This review of Sculpture by the Lakes is so kindly courtesy of Darren North East PR
Dear enchanted ones,
Peaceful as it is popular, the breathtaking Sculpture By The Lakes near Dorchester in the county of Dorset is an unspoiled wilderness surrounded by the meandering River Frome, where you can truly envelop yourself in the serene and tranquil lakes that inspire this much-loved destination’s name.
Therefore, it’s hardly surprising that Sculpture By The Lakes has been described as one of the most beautiful and unique sculpture parks in the UK!
This Spring, this stunning location is the home to FORM; The Sculpture Show from the 30th of March to the 29th of May 2022 where art meets nature around the 26-acre park with monumental pieces in the main gardens, with smaller works that are shown in the Gallery and Sculpture Courtyard.
The FORM; The Sculpture Show exhibition seeks to place, view and enable you to purchase sculptures from award-winning sculptors across a breadth of styles and mediums in the most tranquil and beautiful of settings.
Regular readers will perhaps know that I have visited this gorgeous spot many times and for your reference, my previous visits can be found here in this handy archive for you to enjoy after reading about this latest visit.
“The way sculpture interacts with its environment, changing with the light, the weather, the seasons, means that where you experience it is vitally important. Putting large-scale sculptures in a museum or gallery diminishes their power, but in a beautiful, natural environment, that power is restored; they come alive. That was one of the reasons I started Sculpture by the Lakes many years ago, and why this was such a successful event last year. It is a rare and special opportunity for sculpture-lovers to see and enjoy the works of some of the best sculptors from across the UK together in one place”.
Simon Gudgeon, Sculptor and owner of Sculpture by the Lakes
How does art meet and inspire nature? And vice-versa.
Well, this is exactly what sprung to mind as I immersed myself in the FORM; The Sculpture Show exhibition.
Moreover, I was truly enchanted by the above words from Simon Gudgeon, Sculptor and owner of Sculpture by the Lakes, and his beautiful description of the symbiotic relationship between the sculpture and the nature that surrounds his artistry.
Simon Gudgeon (born 1958) is a British sculptor specialising in large pieces for public display, usually in bronze, but also sometimes glass or stainless steel who alongside his world-famous sculptures, also created Sculpture by the Lakes as an expression of his love for the beauty and wonder of nature.
Just like Simon Gudgeon’s mastery at bringing art and nature together in his sculpture, Claude Monet’s work is also steeped in a reverence for nature.
Monet’s words echo this time and time again: “The richness I achieve comes from nature, the source of my inspiration”, and in addition, “I do what I can to express what I feel in the presence of nature.”
But it’s not just Simon Gudgeon and Monet.
From time immemorial, artists have sought to use art as a way to explore the world of nature.
In fact, some philosophers including Aristotle once proclaimed that art can in fact mimic nature.
For Aristotle, nature is the embodiment and a true reflection of the artist’s inner soul.
Aristotle even once wrote that, “art not only imitates nature but also completes its deficiencies”.
With this in mind, what makes Sculpture by the Lakes so special is that each sculpture has been meticulously positioned in just the right place on the grounds to enhance the aesthetic qualities of each piece.
As a result, the FORM; The Sculpture Show exhibition exemplified that art is not only recreating the natural world, but that the placement of the sculptures aids in seeing nature in another light. Or indeed, using the art as a language in which to bring a voice to the nature around it.
This is so abundantly clear in many of my favourite sculptures by Simon Gudgeon and a plethora of other incredibly talented artists.
As I meandered around the grounds, and the myriad of paths, I was utterly captivated by the magical light and shade that danced on the sculptures that were mirrored in the blissful surroundings.
It’s beyond special to be in the presence of artwork that so masterfully reflects your enchanting surroundings, and this is one of my favourite things about this exhibition.
My FORM The Sculpture Show Gallery Exhibition
After a delicious lunch in the Cafe By The Lakes (this truly deserves a post of its own!), I wandered inside the Gallery where the FORM; The Sculpture Show continued with smaller sculptures and weaved the intricacy and beauty of the large-scale pieces by Simon Gudgeon into other pieces like jewellery.
Ending my visit in the Gallery was a further serene moment where the world continued to slow down for a few peaceful moments, and where the artwork around me could refresh, revitalise and ready my own creativity for new hopes and new opportunities. In particular, I truly will carry this inspiration into my Monet workshop.
In essence, any visitor to Sculpture by the Lakes is left with the experience of walking around a work of art through the sculptures and the environment that truly do exist in a unique symbiotic relationship. The FORM; The Sculpture Show exhibition illuminates this more than ever.
I truly can’t wait to re-visit this idyllic treasured spot in Dorset soon to bathe in the creativity this tranquil spot is so stimulating and invigorating for.
How many of you have been to Sculpture by the Lakes? What are your thoughts about the relationship between art and nature? I’d love to know by chatting in the comments below!
