Creating in Isolation

An ‘invisible circle’ describes the idea of a circle of protection imagined around ourselves to prevent harm. What does your circle look like? What are your routines? Is your circle found in your community? Without defining what our circles are or where our boundaries are, we can often be unaware when we are stepping into territory that feels unsafe.

Creating an invisible circle around ourselves or our community can allow us to have conversations in an environment where we feel safe.

I thrive in a creative environment. It is a space I have intentionally created for myself which allows me to express big ideas and emotions. When the opportunity to share this space with others comes up I get very excited! I love to experiment with new materials and interact with new materials that I hadn't thought of using before.

One of the biggest rewards of making that I have experienced is the space that is created for big conversations to happen in. When we have something in front of us that we are making our attention is shifted away from the big heavy emotions we want to express. It can become easier to share these emotions in a space which is also occupied by the unlimited possibilities of creation in artistic forms. An idea can percolate in this space without us having to solve it immediately.

During the period of isolation I experienced during the intense Covid lockdowns in metro Melbourne, I realised how vital this idea of an 'invisible circle' is to share with my community. Having an established a set of routines which supported me in my everyday life that weren't dependent on the physical presence of other humans enabled me to keep my self active and involved with what I loved most. I created online spaces to support friends and clients in their creative journeys. We navigated this space together and learned about our selves and about remembering to honour what we hold most dear.