnosed needs – Autism, dyslexia, etc – he was used as an example of academic failure in his school. May I just point out how sh** and unacceptable that is. But, like the Victorian’s who went around shooting the wildlife for trophies now kept in a natural history collection at the hall; ‘they do things differently in the past’. That doesn’t make it right, just what they did back then.
But Willard did not let his academic experiences define him: he took his own path, and, bless him, he’s gone to do incredible things.
So, if you’ve had exam results that are a bit pants – this year, or decades ago – academia is one route forward; it is not the only gig in town. Not by a country mile…. or by any mathmatical calculation I can do. Seriously, don’t let me near tax returns 🙂
School teaches us a lot yes, but it doesn’t define us as people. You can restart outside of that world. Working life is not like school and university can assist be a chance to start over and learn about yourself too.
Going back to my comment about getting my A Levels so I could get out of my home town; back then I felt like a failure, but in truth, my life has worked out well. Sure, there’s been some ups & downs, and the occasional kick in the face from mental health issues, buuut, I’m okay. My family are amazing, working life is okay, and I’m part of a fabulous trans community that I never thought I’d be part of, when I was a lonely teen.
Things work out ❤️ Have faith, young padawan 🤓
L x
That sounds like a fun way to spend a day, and perhaps better Van Gogh than Hieronymus Bosch as an immersive artistic experience. (Dali would be just very strange.)
I’ve seen online pictures of those miniature sculptures created inside the eye of a needle and been astonished at the detail at such a small scale – as I am with scrimshaw and miniature portraits. I’d forgotten the name of the artist, so thanks.
I learned the other day there is a Chinese art of painting miniatures scenes on the inside of bottles which involves doing everything backwards, not just left to right, but foreground to background. (If you want an example of how difficult that is, try fastening the clasp of a necklace while looking in the mirror.)
Ha ha! 😁 Yes, better Van Gogh’s psychedelics than Bosch or Dali’s bad acid, IMO. Plus, Dali’s on the problematic list.
Yes, a fab day out and not too far either. My feet were making their discomfort known having had a long walk in the morning and then another hour plus around the hall. That’s in Birkies, so even with sensible shoes I think we’d been quite far. Good exercise for body and soul, though.
Not aware of the bottle art and that does sound complex. Clever, yes. Artistic, also yes. But certainly a talent is needed, I think.
Mind you, I can only put a necklace on by closing my eyes and visualising it. Using a mirror just confuses me.
Does Willard’s work fall into the category of ‘outsider art’ I wonder? He ticks some of the boxes – autism, severe dyslexia, self taught – although much outsider art also tends not to be recognised or discovered until after the artist’s death and often born out of obsession. ( see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Darger )
School -when it works – teaches us things: how to read, write and do sums and the French for “I need a patisserie urgently”, but not really how to be people. Indeed the competitive nature of some schools often works against that (the last shower of Eton Tories being a prime example). For me, university was was a great stepping stone, but I had the privilege of being able to do it without being saddled with a lifetime of debt. For others, work or apprentice or internships might work just as well.
I’ll let you be the judge on the artistic category, Susie 🙂 I would say from what I’ve read, that the works seemed built through self-determination and – a personal favourite of mine – “just have a go and keep trying”. Which, on reflection, isn’t far off punk DIY ethos, self organisation, and maybe Van Gogh’s words (I’m paraphrasing) around sketching leading painting. Maybe even a dose of the hacker wisdom of ‘Change something. What’s happened?’
All my waffle aside, I’m in awe of an artist who has the talent to craft something beautiful.
School…. Hmm. Well, my experiences of an all boys grammar in the 80s were not great. Partly me, partly culture, and partly ‘one size fits all’ system. I don’t know what modern schooling is like, but as a parent looking in, it seems much more focused on student needs, mental health, and wellbeing. That’s despite Gove’s negative disruption and a criminal level of government underfunding. Oh, IMO, I should add. 🙂
I would like to see lessons in critical thinking, digital skills to help folk not be scammed/duped, and more on kind tolerance. Good luck teaching the latter in certain parts of the country 😢 But, maybe they’re the areas we should be challenging.
Sounds like a solid and healthy week, all told. Van Gogh is always a pleasure (I had the opportunity to visit the museum in the Netherlands[?] in my early 20s and it was a lovely experience) and I say this as someone whose art appreciation was, at the time, quite under-developed. I was into Degas a bit, because of a project I did at school sometime around the start of the 1990s, and that was about it. These days I tend to be a bit ‘better’ – in that my experience is wider and I’m open to being affected.
My experience of school (both primary and secondary) was coloured a lot by how I interacted with it. Put simply, before Sixth Form, I enjoyed the lessons immensely and hated the times inbetween. At Sixth Form I realised everyone was a bit odd in their own way and actually enjoyed some of the time out of organised activity time too. University was where I failed to push myself still further, both academically and socially, but I still enjoyed it. What I got from that was a degree, certainly, but it should have been more. Academics are fun, sure, but not the only thing that can bring joy.
A fine week indeed, thanks Joanna. Lucky you on visiting the Van Gogh museum back in the day. What a treat!
As to you comment about school been the lessons: yes, occasionally okay, but too many flashpoints for inappropriate behaviour and, of course, bullying.
Lynn likes her time off, we’ve noticed this. Roll on retirement, eh! Glad you had a lovely week.
There is a National Sarcasm Society which you can join. Like they need your support.
Nice photo, too. You should frame it.
OK, enough of that. On exams, qualifications and such stuff, they seem so important at the time but I’d say (with the benefit of hindsight, natch) that they are merely an aid to steering in a direction rather than a key to actual success, still less contentment. Hope your little ones – well, not quite so little – thrive 🙂 I’m sure they will.
Sue x
I think it’ll be a fair few years before I reach retirement, Sue. Mentally and spiritually, I’m already there 😉 It’s just the financial aspects that are the tricky parts 😁
Thank you for the well wishes for Child 2.0. They are worried about their results and that’s understandable. I hope they have enough to do what they need to do. Anything else is a bonus, IMO.