With love and infinite blessings,
Georgie xoxo
Future and Upcoming Events at Sculpture By The Lakes
There is always something going on at Sculpture By The Lakes.
If you’re in Dorset, I do hope you’ll be able to visit this wonder-filled location on your doorstep!
For those venturing from further afield, here are some of my top picks to explore later this year.
To mark the dates in your diary, click here or see below for some of my highlighted picks for my enchanted audience:
Dorset Arts Festival at Sculpture By The Lakes:A visit to Sculpture by the Lakes in Dorset is always a peaceful and inspirational experience so if you add to the landscape many local artists, you create a vibrant buzzing atmosphere of creativity and talent. Dates: Wednesday 29th June – Sunday 3rd July 2022Click here to read about my experience
Wellbeing By The Lakes: Wellbeing By The Lakes is a 3-day festival exploring what it means to be mindful and how to live well in this fast-paced modern world. These 3-days of mindfulness are a curated blend of experts talks, meditation, movement sessions, art, live performance and healing therapies that will open your eyes to fresh experiences for wellbeing. Truly, for two years now this has been one of my favourite 3 days of the year! Click here to read about my experience
DETAILS
Sculpture by the Lakes is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10.00 am to 5.00 pm.
“An artist must possess Nature. He must identify himself with her rhythm, by efforts that will prepare the mastery which will later enable him to express himself in his language.“
Like you right now I’m sure, I have been watching the unfolding news from Ukraine and every single corner of our globe that is affected by war, colonisation and occupation with the heaviest of hearts.
As a result, this post is dedicated to ways that you can help the people of Ukraine alongside supporting the work of Ukrainian artisans and Etsy sellers who you can support directly.
Most compassionate soul, I just want you to be reminded that no matter how hopeless and helpless you might feel right now, I believe that both you and I can also use this same heaviness to expand our hearts and cultivate the deepest emphatic imagination we have to make this world a better place.
Thank you so deeply for your time and attention through being here. May these links and the following information lead you to hope and feel into our inconnectedness even more deeply.
I was reminded of this yesterday when I was in the waiting room for my specialist appointment.
My hands were completely numb, as usual, with Raynaud’s so I arrived early to warm them with my little pink handwarmer.
As I did, an old lady with a gorgeous bejewelled walking stick and the most whimsical face mask with cats on asked with curiosity how long I have lived with Raynaud’s.
I told her that Raynaud’s had been something I had known since childhood and that February was Raynaud’s Awareness Month and that I had felt disappointed I wasn’t well enough to show up.
She smiled at me with a wise understanding saying that from time to time she too experiences Raynaud’s attacks that have plagued her all her life. I asked if she had seen a doctor and seemingly puzzled, she had no idea it was something that should be examined.
Another lady had just joined the waiting room and joined our conversation explaining that she was worried about her daughter who exhibited the same symptoms and would now urge for her to be seen.
One waiting room and yet multiple souls who have now felt seen, helped and witnessed.
May you know that you don’t have to move mountains to better the world and that through the smallest acts of compassion you can radiate change, impact and support across the tapestry of our landscape.
(Please note that due to the horrific circumstances in Ukraine it may not be possible for sellers to dispatch physical item right now however you can ask about gift cards or other ways to support their artistry)
One of my favourite Instagrammers is beautiful Natalie of Your Ptashka and I adore her beautiful shop just as much.
Natalie is the creator of Your Ptashka couture a brand inspired by her love of fairytales, old movies and books and the magnificent Ukranian countryside.
Inspired by a lack of tenderness, feminity and fairy vibes in clothing, Natalie began to create her own designs that were the embodiment of nature’s elegance and fantasies from the creations of her soul.
Natalie deeply desires for each of her dresses can be “straight from the fairytales born to make your dreams come true. The dresses you can bequeath to your daughter.”
Supporting Natalie with a gift voucher would be such a wonderful and thoughtful way to support her breathtaking designs. I am so lucky for a world with both Natalie and Your Ptashka couture in it.
Iryna is a Ukranian artist and the founder of Eten Iren who lives and works in Lviv, Ukraine and makes these stunning polymer clay delicate jewellery pieces.
This gorgeous Pansy earring is so dainty and feminine and of course, Pansies have such sweety symbolism.
The Pansy symbolises the love or admiration of one person for another. Especially so in Victorian England when the Pansy flower was used for secret courting! This was because any display of love or passion was severely frowned upon and in order to communicate to potential romantic partners, the Pansy was employed!
What a beautiful way to say you are thinking of someone you love buy making a purchase of some of Eten’s jewellery, or a gift card.
When I was in Kyiv a few years ago I was utterly mesmirised by all of the beautiful angels that were at the craft stalls.
Angels have been an integral part of the symbolism of various faiths and I have always felt a huge connection to them.
Angels are beings that are said to be the messengers of God, working closely with God to help mortals by guiding and guarding them.
Throughout history, the very words ‘angel’and ‘guardian angel’ have entered the common lexicon, regardless of your religious beliefs.
