The Solace Tent

The Solace Tent has become a bit of a legend amongst festival-goers on my beloved island. There's two major festivals every year; the Isle of Wight Festival and the Bestival; and for these events and many others, a bunch of well-meaning do-gooders buy tickets specifically to sit in a tent feeding and talking to anyone who wanders in through the doors.

I have sadly not been lucky enough to help out at a festival, but the past weekend has been an event called Park Life, and I was in the Solace Tent doing free henna tattoos while others painted nails and braided hair. But the things that caught my attention most, strangely enough, were the graffiti tables. They're new in 2007, I believe, and these are some of the things written on them so far:

Remember to look B4 U leap; but still leap or you'll miss life!

You've been tango'd

:( another year 2 wait!

ITS ALL ABOUT THE NUMBER 8 (THINK ABOUT IT)

I smell the smelly smell of something that smells smelly!! -> festival goers!

:) smiles are free :)

Woohoo! I'm missing the rolling stones!

May this song be the soundtrack to all the times that you're uninspired, take heed & begin to realise, maybe someday you'll inspire others
ellie

BADGERS EVERYWHERE

You know it could be

I fell asleep in solace! and missed muse!

Love someone and never let them know

I found it pretty fascinating. This was just one table out of at least three, I was too busy trying to draw flowers and dragons and and hearts on various forearms to inspect the others. I think there's definitely a place for graffiti. It doesn't even have to be art. It doesn't even have to be important. Just something, from someone, sent into the world.

For more information about the Solace Tent, such as why they do what they do, check out their MySpace page :)

Quick update

Ok! Well, I've just had the most amazing weekend. I didn't go camping in the end, the weather was too bad, but for all that everything was utterly amazing. The beatboxing workshop went very well! Everybody had a great time. And Catalyst on Saturday was quality too.

For some reason, Sunday was as sunny and hot as you could hope for, which was a welcome relief from all the grey and rain we've been having. Seriously, what happened to summer?! Hahah anyway, so I am currently in a very good mood indeed. I'll post more when my brain can say more than "uhgahbuh".

Ignite

So, today started out with me being slightly irritated and concerned that I hadn't heard from Gav. I got fed up waiting around online when the weather was so beautiful, so I went outside with the intention of buying lunch and eating it in the park, reading the book he'd lent me.

Things didn't quite go to plan; I was only halfway into town when God suddenly reminded me of something I'd heard the day before about not letting the fire die. It hit home. You know, that way things sometimes do, when a little thing takes on such significance that you can't believe you missed it.

I have a vivid imagination, and it's been the case for a couple of years that I think of God's Spirit in me as a flame, flickering and wavering but always there. I started crying, right there, in the beautiful sunshine, on the way into town. I was overjoyed that God hadn't forgotten me, that I still had fire (however fragile) burning in me. That's when God started grabbing the reins of my day. He convinced me to go into the Christian bookshop, to buy a book I was recommended yesterday (something I very rarely do), and to go to a different part of the park than usual to eat.

I sat down on the grass, thoroughly happy with how everything was going, and started to read an inspirational poem in that book known as The Vision - while an orchestra that had set up opposite me played "I will follow him". I must have been reading and giggling at the sheer brilliance of it all for about half an hour. It was so perfect!

If there's one message I want you guys to take from this, it's that you must NEVER EVER let your fire fade. Be you, as beautifully and brilliantly as you can, because nobody else will ever do it as well. Live passionately, as if everything you do matters - because it really does. Love extravagantly and wholeheartedly. Whatever you do, commit everything in you to it. And I pray that I learn to do the same.

Brighton and drama

Hello! And welcome to IssueFest 2007, we'd thank you to leave your common sense at the door. Please take a seat, sit back, and enjoy the trauma...

The thing about keeping a blog is that there's two very conflicting motivations. On the one hand, I want to record everything for posterity and be completely honest with my audience. On the other, discretion is very much an issue.

Some people will tell you everything, will even conduct their lives via their blog. Others won't tell you where they work, or even their name, remaining completely anonymous. I tend to be fairly open as far as that stuff goes, and I only stop short of telling secrets that aren't mine.

Discretion and honesty is a difficult balance to keep in every walk of life. It seems that lately I've strayed too far towards keeping my mouth shut when perhaps I should be more up-front, and I may have hurt someone badly through that.

So I apologise for not being more detailed in my summary of where I've been, but the following I can tell you: the Brighton Battlejam was amazing, life's ups and downs continue like a boat on rough waters, and I remain (as ever) cautiously optimistic.