This is something I know so well – without inspiration, the well of creativity is dry, and nothing gets written. And what is a writer without words being written? A sad creature, that’s what.
But when the inspiration comes, the words come too, and wonderful things can come of it. Inspiration can be a mysterious thing – where does it come from? Is it ‘out there’ floating around in the winds, until it crash lands in your brain, ideas some, and yes, words are written!
I’m being inspired at the moment by my current obsession. This is a thing I’ve named, The Redbanks RUST & FOUND Art Installation. It’s a big thing, with many different aspects to what it will become, but the basis of it is the finding of rusty things which I put up on our rusty gate and frond fence at our place.
There are over 500 different rusty and/or found items there on display now, and the front fence, all 60 os so metres of it, has lots of different things there. And there are a few larger objects there as well, just our side of the front fence, where people taking a look can easily see them!
Some of the things in this Art Installation were found while going for walks, others were found when looking around my place outside. The piece below is one such ‘find’ our old front tap, which was replaced with piping that will never rust, because it’s made of PVC, a form of plastic.
So I ‘found’ that object the other day, and immediately decided it must become a part of this Art Installation! And so it is, right next to the rusty old gate that began this whole project! There are a few other metal objects there as well, found ones, and all along that big gate are many more.
I was inspired by that tap earlier today, and I wrote a poem, a brand new poem, which may be in the non fiction book I plan to write, and have launched perhaps in July next year. I’ve never written a non fiction piece as big as this one will be, but with the given time period, I reckon I can manage it!
Anyway, here is that poem, I hope you like it!
CREATIVE FLOW The flow when it’s there is a wondrous thing Thoughts to written down words and more – Ideas mount up, fuse together, split apart Merge, diverge, become greater than anything Ever before, until l have enough, my cup full and it stops – real world thoughts return, dreary and mundane … but that creative flow Captured in writing, shaped and shining, That will remain, reminding me of my other self – The one who’s spirit is healed and strengthened By the creative flow that washes over me Every now and then, that makes me whole! The flow when it’s there is a wonderful thing Thoughts to written down words and more – Ideas mount up, fuse together, split apart Merge, diverge, become greater than anything Ever before, until l have enough, my cup full And real world thoughts take over again Dreary and mundane, but that creative flow Captured in writing, shaped and shining, That will remain, reminding me of my other self – The one who’s spirit is healed and strengthened By the creative flow that washes over me Every now and then, and makes me whole!
I loved being back at PBA FM, after being away from there for so long! Formerly, I’d been there as one of the presenters of the ‘WORDS OUT LOUD’ Program (I’m fairly sure that was the name of the show). Today I was there as a guest for Nick and Beth, on their program, Short and Sweet Spoken Word.
The three of us talked about what I’ve been doing word-wise lately, so I jumped at the chance to talk about some of what I’ve been up to. So of course I jumped at the chance!
Talking on the radio is something I’m quite good at, as it turns out. I’m not any use at the mastering the panel thing – I know I was trained in it quite a few years ago, but my brain said, nup, don’t wanna do that, so the lesson fell though.
That didn’t matter, because Nick and Beth were there, managing that part, and they kept it all going nicely! I was able to speak about my writing, poetry, blogging, editing of a newsletter, and creation of an Art Installation.
The presenters had a copy of that newsletter, so could see what I was doing with that, and that led nicely on to the RUST & FOUND Art Installation – because after Beth had got that newsletter up on her screen, she could see some of the pictures of found objects that have become a part of that Art Installation.
So we spoke about that, and also the recent event Beth and I were both at, in Gawler, the Gawler MAP event, where the Governeor of South Australia was recently a guest, and did a fine job of it.
And once we’d finished talking aobut me and my writing, Beth had a kind of quiz, for Nick and I to think on, and answer. She had a list with two versions of particular words (one correct way to say the word, and the other incorrect way, and we had to choose which was the correct pronunciation.
And because this was radio, Beth read out the two versions of the words, because just showing us the words would make ‘dead air’, instead of fine radio! It was fun.
Being on the radio is something I’m happily do more of, if and when I can! Just don’t ask me to ‘man’ the panel, because I just can’t do it!
And being able to talk about the Art Installation was an awesome opportunity! While the Art Installation has now been largely created (on and along my front fence!), there are still spaces to be filled!
And my walking of our dog and looking for (and finding) rusty items of interest (to me and viewers of this Installation too, I hope), well this is keeping the dog exercised, and me too, so we’re both keeping fit and healthy!