In this delicate most enchanted imagination of an angel, we see this darling angel created by Oksana Boyko from Khmelnytskyy, Ukraine in a sweet tradition dress with curly golden locks and a pretty sunflower Vinok (more of which, is mentioned below). The angel then holds a Dove, a sign of peace, alongside Ukrainian traditional blue and yellow ribbon shades.
I cannot wait to purchase the real version of this breathtaking angel, but digital copies are also avaialble. Please see which is best for Oksana to send.
Olga Chemerys from Mariupol, Ukraine is the creator of these incredibly adorable easy to follow crochet patterns that can be downloaded as a pdf pattern.
One of my very favourite designs is this sweetest, most whimsical crochet bunny cupcake pattern that will help you to make beautiful bunnies for Easter time!
The delicate flowers, herbs and colourful ribbons of the Vinok, a traditional Ukrainian flower crown, is one of the oldest symbols of Ukraine that deeply inspired my Beauxoxo hair accessory range.
From afar, yes, perhaps the flower-woven headpiece might remind you of a bohemian accessory you might spot at a festival or wedding, however in Ukraine, the Vinok isn’t merely a pretty accessory, it is deeply rooted in Ukraine’s early history.
Described in songs and legends, Ukrainian the Vinok has a long history that was first mentioned in Shumerian culture in XII-III BC and can also be seen as a continuation of an ancient tradition preserved from the original Greek and Byzantine tradition of wedding head wreaths.
As well as a symbol of marriage and purity, the Vinok is also viewed as a symbol of the bright sky above the head of the one wearing it and seen as a protector from evil spirits and illnesses.
Precious enchanted soul, thank you once more for reading this post. Do you have any Ukraine links or artisans that I can add to this post? If so, please leave the links or details below.
May I also just send you the warmest embrace and remind you to sit in your heart with hope, and to treat each day as a gift to bring all that is needed for us to be of service and for you to extend love.
This is a time to believe in the enchantment that still lingers all around us even when it seems insurmountable to do so. For if you can imagine such wonderment, you can imagine it as our future. And most importantly, you can create it.
PIN ME FOR LATER….
Are you looking for more whimsical, enchanted magic?
Each letter features exclusive oracle card readings, a carefully curated giveaway, whimsical enchanted monthly themes, recipes and more intuitive heart offerings.
Enchanted one, what is your experience with Winter and Wintering? Do you find Winter a season of struggle and long for the warmer, sunnier days? Or do you sink into the surrender of a long Winter period?
Well, if like me, you struggle during this period of the year, what if Winter could feel like a nourishing, reflective and restorative time, instead of a dark and difficult season?
In this post, let us dig into this gorgeous box together and explore the theme of wintering.
What Is Wintering?
Wintering
n. The act of staying at a place throughout the winter. vb. (present participle of winter English)
I must admit there’s a nervousness I feel in my body when the dark nights draw in.
As soon as we leave Autumn for Winter, I feel consumed by the dark evenings and the chill that radiates through my bones.
Wintering in the UK can feel like agony for my mind, body and spirit living with Raynaud’s Disease and Scleroderma and in the last few years, I have often sought comfort in sunnier climates such as the U.A.E where one of my best friends lives.
However, slowly but surely, as we creep into January and I see a glimpse of the lighter evenings, it also reminds me that the light truly does come back, eventually. Slowly and gently, it reappears softly at the edges, reminding us of this gracious balance that we seek.
One of my greatest intentions for this season of Wintering is to sink deeply into the rest, surrender and reflection that the darkness of the season gives us, and to nourish the whimsy and light of life that illuminates with more vibrancy when we sit with the darkness of our emotional life with utmost honesty and intention.
To bring this forth, I am reminded of this poignant quote by Katherine May from her seminal book ‘Wintering: The Power Of Rest in Retreat in Hard Times’ that has been like a balm to my soul.
“We have seasons when we flourish and seasons when the leaves fall from us, revealing our bare bones. Given time, they grow again.”
― Katherine May, Wintering: The power of rest and retreat in difficult times
Inspired by this art of Wintering, my precious sister Leneth from the Netherlands has provided the world with a ‘wintering toolkit’ alongside Sanne, (another Dutch angel helping you to re-connect with nature) brimming with soul-nurturing treasures that are sustenance for the remainder of the long cold days.
In December we finally met (yes, we were internet friends!) and I was so fortunate to see this gorgeous The Wintering Box be put together.
The Wintering Box
Throughout my stay in a cold and damp Netherlands, The Wintering Box was so enthusiastically embracing to me mind, body and soul with all the things the season was throwing at me.
Bundled into this nurturing box, the concept of wintering is beautifully curated that comforts you throughout the dark and fallow times where we must retreat and repair ourselves.
Here’s how Leneth and Sanne describe this heart wintering offering:
Wintering Box:deep moments of self-care, reflection and inner expansion
Allow the darker months of Winter to inspire you to turn inwards, find stillness and celebrate all parts of you – the hidden, the raw, and perhaps the unexpected.
