How many of you have truly thought about our oceans; about how they contribute to everything we do; how they affect each and every one of us, on the planet. Although - June 7th was UNESCO World Ocean Day, did you even know? And now you are reading this article, are you curious as to why we need to celebrate, make known and consider our oceans far more than we do? Polluted waterways, melting polar icecaps, oil spills, ever-increasing global temperatures, exploding nuclear power plants, warring nations, over-fishing, species extinction, illegal farming, excessive tourism, destruction of habitats, dying coral reefs, drilling and noise pollution and yes, fireworks. The list goes on – and yet, few will make an effort to contribute or change one’s habits - in the most minute way, for the betterment of our oceans, and ultimately - our planet. Citizens of every country say, “but it’s got nothing to do with me… How can I do anything? Someone else will fix it – I don’t need to worry. What can I do? I’m only one person – are you kidding me? Who needs to think about that?” The fact of the matter is – we all need to think, act and make a difference as to how we treat the earth in general, for eventually everything ends up – either in, on or affecting our oceans, which in turn affects our food source; the health, maintenance and continuance of all species - in our oceans and on land. Everything is linked and the sustenance of all species is at risk. We are at risk, not just the animal kingdom. The cycle of life and death affects everything and everyone – we are inextricably linked, far more than most of the human race realises. It is so easy to throw down rubbish at one’s feet, so easy to say – “the cleaner will pick it up, it doesn’t belong to me. I didn’t do it – why should I pick it up?” Why? Because like any problem, ‘what you walk past – you accept.’ What about - assault and battery, rape and sexual misdemeanors of children, women, men; war crimes against humanity, inequality, racism, gender crimes… Do you walk past these? Do you look away – pretend you can’t see or hear the screams of pain – the agony of brutality – the viciousness of repugnant, vindictive, human behaviours upon others? Do you say stop? Do you make any effort to prevent it? Do you watch it on TV, socials or make fun of everything your eyes are glued to? Do you re-post this appalling behaviour and add to the continuance of its prevalence on our planet? “What you walk past – you accept” – as ‘the norm’. Because you make it ‘the norm’, by turning away from the problem. Our oceans need and deserve our attention – not because we make ourselves out to be more superior, more important or feel we are more relevant in the grand scheme of things, but because everything matters – we all matter – you matter to someone, somewhere on the planet. And… on your deathbed, you are going to ask, “Did I matter?” “Did I do everything I could have, to be a good person? Was I loved, will I be missed or remembered when I am gone? Have I said everything I wanted to say – have I appreciated everyone while I was here?” And you will say, “I don’t want to leave.” There is not one species on this planet that does not deserve our care and attention. We are all gifted the breath of life and the finality of death – we all bleed - equally. World Ocean Day is not just about the cheers, the drinks and the parties to pat oneself on the back. It is about looking around us – seeing how we live and recognizing that what we do every day - affects someone else, some other species, someone else’s habitat – home or environment. We can choose to selfishly ignore – destroying everything good in the world, or we can choose not to turn a blind eye - pretending problems do not exist. We can choose not to walk past any of it - anymore. We can choose to stand up for all life forms; we can choose to say “enough!” and not wait, for the person next to us - to do something. We can take responsibility and do our part – each and every one of us. We all went to school – either in an institution or by some family home education – we all tell our kids to do the right thing – stand up for one another, to not harm or destroy. Why? Because deep down we all know what is morally ‘right’. It is in our blood – imprinted in our DNA – this is who we are. But, we just follow the pack – because no one likes to not be part of the majority, because that means the majority can pick on us. So, like sheep, people follow ‘the norm’ – making ‘the norm’ - more ‘the norm’ Let’s change ‘the norm’. Bite the bullet. Stand up for what’s right – be that on World Ocean Day or on some other level, where we see injustice happening every day, every hour, every minute and second around the world. Start by picking up after yourself – help each other – our kids, family, our next-door neighbours, people we walk past in the street - to understand that it is not right to expect the world to be just given to them; you have to earn the right to be here. That means standing up for every, living being on this planet – whether they can speak for themselves or not…Yeah, it’s hard. Yeah, you will get resistance. Yeah, you will get, “but why?”
Because every living thing, matters on our planet – they are family. And just because an entity does not speak our language, does not mean they do not speak at all, or feel, or wish for things to be different. We just have not learned their language and vice versa. Let’s change ‘the norm’. In a year now past - of troubles and turmoil, so many loved ones across the globe have sacrificed their lives for the freedom and safety of others. It is time for the world to shed hatred, deceit, pain and suffering on others. Consideration of cultural values, ethics and moral rights need to be understood. Invasion of lands, personal space and the feelings of others are not to be trodden on - for the sake of greed and personal gain.