And the curation part of the Redbanks RUST & FOUND Art Installation is keeping my brain healthy as well, and I consider the various aspects of what I’m doing – the placement of objects, whether or not items are and aren’t relevant for this installation …
I don’t think the Installation isn’t ever going to be completely finished, for as long as I go on walking, which I hope to do at least four or more times a week! And putting it together and considering the placement of pieces is only a part of it, because there’s the promotion aspects too, as this Radio session was to some extent.
And of course the Mallala Crossroad Chronicle, the newsletter I edit is a perfect avenue for me to talk about what I’m doing with our front fence! And the even more exciting part of that is that the Adelaide Plains Mayor is going to Open the Art Installation for me!
And not only is he going to open it, he will be speaking about a particular rust item form his own place (and I hope), giving it to me to be put on display as a part of the Redbanks RUST & FOUND Art Installation!
And if it turns out he’s only showing it to us for the purpose of his talk, and he takes it home with him again that will be fine too. After all, there are over four hundred individual items on and along our fence and front gate! And that number is growing, every time I head outside!
In fact this morning, I and my support worker/Installation assistant placed out a much larger item, a nice big rusty Exercise Bike, that had been left idle on our front veranda for goodness knows how many years. It’s now got a proper role in life!
I think I’ll have to write a poem about that! I’m going to write a book, a non fiction book, with the working title of “Rust & Found – the Making of the Redbanks Art Installation’. The book will have some poems about this project, including some poetry about some of the items.
I suspect the work on that book will be a lot more ‘on the way’ than it is right now whn the Installation is Opened, but it won’t be published then, it will be quite a bit later.. The Opening of Installation is happening on 5 May this year, which is only a couple of months away …
Another relevant time to have a book out might be for the Gawler & Adelaide Plains Festival of Words – Scenes, which is happening at the end of July this year … But I think it’s not going to be ready then either. Festival 2025 – that may be the time to launch that book. It gives me a deadline that is reasonable, and do-able.
And when that book comes out, you can bet I’ll be looking for more opportunities to go on the radio again then!
Apparently Eleanor Roosevelt said that. And itsn’t that so true? You sit back and laze, never lifting a finger to do for than you absolutely, and you life comes to not that much at all, but if you do as much as you can at your job, or sport, or whatever it is that lights you up with hope and thoughts of what you can achieve, you’re much more likely to make an excellent life for yourself.
If you have ideas, run with them you can succeed, maybe not hte first time, but it you learn from what didn’t work the first time, and try something else, and better, until it works, woohoo, you’ve made it, you hero!
At the moment, I’m living a great life and I’m doing my very best to go on living a great life! I’m active, both physically and mentally, and in my community. I make plans and work on them, some of them go better than others do, but they’re all things that keep me positive, and doing ‘stuff’!
Sitting around doing nothing? Well it may look like I’m doing that sometimes, but often the reality is that I’m giving myself some ‘ME’ time, to refresh myself, ready for the next thing I’m going to do. Sure I have a novel I’m ‘writing’ that looks like it may never be published, but I’m thinking about it, on some of those ‘ME’ times, and I do in fact write a bit more of it regularly.
Just because ‘regularly’ means once a week, for twenty minutes, well, so be it. My favoured genres for writing are for short pieces, not novels. And every time I write something, anything, and send it out into the world, I can improve what I do, in terms of quality, audience reach, money making (haha what a joke miniscule amounts!), and enjoyment for myself as well.
I love to write, I’ve been doing it for some of my childhood and much of my adult life. I have in fact written a novel, which may one day be brushed off, edited and sent off to a publisher! That’s not one of the items of things to do this year, but next year, maybe it will make that list!
This year I decided to begin something possibly bigger than I’ve done before, in terms of public events and community connection. I decided I was going to create an Art Installation! Me! What did I know about such things? Not a thing, I don’t even have an Arts degree!
But I do have a creative mind, and I have many, many thoughts building into ideas. And the ‘Redbanks RUST & FOUND Art Installation’ is one such thought that turned into an idea, and is now an Art Installation being created! In fact I’ve more or less finished the main part of the creation aspect of this Installation, and I’m getting more into the curation side of things.
This morning I do some of that curation aspect – I had some more items to be put out on display, so I went to the Art Installation (which is actually my Rusty front fence), to place those items on display. While I was there, I decided to move some previously place items to better display them, in less cramped spaces.