This box is filled with reflective practices, nourishing products and a lot of love! You can journey through all of the elements of the box at your own pace and revisit them as often as you like.
Your wintering box contains the following:
Your personal invitation to a sacred Wintering gathering (held on January 18th 2022)
A deeply restorative yoga practice
An immersive nature connection journey
A set of botanical ritual candles
A delicious grounding aura spray
And so much more
One of my favourite items in this gorgeous kit is the gorgeus, and calming stone Selenite that is wonderful to cleanse other stones.
In addition, Selenite, from the Greek word “selene” for “moon” is renowned for a peaceful, soothing energy drains that away negativity and clears blocks to healing. The perfect accompaniment to the Winter season.
I also so deeply cherished the opportunity to sit with the shadows of this season and explore these lessons through the accomanying journal prompts.
Throughout my stay in the Netherlands, I truly purged every single heavy thought that was swirling in my mind, and alongside the candles and soothing Chai Tea, the Wintering Box provided the perfect accompaniment to go deeply into my soul through the support of the rituals I created from the contents of the Wintering box.
I’m of course very biased, but I could not recommend Leneth more for her profound capacity for curating enchanted projects that truly nurture hold you in spaces to feel seen, held and nurtured.
After spending SUCH precious days with her last month in the Netherlands she truly is the embodiment of enchantment I seek and I love her so much very.
Coupled with Leneth’s capacity to hold nourishing safe spaces, Sanne’s profound wisdom from her work at The Wild Roots Guide has truly embodied her knowledge on wintering as a season of the soul, and what we can learn from nature about recovery and rest into this box.
Until then, as you wait for your box to be delivered, may you be comforted by these treasured words by Rilke on carving out an intentional cold season in your life:
“Tending my inner garden went splendidly this winter. Suddenly to be healed again and aware that the very ground of my being — my mind and spirit — was given time and space in which to go on growing; and there came from my heart a radiance I had not felt so strongly for a long time.”
R. M. Rilke On ‘Wintering’
Now I want to hear from you. Do you love the Winter period? Or do you struggle as I do?
I would love to hear your thoughts on Wintering, the contents of this box and all the other things related to this soothing season that brings with it a wise reflection on the necessity of rest.
Please leave me all your thoughts in the comments below and I can’t wait to continue the conversation there.
Are you looking for more whimsical, enchanted magic?
Each letter features exclusive oracle card readings, a carefully curated giveaway, whimsical enchanted monthly themes, recipes and more intuitive heart offerings.
Each letter features exclusive oracle card readings, a carefully curated giveaway, whimsical enchanted monthly themes, recipes and more intuitive heart offerings.
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
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Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post and for being here. I love and appreciate you beyond words.
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Georgie xoxo is an Enchanted Living blog for those seeking everyday whimsy, with a heart full of wanderlust focusing on travel adventures, pretty crafts, chronic illness and words on finding the meaning in life through wonder and enchantment.
It’s my ultimate hope that there has been something on my blog that has enabled you to travel into the deepest realms of wonder and enchantment so that you can truly feel and embody your own world, and the world around you, that can be filled with more magic than you could possibly imagine.
By supporting Georgie xoxo on Kofi, you enable me to bring these enchanting ideas and whimsical tales to life. Thank you in abundance for your love and support that is the strength that I use to create impossible things.
This blog post contains an affiliate link. It does not cost you as the consumer any more than you would normally pay, but by using my links it allows me to financially continue to be able to make content for you. I only endorse products and services that I genuinely love and that I’m proud to discuss and share with you all.
Last year, Leonie Dawson released her ‘Marketing Without Social Media’ Workshop based on her incredibly bold decision to solely market her business away from social media.
I adore Leonie Dawson at the best of times, but this bold, courageous move made me love her even MORE!
But of course, as someone who has had a hair accessory business for 10 years at Beauxoxo, and told over and over how ‘social media was the best marketing option’, I was SO taken away with Leonie’s courage to step back and take a massive (or what I perceived to be at the time) risk with their business.
Because let’s face it both wading through managing our personal lives and marketing our businesses without social media feels so overwhelming doesn’t it? Our lives seem chained and completely enmeshed in these digital spaces, don’t they?
So, how did Leonie Dawson manage to step back from social media and sustain this abundant business?
Well, Leonie is going to share ALL about their journey and provide you with a vision for marketing away from social media in their ‘Marketing Without Social Media’ Workshop based on Leonie’s incredibly bold decision to solely market a business away from social media. Convinced already? Then, of course, you can head on over and sign up right here. It is just $99 after all!
But does the thought of abandoning social media for your business simply seem too good to be true? Is your mind swirling with doubts and questions about marketing a modern-day business without social media?
Well, allow for this post to be my heartfelt and honest experience of stepping away from social media both on a personal level AND from a business capacity so that you read first-hand how this journey has been for me.