We are not living in the dark ages; we are a modern and evolving race who fully understand the consequences of overpowering and manipulating others - societal habits, businesses and countries who are set on sucking our planet dry for their own benefit, obliterating other species and all that is good in the world. Now is the time to think - how does your presence in another’s life, affect them? How can I pick up the broken pieces of this world and make it better? We maybe one small snail existing among the great and powerful, but a band of caring snails can restore our garden of Eden. Make this the first day for change! #sketa #justice #unicef #unitedstates #familyfirst #friendsforever #school #library #mankind #footprint #you #your #responsibility #makeachange @sketaozgroup @selinakucks Music - creative commons - Nathan Angelo•Spread a Little Happiness Thank you, Nathan! (Nathan Angelo) It has been a couple of weeks since last I did a blog, so here is what I have been up to - Not a whole lot! Watercolour has again touched my palette and I am busy with a series of mousy characters that will be used as plates for a new bundle of commissioned work. As you know, I like to take my time throughout the whole process from ideation to testing and then laying out the watercolour. I do heaps of research to get characters looking just the way they should or rather would have looked in the days of Beatrix Potter. Actually, I find the whole process an incredible step back in the past and puts me very much in touch with my technique. I get so worried I will stuff up the treatment of work that sometimes, I think I overwork my pieces for fear of failure. This is something that I fear most in all spheres of my artistic world, as many of you well know. If it is not just right, I will rip it up and start again, no matter the hours spent on creation of the piece. Tell me, I know not if that is good or a bad thing. A good friend of mine always reminds me that this is not always a good decision and suggests to, “just put it out there and get perfect later”. I reckon this works well for most things in business, because as one develops a product you can always tweak the product a little way down the track. Yet, as you know this is not the case for creatives of illustration, tales, design or performance. All are what make up my being. So I guess, even though I would love to follow this suggestion – it is not as practical as when I first thought.
On a personal note - I would like to thank all of you who have encouraged and given me strength over the past trying months with the Big C. It has been a huge learning curve; lots of mental adjustment and just trying to move forward and not thinking about any of it. I feel so blessed and much stronger than I was a couple of months ago and with God’s blessing, all of this will be very much behind me. So again, thanks to everyone. Mwa! 😊 Getting back to what I love doing has of course, been somewhat trying this month.
I started with good intentions and then I ended up sleeping a lot, I mean a lot. If any of you know, my athletic body often requires considerable sleep and when it is out of sync - then, I guess God takes over and knocks me out for a good 14 hours or so. It is not unusual for me to wake only for half an hour or so and then, it is back to the pillow. However, things are improving and so too, is the regularity at which I feel like picking up a pencil or paintbrush. Of course, the fog and rain spurs me on. Thankfully, I have been blessed by a caring family who have been onboard with my life marathon. I feel blessed. :) Anyhow, my efforts today have been rewarding; maybe I’ll be just as lucky tomorrow. A year or so ago, I wrote an article about living a life according to 'Re'. A self-designed philosophy from which, I believe each and everyone of us, can benefit. If you are not sure, whether or not you read this article, I'll place the link below. In life, we all have choices. The choice to use or not to use a product; the choice to throw away packaging in the right or wrong place; the choice to find a way to bring it to life again; the choice to give it to someone else to enjoy; the choice to re-purpose the old and make it new; or the choice to just re-use it - over and over again because we don't want to waste money or pollute the planet. At the end of the day, how we use or abuse life, the planet, people is an active decision on our behalf that we all have control over - that we can tweak, to make our world a better place. The idea of 'Re' is just that - to place 're' before just about any verb so that you have a way of re-purposing things, thoughts and actions. Be doing this, we make renewed, conscious decisions to make the world a better place, just because we can and because if it doesn't start with us and the generation that lives now, then who and what generation will act for the benefit of all? No matter how small or minuscule we think our actions might be, they truly add up to something that will change the world forever - one drop in the bucket now, will give a full lifetime of sustenance for another being. So below, I have added to the list of 'Re's to re-jog your memory of just how simple the process can be on a daily basis. Click the hyperlinks for some added ideas. The World According to 'Re'
...Sketa ...A hippity-hop down memory lane.
Both watercolours were produced last year, but it is so nice to review my progress and the difference in watercolour application. I believe, reviewing one's work is an essential part of improvement. Although one does not see blemishes, while in the process of creation; one can vividly see things to improve on, after leaving a painting to rest for a few weeks or even months. #sketa
So, what on earth is the Art Cart?
Well, given I was forever thinking, 'how am I going to get my work out and about in this region of the countryside, on a regular basis, without incurring a stack of funds for a shop window?' I thought the best solution for this, was to create an Art Cart that I could use to showcase my upcoming works, as my product gets renewed. It could travel to where-ever, given the weather is fine and be pulled along by my bicycle. I needed an avenue that could mutate, as my work evolves and as my product-line becomes more diverse. I did not want to be restricted by unaffordable, expensive shop rent. I needed something that would become familiar to one and all. So the Art Cart was the perfect solution to my needs. Should I rent or purchase such a cart, it would cost me in the vicinity of $4000~5000 dollars and I just did not want to go down that expensive road - I just didn't have the funds. So, given I am pretty creative and handy with tools, I thought I would design and whip up my own cart - from start to finish - well almost finished. It is still missing a canopy, but that's not far away. My plan was not to release some major know-how on the construction of such creations, but to show you that if you are desperate and have no other avenues at your disposal, you can come up with all sorts of wonderful solutions to resolve a problem. No, it is not perfect, but I learnt alot; hit my finger a few times; miscalculated a bit - but none-the-less resolved my initial problem.
From a simple idea, a drawing, a few bits and pieces, and a lot of grunt - reality became a real work of art! The video is a collation of photos that I kept for my own records, as much as for your enjoyment!
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