Then I completed some work I’d begun during the week, to better display one particular small type of piece (beer bottle caps). I continued looking at what I’d alreadty done over the months since this project started, and realised one item I’m quite proud of having on display, wasn’t in a good enough space, so I moved it so it could attract more attention.
And now, much of hte space that this Art Installation is in, is more or less filled, in that there is something on display, at least every two metres along the front fence. That areas around each item will continue to be filled, not to crowding, but in ways to show what is there, possibly for the rest of my life!
You see, these display items, yes they were found, most of them, and mostly found while walking our dog! So this Art Installation is keeping both my body and my mind active. And the really exciting part is that this Art Installation is going to have it’s Official Opening on the 5th of May this year, by the Adelaide Plains Mayor!
Redbanks, where I live, and so where this Art Installation is, is a part of the Adeliade Plains Council region. There not a lot goin gon there, not that can be seen by others, there are no open shops and the only public building is the Redbanks Hall, which has fallen into disrepair.
If I can draw attention to this township via the Redbanks RUST & FOUND Art Installation, perhaps that might bring the Redbanks Community together, and be a further impetus to get that old hall (built in 1935, I think), back up and going as a regular meeting place for the residents of Redbanks, and others from around the place!
It may be not all people living here would be as keen on this idea as I am, but it may be that some of theme definitely are! I’m going to put out a notice in letterboxes in the township soon looking for responses concerning all of this, and we’ll see what happens. It may fall flat, and not have anyone else interested in it, there may be people who hate the idea, and want a quiet like, not people from elsewhere looking around here.
But it may become a thing the residents of the township of Redbanks can be proud of, and it could be the thing that finally brings us all together, and the whole of our township reaches out, and becomes more than just somewhere to go home to after work, and more or less ignoring anyone else living there.
There are already a couple of other places in Redbanks that have displays in their front yards, and they look great, I would love it if other Redbanks residents may be keen to put on more of a show as well, and we could all one day get together to look around at what others have done that they’re proud to show off to others!
At the moment, Redbanks is a township, but it doesn’t feel like a community. I want it to be a great community that cares about making all of our township shine with pride of our achievements! An Anzac day display in the front yard – that’s fantastic, a front yard display of old farming equipment, wonderful! An Art Installation made up of Rusty and Found objects, great!
Getting together and doing things, that’s what makes community. I hope I can help get this kind of thing happening again in Redbanks, starting when all of the township, and others, will be invited to the Grand Opening of the Redbanks Rust & Found Art Installation!
If you live in Australia, particularly in the country, you quite likely know about the Three Corner Jack. They’re horrid sharp little prickles that come out in summer every year, unless a person with a bit of land isn’t quick enough to rip them out and dispose of them.
They look quite arrtative as they begin growing, up until the flower grows a seed that turns into a painful prickle that can jab into foot, or hand, or any other body part that it gets too close to, and OUCH!
This is my poem: UNHOLY TRINITY Even lovers of plants would agree The fruit of this plant is devil-made!
Attractive leaves, a sweet flower too Grows well, even out of the shade
Its spreading nature may seem fine Greenery there where few plants strayed
Summer’s harsh sun killing many a plant This one stays, whether in desert or glade
An ideal plant one may think it But with one sharp prick, pleasure will fade
You’ll curse this damned evil weed, Of plants; one of Nature’s most ill-made!
I feel sorry for anybody who has had the misfortune to fall victim to this horris weed! I’ve both trodden on the prickles, and been stabbed in the hand by it when weeding. Barefoot and fancy free, uh uh, not when there’s any Three Corner Jacks around!
To be honest the main reason for taking on this new Art Installation project, titled “Redbanks RUST & FOUND Art Installation” is almost certainly a way of avoiding the writing of my much awaited first Murder Mystery novel … I’ve hit around 35000 words of that or more, but I’m dillydallying around in the middle of that novel without doing anything much in the way of actually solving the crime …
If I were to change the genre from cosy murder mystery to chick lit set in country Australia, I could probably wrap it up and finish it far more easily. But Cosy Murder Mystery is what I said I was going to write, so that is what I am going to do! Eventually.
In the meantime though, I’m doing to continue with the creation of this Art Installation with is so much more fiun, and it’s better for me too! To create this Installation, I have to actually go outside and find things, preferably rusty things! I have over 400 individual poieces so far, all, or almost all placed on my front gate, and fence.
There are rusty and/or found objects of many shapes and sizes, from rusty old beer caps to our actual fence, with stands at least a metre and a half high in parts, and is approximately 60 metres long. The fence is rusty, and found in as much as we obtained it when we found our home in the country way back in 1988!