As you read this post, do you have any questions? I also welcome you to ask me ANY and all musings and questions below in the comments on this topic!
Why did Leonie Dawson leave social media?
Let’s firstly start with why Leonie Dawson herself left social media.
In a truly poignant blog post Leonie writes:
6 weeks ago, I decided to try 21 days without social media. At the time I felt like I needed a short break, but I was also incredibly nervous about how I would go.
Here’s what I found though: my life is SO much better without social media. I am happier. More content. More creative. Wildly inspired. More present. I have so much time back – time that can be spent doing things I truly love doing. I have literally felt my brain healing. My heart, my soul, my art: all of it glistens with life again.
I am doing this for my one wild and precious life.
I am doing this because I believe that what is good for my creativity is what is best for my business.
I am doing this because I believe it would be out of integrity for me to market using social media now I know how damaging it is to people’s brains and spirits (not to mention democracy and conspiracies).
I am doing this because my best work has never been on social media. My best work has always, always, always been in blogging, writing books & creating programs. So that’s where I’m remaining. Firmly in my sweet spot.
Leonie Dawson
I literally had chills when I read Leonie’s post because I resonate SO deeply with these words and experiences.
Just like Leonie, who also adores blogging and to write first and foremost, I’ve journaled nearly every single day since childhood and being able to carve out and maintain this daily sacred ritual since 2009, that has proven to be a constant vital tonic during my best and most hardest times, has blessed my life immensely.
Writing to myself every single day in this way, or creating content for my blog, have been the places where I am able to mourn and celebrate and where I am able to listen and receive.
I truly can’t begin to say how much blogging has been my healing balm whilst managing my chronic health conditions and bringing out the mystery of my inner landscape.
For me, there’s nothing more special than taking pen to paper or creating these posts from scratch, and that allows for that deeply cerebral friction of thought to take place. And where the page suddenly expands before me.
I don’t need to know what will become of my thoughts, I don’t fear that I will be teased and judged for the way I love to paint my imagination onto the page.
I can just surrender to the act of pure flow and then look back and admire the process of becoming who I truly am. And I can keep it forever. All my truths, foibles and discoveries.
However, as Leonie Dawson suggests in the beautiful post above, attempting to write or create in the same way as blogging or similar on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikT-Tok feels more complex.
I want so very deeply to connect with you all more intimately than a thumb-sized image and a quick few lines of a caption.
In addition, I want a digital home that is MINE and mine only.
How did stepping away from social media change my life?
However, in summary, I officially stepped back from social media entirely based on the decision that had landed in my heart back in early 2020 whilst I observed how the spaciousness and serenity that my time travelling had left me feeling.
Without a bombardment of digital connection, I felt even more deeply connected to the whimsy, wonder, and enchantment that both runs through me, and outside of me.
These words are so reflective of how my time stepping away from social media has been. And I’m just going to state this very vulnerably: I’ve never felt so isolated after stepping back from social media. I instantly became alienated and deeply lonely.
This was so fascinating to me because I thrive on silence, I thrive on solitude, and I thrive on aloneness. And yet this emptiness made itself very known to me.
Outside of my relationships changing, I had more time than ever to focus on being human. With that, accepting myself and learning to love myself unconditionally as a flawed and deeply feeling being.
Since stepping back from social media, I stick to the routines that help me feel settled and I practice all of the techniques I have learned that help to soothe me without seeking external validation or noise.
This includes less distraction as I write my morning pages, buckets of creativity, an abundance of time spent in nature, and a feeling of deep inner peace.
Ultimately, what this experience has taught me is how I wish people would understand how hard it is to feel loved while being pressured to be something you’re not. It feels so hard to encapsulate in words, but that’s how I felt on Instagram and similar.
Overall, one of the most uncomfortable portals of self-discovery has been learning to heal from feeling abandoned when I have come to realise that people can often love or admire a version of you in their head that isn’t the living, breathing, hurting, real you.
And it was that reason alone that I just had to leave: to recover the person I always intended to be.
I don’t thrive on social media and this experience has taught me that it is my sacred responsibility to always steer my mind, body and soul into places where I feel the love and safety I so desire.
Moreover, I need to harvest all my strength and energy as a vulnerable person to sail these future periods of time. And for this, I want to remain in love and service for the things that I can bring my gifts to and help as many vulnerable people as I can. This is my dharma.
Ultimately: I dare to be known a little more deeply. Loved for both the great ecstasy of my enchanted heart and the ability to understand that I am also carrying immense grief. I simply cannot find this balance on social media.
How am I marketing my businesses away from social media, and how did this workshop help me?
So of course after unravelling my personal experience of stepping away from social media, since going on this journey, and taking the Marketing Without Social Media Workshop, how have I decided to market my businesses away from social media?
