Creativity is something that many of us need to be reminded about.  It is through creativity that we can connect with our hearts. I aim to help people of any age, ability, disability see that by switching off the mind & going with the flow, we are all able to communicate from our hearts through any creative media we choose - if we are able to tap into that gift then we are artists in one form or another, able to inspire, share & communicate with love, forgiveness & hope for the good of humanity, our Mother Earth and above all, God. I can truthfully say I am guided by my dreams and spirituality is at the heart of those.

 

I didn't study art at school, I doodled a lot. I loved fantasy books & a favourite childhood book was written & illustrated by Patrick Woodroffe...Tinker, the Adventures of a Hole-Eating Duck. It's a fantastic fantasy & I'd love to see it on film! http://www.patrickwoodroffe-world.com/books.htm

 

I kept doodling & one day in 1991 crossed paths with a young upcoming product design graduate who taught me the most simple thing in the world, how to draw a straight line with panache! For the next 3 months he sent me to galleries & museums & set me projects & as a result, I was accepted onto an Art Foundation course at Croydon College. The tutor didn't believe me when I told him I had no prior art education.

 

I didn't take the place. My path changed direction & I went off & had some more life changing experiences - some ecstatic, some traumatic. I spent time travelling, meeting people, working & living abroad, observing, living life & enjoying it.

 

I met my italian husband in 1996 (www.MrPeace.org). He comes from a family of musicians & is a natural with a guitar. We are both Scorpio's and he's a year younger than me. He wanted to try out djaying & I promoted him for a while, made his cd covers, designed logos & made decor for a few club nights - backdrops mainly & banners.

 

I had my first son in 1998 & by the time the second one came along in 2004 I decided to take the AS level in Art & Textiles at SCOLA in Sutton. It wasn't my intention - I'd joined a creative sewing class as I had a jacket that needed repairing & wanted to learn how to do these things myself. Week after week I brought in different bits & pieces that I wanted help with & one day brought in some folders of my artwork & designs.

 

The tutor suggested I take the AS Level in Art & Textiles, which was starting the next day & as I felt ready to get my teeth into something more juicy, I signed up. Only 4 out of the original 12 completed the course & I was one of them. That felt great - a very positive experience. I chose Spirals as the theme for my coursework & for the exam I created a project entitled 'The Six Point Star - An Occult Symbol to be Feared or a Divine Symbol of Truth & Light?' (Of course it's the latter!)

The spiral of creativity continued as I began making more & knitting & fiddling with wires & beads & embellishing vases & working with flowers, and photography, reusing & recycling to recreate anything I felt like. If I stopped creating, I became quite moody! I just carried on & eventually felt like I really needed to do more with this love of creativity. I couldn't ignore the feeling of wanting to work with others & do group projects & I then, in October 2007, I met Victoria Nunn.

 

I was flicking through the local Sutton Events Guide & Text Fest was on. A local scriptwriting workshop caught my eye & I booked myself on it immediately, paying the £15 over the phone. Good job I didn't stop & think about it first or I wouldn't have signed up. because the week it was running was a hectic one, my husband was working odd hours & it would be tricky with the kids. I just trusted that if I was doing the right thing, it would happen easily.

 

Victoria was the Community Arts Officer for LB Sutton and she was one of 5 on the course. We got to write scripts & have actors come on the 4th night & act our scripts for us. I filmed the scenes for everyone as I'd not felt the urge to complete the script I started. I was content to contribute & observe.

 

Shortly after the course was over, I received an email from Victoria, who was wondering whether any home educating groups I knew may be interested in having artists run workshops for them as part of a community art project. In my reply I mentioned that I made  art & textiles so she asked to come & see my work & talk more about things with a view to potentially running sessions with a group in Sutton, run by Friends of the Elderly. We arranged to meet after the New Year. All sorts of fears in my mind tried to convince me that I wouldn't be good enough for the task but I managed to ignore them.

 

Also around the same time, my husband & I were considering a move to Italy. His job here wasn't going well, his manager wasn't particularly friendly & he'd had enough. We headed to Italy, he had some interviews & there were possibilities but at the end of the day, it didn't feel right.

Another chance meeting meant we visited a rather unique little village on our trip to Italy, and it was there that we decided to stay in the UK but change the way we did things.

 

We were at the top of an ancient hilltop town, built in rocks, called Calcata when we made our decision to change our lives completely & pursue our creative passions, his being musical, mine revolving around art. It was just so interesting that we were in this town because of another one of my dreams...

 

...Around the time of the TextFest, just as we'd started having discussions about moving, I'd had a vivid dream. I was driving a van, all our belongings were in the back, the kids were with us & I was driving up an old road into a village that was full of artists warehouses. People were creating something in every warehouse. I instinctively knew where I was going & knew that one of these warehouses was ours. I heard the sound of music & followed it. I parked the car & got out & walked towards the sounds of people & loud music coming from 'our' place. I felt anxious, I thought a full blown party wasn't really the best place for the kids but we were altogether & I felt protected by being a family unit so I opened the door. The room was full of party goers who dispersed immediately & the sound went with them. This was our space. I crossed the room, opened the blinds & the large square window, you know the ones that slide up. Sunlight flooded the room. The view onto the open plains below was breathtaking. We had arrived.