I had no idea I might one day decide to use that fence of rusty barb wire and ordinary fencing wire in an Art piece! But this Installation has captured my mind, and my creative ideas, and I’m enjoying the creation of it, and the planning of further things regarding it far more than I was enoying almost anything else in my life at the moment!
And I’m not giving up writing, because I’ve actually written quite a bit about this new projet, and there is even going to be a non fiction book written (by me) about this project, to perhaps be launched in 2015. In the meantime, I will go on creating, and writing about this RUST & FOUND project, and hopefully it will be even more impressive once the time comes to open it!
There are a good few other pieces on the Medium platform too, relating to this new project, and I’ve picked up a few new readers on that other particular platform, which is always nice, for a writer.
I have a notable person organised already to do the launch, and he is excited about the part he will play in this project. He tells me he already knows what the rusty item is he will be speaking about with he does this his ‘opening’ duties! He won’t tell me what it is, and I”m looking forward to seeing what this old object might be!
So on 5th of May 2024 the Mayor of Adelaide Plains Council is going to launch the Redbanks RUST & FOUND Art Installation! Woo Hoo! I’d better get some actual promotional stuff written and printed and then handed out around the place, so there is a crowd of people for the Mayor to speak to!
Doing that kind of thing is certainly not my forte, but I need to work on getting better and better at it, for this project, and in fact all of the things I’m doing that I want to get other people excited about too! If I can get oh, twenty people there, that would be great! If there were ten of fewer, it would be a fizzler. And if there were more that twenty, woo hoo. Success!
I’m not going to make lots of money doing this, but it isn’t actually costing me anything really, to create this piece of visual art. I own the fence it’s all displayed on, and it’s being hooked onto the gate and fence, or leaning against it, or wired in place with found pieces of wire. I never before considered myself to be a visual artist, I’d have always declared literature to be my personal art form, but these days, there seems to be more visual art work happening, rather than the writing!
I’ve written spome poetry too, about this project, and some of the found objects, and expect to do more of that kind of thing from now on, so I have a few poems to read at the bit Opening event …
And the reasons why I’m doing this? There are a few – Art Installations tend to be conceptual artworks, and I have a range of concepts I’m working with for this project. The main concepts reange around the ideas of Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose, reimagine, and touching further on waste, and ways to lessen the amounts of waste produce, by finding other ways to deal with it.
So the things I find as I’m walking around, looking for rusty or other interesting things, these items will not be thown out as rubbish, they will be taken to the Art Installation and put on display. And when I’m out there walking, I will be picking items that don’t fit into my project, so I will throw them out in the bin, but that is still a better thing to do, than just throw things around where they become ugly waste items, or sometimes dangerous items out on the roads, where they could cause terrible accidents!
One of the items on display in the Art Installation, is a metal shovel I found dangerously close to the road. Other items have been metal tools of various sizes, or lengths of wire, found in the middle of the road – I barely like to think about what could have occured if I hadn’t taken them off the road, and placed them out on display in the Art Installation!
So that’s another big concept being looked at, that of Road Safety, and being out in the country, as I am, I am well aware of the dangers of coming across large items in the middle of the road, when driving at say 100 km per hour. I fact wrote off my car around ten years ago, driving over something in the middle of the road I was driving along. It was a piece of rubber from a car tyre, and when I was driving at night I didn’t see it, drove over it, and it got thrown up under my car and somehow lost the ability to steer my car, ultimately hitting the fence fortunately in the middle of the road, and stopping, rather than running into the traffic heading off in the opposite direction.
So I have personal knowledge of what can go wrong if these kinds of items are left on the road, and if possible, I am now doing my best to stop and pick such things up. And even if they are not suitable for the RUST & FOUND Art Installation, well saving people’s lives is an important thing to do as well!
And of course getting out and about, walking our dog, talking to people, cleaning up the place, and making my local area a safe and tidy place to be, as well as keeping fit from all of the walking I’m doing, these are all worthy things on their own. But put together, wow!
So there you have it, writer, recycling whiz, road safety zealot, physical exercise inspriation, Clean up Austalia promoter, and more, here I am – playing my part in making my life, and the lives of others better, safer, neater, more lovely even, and sharing my thoughts and ideas with others so they too may ome up with interesting ways to assist make their lives, and the lives of others more important, and better in many different ways!
Carolyn Cordon - Writer 