My Blog! Like Leonie Dawson, who has been blogging since 2004, I truly believe that blogs are an inexhaustible source of magic in this online landscape and it’s my great passion to help as many people as possible to discover this. So much so that I created an E-Course late last year called ‘The Art Of Blogging’ to celebrate my 12 years of blogging! Remember blogging is YOUR digital home! One where you do NOT have to battle with others for the spotlight you so deserve!
My Pinterest: I joined Pinterest when it was truly in its earliest form and I’ve always been blessed with incredible traffic from this platform. I will continue to cherish and nurture this. Do you need some help on your Pinterest journey? This year, I realised my newest E-Course called ‘The Art Of Pinterest.’ Meanwhile, find me on Pinterest here.
Podcasting and Youtube: These are two avenues I wish to bring into my business and I will certainly keep you updated with how I get on!
Substack and Patreon: I currently have a newsletter for my blog called ‘Whimsy World’ and I’d now like to create a bonus paid part of these offerings for either Substack or Patreon. If you’d like to follow me on Substack click here and I’m so excited about this journey!
I want to be a CREATOR! To bathe myself in all the things I find serenely magical. To pour myself into art. To allow for music to transcend my being. It has been this magic, faith, courage and love for myself that were all pieces that I had been searching for my entire life and I can finally grasp it all now I am not chained to social media.
Ultimately, whatever is Evergreen is where you’ll find me!
Bring on the blogs, podcasts, published articles, Youtube channels and similar.
Fundamentally, I always want my online world to be to be filled with long-form, slow-burning platforms that are drenched with people’s sacred callings.
Because with ALL my heart, it’s my great longing that we learn to slow down long enough to see the beauty that is right in front of us. And to me, that’s always done outside of social media.
Will I still post on social media? Occasionally, yes, but it’s not part of my strategy.
Unfortunately, I have found the need to check in every so often because some of my group programmes have sister Facebook groups and on Instagram, I am still working to bring people to my new ventures from the above.
In addition, I felt far less alone when I went through this workshop. You are joined by hundreds of others on a similar path and Leonie’s monthly calls, and the community forum felt so nourishing to me on my own journey with this.
WHAT WILL YOU GET IN LEONIE’S ‘MARKETING WITHOUT SOCIAL MEDIA’ WORKSHOP?’
I feel completely and utterly FREE from the shackles of social media and algorithms.
I now know that my one and only job is to create truly meaningful content that serves people deeply and that allows me to be able to receive for this service.
This workshop truly revitalised my weary soul. It feels serene beyond words to stop wading through the bombardment of information in relation to keeping up with algorithms and so on. I am free, I am free, I am free.
As a result, my marketing feels like such a JOYFUL process! I truly love marketing now! It feels so aligned and full of ease.
The workshop has given me a million new things to try and dig into that I have never tried before. Not to mention that all of these things are all so thoroughly heart-centred that it will be so wonderful to explore.
Finally, for anyone who has yet to step into Leonie’s world, her teaching style alone is just such an experience in itself!
Leonie has a masterful way of breaking down heaps of swirling information into bite-size manageable pieces that others may even try to sell for $$$$$/££££.
But what if you’re not ready to leave social media? Is this workshop still for you?
Are you still feeling a little unsure if ‘Marketing Without Social Media’ is right for you? Here are some of my favourite features that will hopefully truly help you to make the decision that is best for you and your business:
This workshop will really breakdown what marketing actually is, because our modern world truly will convince us it’s ALL about social media marketing, but this couldn’t be further from the truth!
This workshop will give you a carefully thought-out exit strategy if you do want to wean your business off social media in a risk-free way. Both personally AND professionally.
This workshop will give you guidance on reducing your time on social media whilst still getting results. And if you ultimately decide to leave social media, it will give you the support and guidance to do just that!
This workshop will give you options to add other marketing strategies to your business to make it stronger and more sustainable.
Tools I use to help limit or control my time on social media:
Before I bring this post to an end, I wanted to add some tools that truly helped me to limit and control my time on social media that could perhaps meet you where you are as you step on this pathway to social media freedom:
BlockSite: I think this is one of the tools that Leonie does actually mention in the workshop however it’s so wonderful that I wanted to mention it here as well. This is your standard ‘block websites’ that are distracting sort of app and a wonderful starting place on your journey to controlling or limiting your time on social media. There is either a free or paid version and I personally find the free version wonderful alone. I particularly like their ‘Pomodoro timer’ focus sessions that not only block websites that I find distracting but also remind me when I need to take a break.
UnHook: Is Youtube social media? No, I don’t think it is exactly and would put it in the same category of other slow-burning social media platforms like Blogging, Pinterest and Podcasts (by the way, I teach about the difference between slow-burning and fast-burning platforms in my E-Course called ‘The Art Of Pinterest’). It is, however, incredibly distracting! So, I have found something very special in UnHook, a browser extension that eliminates distractions on YouTube, including the recommended sidebar, endscreen video suggestions, user comments, homepage related videos feed, trending tab, turn off autoplay or annotations, and more. I literally open Youtube to a blank screen and then joyfully select what videos I truly want to watch from my Subscription tab. SO highly recommended!
