Welcome to our Blog. This is one of the ways we explore ideas, thoughts and concerns - a salon of conversation ... please join in, share your thoughts and questions. About Time 05/07/2010 The Title I've given this note refers to two things. I realise it's 'about time' I shared more of what's going on for me and the Centre for Creative Change. And, Last Friday, 2 July the UN took a momentous decision. 65 years after it was founded members voted unanimously to establish a single powerful body to launch a new UN Agency - for Women:UN Women. Headed by an Under-Secretary (making this equal with all UN Directorates), UN Women will be pressing (with a proposed budget of $500m) for women throughout the world to have a more prominent and widespread role in politics, economics and development - and in bringing their skills and experiences more centrally to reducing some of the worst discrimination we see. At last there will be a Directorate focused on Women and how they are equal partners in our world. Ban Ki Moon said 'UN Women is a recognition of a simple truth: equality for women is a basic human right and a social and economic imperative'. When two-thirds of the world's 776 million illiterate adults are women ALL of us suffer.... This acknowledges women's place at the heart of development - and only last year this decision seemed like an impossible dream. So: It's about time for women to be seen and heard as a matter of course. That demands a willingness from us as women to speak as if what we say matters, for men to listen, for both to align actions and behaviours.... It's about time that my commitment to some exciting new developments is spoken and shared... As you will see, there are links! More shortly comments And now for... 01/03/2010 a different approach to a National Anthem.... I am a member of of Women's Folk Choir (www.wercasfolk.com), led by a truly inspiring and real woman, Sandra Kerr. In October this year we're having an adventure - visiting Slovenia to sing and share the joys of life. Durning our preparations for this event (our first foreign trip as a choir) we have been introduced to the Slovenian National Anthem. The only national anthem to be written calling for Peace...: God's blessings on all nations; who long and pray for that bright day, When earth's habitation no war, no strife shall hold it's sway Who long to see that all people free, no more shall foes but neighbours be... Food for thought - along with this quote I found on a postcard from the Women's International Foundation for Peace and Freedom: I dream of the day when my son will ask me: 'What is War'? What do we do, day by day, to build such ways of being in our world? I don't mean how many barricades do we stand on, I mean, how and when do I take a moment to breathe peace into the air around me; to think before I speak in anger or cynicism. The Dali Lama says: all we need is to be kind whenever possible - and it's always possible to be kind. Now THAT's building a new way... Happy kindnesses as we step into the next turn of the year... comments Authoring and..... 25/02/2010 I am in the early stages of writing a book: ‘Women of Wit, Wisdom and Wonder: Women who Inspire’. As my attention and emotions are engaging in this I become aware of the questions ‘What shapes my identity?’; ‘How do I describe myself?’ Invariably I describe myself as a woman’ – beyond that, for me, all other descriptions become creative, folding and unfolding in time, space and experience. And yet I live in a world which repeatedly asks me – who are you, what are you, what do you do? I assume (with fair evidence) ‘the world’ wants a concrete, unchanging answer. And yet, what if that really isn’t so? What if, when we receive or ask this question it is really ‘How do you describe yourself – in this moment’? Suddenly I have more space, freedom, creativity and truth in my responses – and more relationship with both the question and the questioner. The relevance of this to my book? I’m aware of many women who have inspired me, fired something in my identity, my being. Sometimes this has been indefinable until much later, sometimes ‘in the moment’ I’ve been aware of some powerful shift. And I ‘got curious’ – where do these women find that experience – indeed do they? So far I discover, they do and I get to ‘meet’ the most amazing women. those telling their story and the stories of those Women of Wit, Wisdom & Wonder' that they share - the friends, mothers, grandmothers, children, siblings, aunts, passing acquaintances, strangers, lovers who have shaped, ignited, inspired, fired the women who have inspired me. At a time when I believe the world is hungry for relationships, for inspiration, for connection, for listening and discovering ‘other ways’ to sustain and be - the experience and information is available; in the experiences, the ancestry, the visionary voices of these women. Of all women So I am drawn, impelled, compelled to write this book…… to give voice.... To share and celebrate countless women known, unknown, famous to many, famous to a few, or one other. It's time to hear these voices comments Sometimes all is not what it seems 07/02/2010 A palindrome reads the same backwards as forward. This video reads the exact opposite backwards as forward. Not only does it read the opposite, the meaning is the exact opposite. This is only a 1 minute, 44 second video and it is brilliant. Make sure you read as well as listen, forward and backward. This is a video that was submitted in a contest by a 20-year old. The contest was titled "u @ 50" by AARP. This won second place. When it was shown, everyone in the room was awe-struck and broke into spontaneous applause. So simple and yet so brilliant. Take a minute and notice your reactions as you watch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM6rA comments What makes a difference 26/01/2010 Researchers* are discovering that, when people follow the joy associated with making a satisfying contribution, there are remarkable results - particularly among groups or communities of people. These "networks of accomplishment" are usually within our experience, but stand in contrast to the "networks of ambition" that isolate, harden and exhaust us. How about this as a challenge to 'business as usual'? *eg Anne Murray Allen and Dennis Sandow - the Society of Organisational Learning: http://www.solonline.org comments Thresholds..... 