are you in your studio today?

So to any artists out there are you in your studio today? No , whys that? is it because there is no heating? Well you know what I do not know of one studio space that has heating , not one and yet this assembly is supposed to be supporting artist and creativity ???????? it's a bit basic don't you think????

When are we going to have our heated studio spaces in NI????????with 24 access? I mean creativity is not 9-5 it's a 24 hour thing. If creative people cant work 6 months of the year don't your think that's a drain on the economy ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? on the creative output of wee NI........................BASIC, BASIC.

So anyway what would be perfect would be timed individual heated studios powered by alternative heating systems, ground source heat pumps or the like, solar panels galore. That sort of thing. Instead we have dirty old buildings crumpling down or big hangers with no heating????????????????????????????????????????? Come on get it sorted.

Anyway that's my rant for Monday always good to start with a rant to get you going in the week.
After all it is the season of good will......................is it not and don't you see it all around you??? good will, good will......not. What I see as I walk through Belfast is a frenzy of sales and the stress of the Christmas shopping habit. I did notice at the continental market that there prices are a bit cheaper than last year. Still lots of food and I do think they are good competition for St Georges Market because some of the prices there are a bit stupid compared with any other European Country. Yes that's right any other European country, we are after all connected to the rest of Europe, we are part of it believe it or not even if we are away up here in the top left hand corner.

I've been wished a happy Christmas, happy holidays, and happy winter solsist, happy, happy festive season and you know what despite all that is going on in the world I have to say. We are all alive there is always hope we can always change things with a little step. I met some friends on Friday for tea . these are friends I worked with. Well work colleagues, that became friends when I used to run the women's development programmes up at Townsend Enterprise Park. One is in Derry , one in Spain and on in West Belfast we had a bit of a catch up for a couple of hours and I have to say like most women's lives that's all the time we could have because there were people to organise, children to feed, grand children to see, shopping to do and on and on it goes. Yet what was really nice apart from seeing them all again was they all talked about how in their own lives they felt they were making a difference around them , that at work and at home they always put their ideas forward and treated people with respect and dignity and tried to make a positive difference for them. They said they got that from me and when I left them felt quite emotional because it is important to do those things . Particularly in this season of goodwill simple acts of kindness can make a big difference to peoples lives.

So what positive thing are you going to do today ? or are you going to let the begrudging get the better of you?.............................................