News Feed Eradicator: This incredible tool removes all of the social media noise by replacing your entire news feed with an inspiring quote. Better still, you can still use the other functions, as usual, however, it eliminates the fact that you will get sucked into the attention hole. I have found this such a blessing as I navigate these websites. I can now choose where my attention will go as I sit down at my screen. Through doing so, I come to these websites with far more attention AND intention of what I will be doing on them.
Finally, dearest soul, have you ever let this Mary Oliver quote truly sink deep into your bones?
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
– Mary Oliver
Wherever you are on your personal or business relationship to social media right now precious soul please remember this above all: Growing and marketing your business should NOT sacrifice your one and wild precious life!
Yes, that’s right, it should not cost you at any level.
It should not cost you your joy, your self-esteem, your hobbies and your wildly precious time.
I truly and passionately believe that we need to start looking into the multitude of options we have for a nourishing personal and business life.
Imagine the ease you would feel without sacrificing your one and wild precious life spinning ALL of the plates on social media?!
And what if it’s possible and more profitable too?
If my experience with stepping away from social media has taught me anything it that’s we all so hungry for a different way to do business.
If anything from this post has spoken to your soul, I truly couldn’t recommend the ‘Marketing Without Social Media’ Workshop more to free up your life for ALL the online ease you so desire and SO deserve!
Do you have any questions about my digital detox journey, and also, any questions about this workshop? It will be an honour to chat deeply in the comments.
Dear enchanted ones, Happy New Year! How are you settling into 2022? I’d love to hear all about your wishes and desires for this year in the comments below this post.
Journaling is one of my most sacred rituals. It never ceases to amaze me how my inner wisdom will always pour onto the page in front of me.
For me, there’s nothing more special than taking pen to paper that allows for that deeply cerebral friction of thought to take place. And where the page suddenly expands before me.
I don’t need to know what will become of my thoughts, I don’t fear that I will be teased and judged for the way I love to paint my imagination onto the page.
In particular, the 2022 Year Of Growth Book really makes space for my imagination to come alive on the page.
Through using the 2021 Year Of Growth Book, I love that daily I could just surrender to the act of pure flow and then look back and admire the process of becoming who I truly am. And I can keep it forever. All my truths, foibles and discoveries.
So, let’s dig into the 2022 Year Of Growth Book and I’ll also reveal how I am being guided by Simplicity as my word of the year for 2022.
A Look Inside The 2022 Year Of Growth Book
Although you’ll receive blog post review on your device of choice, I’d love for you to imagine that you’re caressing this journal unboxing with me.
When you receive this journal you unbox it from a beautiful white cardboard box full of Annie’s signature celestial design.
I adore the enclosed card with a note from Annie herself that truly makes you feel special and cherished by her and the whole Dreamy Moons team. I love that although Annie is so incredibly successful, she still fills her orders with so much intimacy.
You then hold the soft cotton black book in your hands and immediately I’m in awe of the gold bound at the edge of the pages and the black silky ribbon bookmark.
The Year Of Growth book is a truly opulent diary that feels like a truly luxurious ceremonial ritual to write in each day.
Having said that, I have only had the journal for a few months and you can already see from the photos that the cotton fabric has become marked despite it just living on my bedside table.
In terms of features, the 2022 version of the Year Of Growth Book is very concentrated on astrology and Full and New Moon reflections.
Of the 2022 release, Dreamy Moons describe this journal as:
“A diary with a focus on mindfulness, astrology, gratitude, intention setting, self-reflection, creativity and personal growth. It’s a thick, heavy book for every day journaling that will patiently wait for you on your bedside table or desk. Think of this book as a time capsule of who you are at this moment a time. A keepsake to look back on years in the future.”
✦ Full Moon and New Moon journaling ✦ Week per spread layout ✦ Weekly & monthly self-reflection prompts ✦ Weekly & monthly intention setting spaces ✦ Weekly affirmations ✦ Monthly overview
In comparison to the 2021 Year Of Growth, I truly love the greater space to plan your intentions and the detailed New Moon and Full Moon prompts that truly feel embodied for that particular season which is powerful to reflect and look back on.
I also love in many ways that, as someone who has journaled nearly every single day since childhood, there is truly more space to write your musings and to carve out your thoughts.
Writing to myself every single day in this way has been where I am able to mourn and celebrate and where I am able to listen and receive. I love the spaciousness I have with this 2022 design.
However, I do deeply miss the creative prompts that were present in the 2021 Year Of Growth journal.
The 2022 Year Of Growth journal has not kept the space for sketching or any creative journaling and I find myself missing that an awful lot.
Having said that, perhaps this will prompt me to start a separate 2022 art journal, so I’ll certainly let you know if I decide to do this!
Overall, I do prefer the 2021 Year Of Growth journal because the creative journaling feature was such an important part for me.
“I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.”