25/01/2010 I am 59 years and 5 months old. Sometimes I feel like three and a half! And I am continually surprised….. I remember feeling that way then too. How did I get here? Where did all those years go? Finding the words ‘forty years ago’ slipping off my tongue the other day astounded me. I can remember forty years ago? Yes, indeed, and with great clarity. Then I was very conscious of standing on a threshold. In fact, at nineteen, I felt I had stepped over a threshold, into the world beyond childhood. This at a time when adulthood was conferred, by the symbolic phrase ‘getting the key of the door’, at twenty-one. At nineteen I could not yet vote - who says things don’t change? I had, have had, and still have, a sense of being ‘gifted’ to live in extraordinary times. I remember the sixties as the time of turbulent possibility. Hope, passion and the conviction we could change the world. The famous ‘free love’ seemed remote – the world of newspapers and (the rarely watched) TV. Growing up in Northumberland, with Scotland a more present reality that the far south (Leeds as far as I was concerned), hardly leant itself to that kind of ‘wildness’ (although indeed I knew drugs were around – and surely the adults would have been astounded to know I knew, and saw that). And now I feel at another threshold. There have been many along the way. Twenty-five: - a shocker (I’ve been on this plant a quarter of a century, what have I done), forty and fifty, both revealing new worlds. Each bringing new ‘stuff to do’; new aspects of my being, my history, my present to confront; each with a sense of another new world to be explored and lived with passion and boundless energy. So I have practice and expertise at crossing thresholds! And this one feels to be of a different dimension. Truly there is less ahead than behind (even if I have inherited my grandfather’s genes and live to 97) – and that somewhat concentrates the mind. Yet I feel ‘off the map’, in a new territory. I am well versed, practiced, experienced, competent at ‘doing stuff’ (just see how long I’ve had to perfect that). However, I find myself setting off to ‘do stuff’ (easy to find stuff to do, be flattered when people ask me to) and then stopping. Something deeper (and wiser?) calls me. When people ask me ‘do you still work?’ I find myself flummoxed what does that mean? Yes, I work at my profession, and that feels an inadequate response at this threshold. Stripping away the layers, the labels, the roles, I realise that where I stand today is as a human being, not a human doing. That’s my ‘work’, my profession, my life at this threshold. That is who I am that has impact, weaves memories into the world. Perhaps it always was, I just didn’t notice At this threshold this I know – what I do is Inspire. Inspire people to be alive, to live, find joy; find belonging, place, passion, contribution (form, size, scale irrelevant). And a humbling revelation of this moment is that what’s most important is not ‘I do this at my best’. It’s my authenticity, my realness, honesty…. that inspires. And that’s always been how others have inspired me. So at this threshold I learn, that what humans do best – for themselves, for each other: be human beings. From that miracles happen. Our doing is body, role or form (mother, father, farmer, shop-worker, prime minister, scientist, youth leader, nurse, cleaner, the next Einstein…). That doing has value, a place and is only the part of who I am, what I bring to this world. Who are you, what do you bring, what threshold are you standing on? What human being are you in this moment? comments Reflections at a turning 11/01/2010 Refelctions & Gratitude As last week was my first 'working week' of 2010 I spent some time reflecting on some of the outstanding moments from 2009. These are just some: • Singing with The Standing Stones (six women of Northumberland) in a series of concerts (come and see/hear us: www.standingstonessingers.com ) – the joy and delight of weaving evenings of song and story, creating a magic for our audiences and ourselves • The completion of ‘The Shieling’ – an extension at home to provide a special, personal space for me, and to house the Centre for Creative Change. Traditionally Shielings were summer habitations, crucial to the wellbeing of crofter families, as they provided a base from which to graze cattle on lush moorland heather and grass. I’d long ago chosen this name for a special place I wanted to create that would nourish me and provide a space for individual, specially designed retreats and small group work. Imagine my delight when, as this room became reality, I discovered that ancient examples of Shielings can be found in the very valley I moved to (Upper Coquetdale, Northumberland). This year that place became real! • Discovering the inspirational film Pray the Devil Back to Hell – and creating three events around showing this film. At these sessions leading inspiring conversations around Peace: what Peace means for us as individuals, where we find and live Peace; what matters, really matters to us; listening to and celebrating the voice of the feminine – much needed in our world • A series of conversations, and a get together in The Shieling, with the C4CC Inspiration Group: and amazing group who support my explorations and who provide an environment for conversation, curiosity, challenge, debate, for my direction to emerge • Running a series of conversations called Women of Wit Wisdom & Wonder – sharing and reveling in the voices, experiences and inspirations women bring • Meeting and interviewing Asatu, one of the key women in the Liberian Women’s Peace Movement for the book I’m writing: Women of Wit, Wisdom & Inspiration: women who inspire • The arrival of my young cats (as six week old kittens) – joy, delight, learning and chaos all in two black and white bundles • Friendships – sustaining and developing long term friendships, discovering the new depths, twists and turns they’ve taken; discovering new friends, often in the most unexpected places • Winning ‘Best Traditional Singer’ cup at Rothbury Traditional Music Festival, – a