Life it turns out is an exercise in making choices, letting go, moving on – strings of days and decades – mapped in our memories, they become reference points for caution or optimism, a guide –
dots on the map of our journey moving through this world –

I have journaled about my life for as long as I can remember. I have daytime journals and dream time journals going back as far as my late teens. Archeology!
Yet I don’t really consider myself a writer.
Writing for me has acted as a bridge in my life –
safe passage from a turbulent emotional state to one that was unburdened and free in spite of any outside circumstance. It is a way to help me make sense of the world, to sort it out, to see it from witness. It is a way to think through thoughts, and ideas in my head, in my heart, and land them on page with a pencil – I know old school!

I began my blog back in 2017 as a way to chronicle my journey across western Canada and the EU with my ‘hai’ lights installation projects, morphing it into updates on what was happening with my work and some of my life – ponderings and wanderings.
However I have been wanting to expand my blog space for awhile now, and was looking for some guidance and feedback about my writing, an honest, unbiased critique.

In April 2020 in the throws of the first lockdown, I came across an article on the internet called
“Practice dying” https://theshiftnetwork.com/practice-dying-waking-up-perilous-times. My curiosity quickly clicked onto the link and I was introduced to 
Mark Matousek’s work. As I read more of his articles and checked out his website, I felt such simpatico with his being and with his writing that I decided to reach out to him.

This turned out to be invaluable to me in so many ways. Not long into our zoom consult my doubts made their way front and centre. I have been silenced for large parts of my life, parents, preachers, teachers, bosses, partners – Would anyone really be interested in what I had to say? would it be heard? understood? appreciated? would it matter if any of it ever saw the light of day? Or was ever read by anyone?

He assured me that I was a really good writer and encouraged me to use my writing to explore those doubts more deeply. Then he asked me to listen as he read some of my work out loud to me.
For the first time, ever really, I heard my written words spoken out loud by someone else, by someone who connected to what I was saying and thought it was beautiful.
I felt heard. I felt seen. I felt validated. I was beyond grateful. I wept.
Last year he invited me to share some of my writing in his ‘Seekers Forum’ community, where I was featured in the members space, helping boost my confidence to move forward with re – imagining my blog. So how is that re – imagining going to look? What’s going to change?

I’ve decided to separate my blog from my website. Not that my writing is separate from my art work, they’re the same really, just a different expression of the same impetus to create.
It’s more like I want to give my writing a separate place to grow –
To use this space as a bridge, connecting us to shared experiences, offering insights and inspiration, commentaries and curiosities –
I have no idea how it will all unfold, not really. I see it as a fluid process.
I hear myself singing a little Doris Day:

‘Qu’est sera sera, whatever will be will be
the future’s not ours to see qu’est sera sera – what will be will be.’

And now I pass that ear worm onto you : )

bornonthe263.com will only host the blog. It will include archived posts and direct links to my website/portfolio
https://louisepage-artist.com will now be home to everything art related – paintings, installations, photos, and direct links to this blog

So here’s to a new incarnation of my blog. I would love to hear your feedback.
In the vernacular of the day
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I look forward to seeing you here

Enjoy
Louise
Okori

02 / 2022