~ Lao Tzu
For 2022 I am going to go on a journey with the word ‘Simplicity’.
And of course precious ones, I’m going to take you on this intimate journey with me through my blog (but especially through my monthly letters that you can sign up to for free either above or below this blog post).
In this increasingly complex world, simplicity is a luxury, don’t you agree?
My own reason for choosing Simplicity for 2022 was inspired by my current difficulties maintaining the intensity and complexity of my health flares.
Whilst I held tightly onto courage in 2021 to be my beacon of inner-strength to soothe these flares, with less movement came more vulnerability and thus I was naturally primed to find out a lot more about who I am and what I needed in those moments.
As you may already know, I hold the word of my year that I will journey with great reverence and adore to really dig deep into the soil of the multitude of layers it has.
So, just last week when I spent all week at the hospital for some of my annual tests, I listened to the first of my collected books on the subject of Simplicity in the many waiting rooms called ‘The Laws of Simplicity’ by John Maeda.
Maeda outlines that there are 10 laws in total in regards to Simplicity that I broke down in my sister monthly email called ‘Muse Mail’ for soulpreneurs who seek to dedicate their gifts to blogging (if this if you, and you’d like to sign up you can do so for free here!).
Now, the first 9 laws Maeda sets out are probably things that you already think of when it comes to Simplicity that includes reduction, organisation, time, learning and so on.
Ultimately, I’m not entering into a path of Simplicity to endlessly subtract things.
Of course, there are many things that do need to be thoughtfully composted as an essential process of simplifying and refining the things that are heavy on the mind, body and soul.
However, it was the 10th law that had the greatest significance for me: “Subtract the obvious, add the meaningful.”
Isn’t that just so beautiful? And isn’t that what you’re ultimately here to experience on your enchanted path too? To seek a life that is laced with simplicity, meaning and significance?
Sinking deeper into this portal of simplicity gifting us with a greater sense of meaning, I was then reminded of one of my most profound reads of all time: ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ by Viktor E Frankl.
In this breathtaking work, Frankl tells his story of surviving a concentration camp and how this experience led to his theory on the importance of meaning in one’s life (Logotherapy).
Frankl muses that we all have the potential to experience meaning under any and every circumstance. In addition, he believes that humans have both freedom and responsibility to bring forth their best possible selves by realising the meaning of the moment in every situation.
This is echoed by Sharon Blackie who, in her seminal book, ‘The Enchanted Life’ states that an enchanted life is one made up of “heart and meaning.”
However, the focus of my efforts towards simplicity this year is to call back all threads of myself that have been lost to complexity over the years. Through doing so, I desire to plant a garden around me and within me, that is truly focussed on giving true value, service, love, compassion and meaning to all I do.
Including my blog. Due to the complexity of my health, I truly struggled to stay afloat last year and thus my content creation suffered.
As I step into 2022, I feel truly revitalised to bring you more meaning here than ever. Is there anything you’d like to see in particular?
I hope you enjoyed this review of the 2022 Year Of Growth Book. To those that already have it, how do you love to document your own year of growth within the pages?
If you have found yourself with a different journal this year, what is it, and what do you love most about it?
As I bring this review of the Year Of Growth Book journal to an end, I just want to thank you so very deeply for all your love and friendship in this space. I am beyond grateful to you and it’s impossible how to encapsulate this gratitude in words.
In addition, being vulnerable enough to share my heart here means so very much.
Would you like to receive more of this? If you would like to heart-riff with me and hear more of my thoughts and words I would be honoured to connect via my Whimsy World Monthly Letter. You can sign up directly from above this blog post or below it. It would be so wonderful to have you.
Until then, I’m wishing you a year ahead full of love, blessings and space for honouring yourself deeply always.
When you stargaze tonight or look ahead into the new day or year ahead of you, it’s worth highlighting the timeless words of Eleanor Roosevelt who once said:
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
May your 2022 bring you all the magic, whimsy and enchantment that you already have within you.
I hope in turn that these magical elements can rebirth you and sustain you through these times.
And may you share it with the world and shine your light evermore brightly.
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Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post and for being here. I love and appreciate you beyond words.
Have you found this post enriching or useful in some way? If you are able to, you can buy me a coffee to help support my blog’s running costs. Alternatively, please support my blog by sharing this post with your loved ones, or by signing up for the free Whimsy World Monthly Letterabove or below this blog post.
Georgie xoxo is an Enchanted Living blog for those seeking everyday whimsy, with a heart full of wanderlust focusing on travel adventures, pretty crafts, chronic illness and words on finding the meaning in life through wonder and enchantment.
It’s my ultimate hope that there has been something on my blog that has enabled you to travel into the deepest realms of wonder and enchantment so that you can truly feel and embody your own world, and the world around you, that can be filled with more magic than you could possibly imagine.
By supporting Georgie xoxo on Kofi, you enable me to bring these enchanting ideas and whimsical tales to life. Thank you in abundance for your love and support that is the strength that I use to create impossible things.
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