real shock! And a day of discovering what sometimes lies on the other side of courage! When I took myself and Graham, my husband, through an exercise of ‘good’ and ‘not so good’ from 2009, I was fascinated to notice how the ‘good’ list was so much the longest – and how I didn’t expect that! I was also amused to notice how some of my ‘not so good’ list also emerged on the ‘good’ list…. Modern research shows the impact of gratitude – on physical and emotional well-being. I discovered this as a result of taking half and hour to do this exercise. We both emerged feeling energised, excited and motivated! I’m curious now, how do you find gratitude for yourself? Penni comments Welcome to our World 04/01/2010 Welcome to the Centre for Creative Change 2010. I am entering this year with much afoot, and look forward to sharing the developments I'm wowrking on with you. Please join in this journey by contacting me with your thoughts, ideas, responses, offers, connections and… as the year evolves. I chose to create 2009 as a year of reflection, quiet, exploration and regeneration. This has been challenging and hugely rewarding! Consequently now I stand at the threshold of both major change and further development of what is… After six years of contribution, growth, challenge, support and grounding the practicalities of C4CC, Andrea, my PA, is moving on. The opportunities of building the next phase of the Metal Fabrication Business she Co-Founded and Co-Directs with her husband (www.blackdownengineering.co.uk) are calling - and her amazing skills of organisation, creativity and communication will be crucial in the next phase of their development. She’s also pursing her passion for bringing up their children - Arthur, (who ‘joined’ C4CC at only six weeks old, thanks to a vat inspection!) and Tommy; for women and their role in community; and for how, as a society we care for and develop the next generation. You can see more at her blog: Over the years Andrea has become a dear friend and colleague. This is a major step for us both and one we’re delighted to know is right for us both and for C4CC. So we’ve both been living the anticipation, excitement, apprehension and sadness that come with any change – a great place from which to empathise with my clients. Gone in this role, transforming in others, Andrea will continue to contribute: • Completing 2009 activities, handing over to the new people coming to support my work • Through her role on the C4CC Inspiration Group (more anon) • As a continuing friend Joining me this month are Jo Elcoat, and Cally Foreman. I’ve taken this opportunity to revise how we operate and are making some changes to 'how things get done around here'. Jo arrives with an eclectic background (highlights include studying History and Ideas, work in Local Authority customer services and communications, travelling, adult basic skills teaching, and an MPhil in Publishing Studies and an MSc in Library and Information Management). Jo will be covering PA matters and developing a Research and Development resource which will be critical the new areas of focus evolve (see later in this note). Thus C4CC joins Jo’s Professional Portfolio – a commitment to how she wants her world to be. Cally will take on the Accounts, consolidating the day-by-day and annual accounts functions. She comes with over 20 years experience of Accounts, specialising in working with small businesses, charities and sole traders. I'm delighted to find her at a time when she had a ‘C4CC shaped’ space. This means another ‘goodbye’. To long-term accountant, Dale Parsons and his company (Chalmers & Co) in Somerset. A friend for many years, Dale became my Accountant in 1994, which seems a lifetime ago. He and Chalmers & Co have given us a first class service and again, there’s a loss in the change. And there’s huge excitement. This means the resourcing and support for my work will be well and truly rooted in the Coquet Valley, North Northumberland, a really special environment, which acts as an inspiration and a space for regeneration for my work and travels - on many levels. So as I enter 2010 it is in a conscious mood of ‘Open for Business’ in many ways: • Continuing to build on my unique offer, practice and history of working with diverse individuals, communities, contexts and organisations • Fully ensconced in new accommodation. The Shieling, an amazing room added to our home in 2008/09 is now fulfilling its role of being a ‘special personal place’ and being the home of C4CC. As I write this I'm lucky enough to look out through windows on three sides (North, East, South) to fields of white (after our best winter in years); our smiley Snow Being and two young cats (arrived Easter last year) attempting to catch snowflakes - what a gift • Actively offering Individual Retreat opportunities – designing time of replenishment and personal review using the peace of the land, The Shieling and new guest facilities • Progressing the work that has emerged as a major focus going forward: working with my passion: that all people find peace through knowing they have a place, a value, meaning and purpose - making this manifest through o Peace Initiatives and projects o Researching, carrying out interviews and writing ‘Women of Wit, Wisdom & Wonder’ a book celebrating and telling the stories, sharing the voices of Women who Inspire The clarity that’s emerged and gives this impetus has been hugely helped by the C4CC Inspiration Group. I started this up in 2008 to be a source of support, challenge and exploration in terms of how I wanted to create C4CC going forward. The group has evolved Three key words have driven me and us: Inspiration, Legacy and Sustainability. The Inspiration Group have been inspiring indeed in the conversations that have brought me here. So, welcome to my world in 2010. I'll be sharing more as the year unfolds. Please come and join in. If you, or anyone you know, is seeking or curious to make a difference in your world, for yourself, for your organisations or communities do call – as you now know I'm ‘Open for Business’… If you have something to say or contribute to the new ventures then please do Very best wishes for your 2010 Penni Blythe-Jones comments   Categories all categories General (8)