 

It was just a dream but so clear. I thought it was a good sign about moving to Italy and thought nothing more of it. A month later, I caught up with an old friend from Leeds Uni through Facebook. Scott & I hadn't seen each other for 15 years. We'd been good mates for the year that I studied arabic. We arranged for our families to meet up. It was November. How great to catch up! He'd finished the arabic degree I'd dropped out of & while I'd gone off to draw straight lines with panache he, on graduating, went to live & work in Rome, which is where he met his partner, an artist. We shared stories, talked about being creative & then told him about our plans to move to Italy & that we were heading there for Christmas.

 

"Oh, well as you like creativity, you need to go & visit this place just outside of Rome, called Calcata!" he said.

 

"Hold on," I said, "does it have an approach road with an old stone wall that leads in to the town which is full of art warehouses  & creative people everywhere?" I asked, adding more details I recalled from the dream

 

"Yes it does! Have you been there?" he asked

 

"Well, yes, in my dreams," I replied

 

So that's how come we were sitting in a coffee shop in Calcata, a most beautiful artisan's town set in rocks on a hilltop, just after Christmas 2007. It was here that my husband & I concluded, if we didn't follow our dreams, we'd reach 70, look back & wonder why we'd never tried & then just regret it! Surely, with all our experience & passion & some compromising we could find ways to use our creative gifts.

We didn't move to Italy. We came home. He took a  job with no responsibilites at the local supermarket & stopped being Head Chef of a 1500 pupil private school. This gave him creative space to think & plan & pursue his music production hobby and also an income that paid the bills. I set about looking for ways I could be working creatively while I carried on book keeping, payroll & VAT work in my familes' optics business.

February 2008 comes along & things are moving-ish but I'm getting a little worried. Was Victoria ever going to call? Maybe we'd made a mistake? Fear is so destructive! I really had to push the doubts away and carry on trusting that if what felt right in my heart was truly meant to be, then things would happen. If it wasn't right, then I asked God to make it all go away.

 

That's when Victoria emailed me back to arrange her visit. Thank God she came when she did! It was a fantastic meeting, for both of us. She was happy she'd found a local artist who could work with all kinds of people,and I was happy to be given the chance.

 

"There are quite a few artists I've been to see & their work is good but they wouldn't be good with people. I just know you'll be able to work with anyone & deal with situations as they arise!" she said.

 

She was right. I started with Friends of the Elderly, 5 sessions of 2 hours. I made it to that 1st session, again having had to banish the destructive thought processes, the fears that were trying to convince me that this was beyond me. Ha, stinky ego, it all went great! By the second session, Victoria came back to me & asked me, looking worried

 

"Would you be willing to do more sessions with some other groups that have only just got back to me? I know you're busy & everything & I don't want to overload you..."

 

My heart was bursting, I tried to accept without jumping for joy! All of a sudden, I had 21 sessions with 5 diverse groups of people with learning disbailites & mental health problems. My dream of working with my gift & of working on group projects had unfolded right before me. Ahh, thank you God, I hope I can serve You well.That's all I really want to do.

 

It's January 2010. I'm co-ordinating the Sutton Community Art Space, working in the heart of the High Street, inspiring and sharing with the general public. It is a 2 way street, by which I mean, they inspire me too. I've had the opportunity to work creatively with my husband providing music while I provide art & have created 12 Silk Roads (this project was inspired by a deeply spiritual dream) which have involved directly & indirectly, hundreds of people. Strong links are forming with groups of local artists all keen to energise the community through creativity. Imagine 2010 & Summer Uni are just 2 of the local creative events that are looming. I am writing proposals, being bold, being fearless, being happy and really thanking God for facilitating it all. There is so much love in my heart, tears well in my eyes at the beauty of life. I am still driven by the guidance in my dreams. Just 2 nights ago, I had a corker, I saw a heavenly bridge & the message was loud and clear - we are not in control! God is driving things. He is truly at the wheel. I write them all down, what a good movie they'd make!

My husband has carried on making music. I do the lyrics for some of the songs, the vocals too. We are spreading a good mesage and reaching the hearts of many types of people. In fact all the music I play at the Community Art Space is made in our home! He has a gig in Instanbul to promote a new psychedelic trance EP with his old friend from the underground days, he was muttering something about India too (www.pointzerorecords.com) His job is moving forwards, still at the supermarket, undergoing management training. I am also still involved in the family business, and doing an NVQ level 3 in Business Administration (free, at my place of work or my home, they come to me!!). We are still home educating 2 lovely boys & that is such an inspiration - we are all learning together. It's a very loving  feeling having a strong family bond.

 I think the lyric from a Bugsy Malone song sums life up nicely....

 "if you give a little love, it'll all come back to you, la la la la la la la"

 

Love Life, Life Loves You

Samia

humbled by the Beauty and the Mercy