Episode 17 – A Creative Soul

A podcast for people who love knitting, Dorset Buttons, creativity & Scotland, especially the Highlands & Islands.

Welcome to the 17th episode of my podcast – A Creative Soul

Thank you for listening again or welcome if you are a first time listener.

I have a wonderful interview on this episode which I want to keep as the focus so only a little bit from me this time.  Everything I got up to in September including my Gansey course at Island at the Edge, the North Atlantic Native Sheep Conference & Shetland Wool Week will all be in Episode 18.

The Weather 

Autumn has arrived bringing lots of wintry wind & rain with it that makes me a little nervous for the forthcoming winter.  The bracken is dead now!  And in between the bad weather we’ve had the odd beautiful sunrise & sunset & beautiful light.

Making

I tell you about my progress (or not!) on my projects for Shetland Wool Week.  And I talk about why I’ve been shamed into getting on with blocking those finished knits.

Dorset Buttons

I’ve been down in Devon delivering workshops & continuing research for my book in Dorset.

I now in the final preparations for Loch Ness Knit Fest on Saturday 20th & Sunday 21st October & I will also be delivering two Dorset Button workshops on Friday 19 October, which there are still places for.  This is closely followed by Yarnporium in London on Friday 2 & Saturday 3 November.

Thank you to everyone who has joined the Ravelry group so far.  Please join in if you’d like to hear about Dorset Buttons or add ones you have made to the gallery, as well as any items you’ve made with TJFrogWool, or if you just want to share what you are making at the moment.

Local Lowdown

This time I touch on some local food & drink places.

First up is Misty Isle Gin who won a Gold Award for the Distilled Gin of the Year at the Scottish Gin Awards.  They’ve also brought out a Mulled Gin!

If you love your food you might be  interested to know Loch Bay Seafood Restaurant at Waternish has just retained it’s Michelin Star & is the only restaurant on Skye to have one.

And Kinloch Lodge here on Sleat has just been awarded  Luxury Hotel of the Year by the Good Hotel Guide

Beth’s Coffee Shop (on Facebook) at Balnacara Square, just off the A87, approx 3miles out of Kyle, is a great place for lunch & Beth has just opened a Deli next door.

Skye Showcase

This episode’s interview is with Jo here on Skye – we hear about her travels with her family, her creativity, settling on Skye, and her meditation & coaching practices.

Jo & her family converted a library bus into a home to travel around the coastline of the UK.  Jo talks about the fun, the challenges, slowing down the pace of life & how they came to be on Skye & how 4 years on they are still living in the bus.

The converted library bus

 

Jo is a talented artist & her creative skills include knitting, crocheting, drawing, painting to name but a few.  Jo talks us through how her & her husband James planned how to use the space creatively in the bus to make the most of the windows & light & to make it fun for the children.  We hear how they recycled materials to make doors & a dining room table & using comics & lego as part of the interior decor!  And you can see photos of the renovation (Moby Renovations) on Pinterest.  Click here.

Jo talks how they have evolved in & with the space & how they reviewed regularly to check in how it was working out for all of them.  We also hear about home schooling their children along the way & growing as people through their experiences.

Jo tells her about developing her creative skills since arriving on Skye, which started off after a visit to Handspinner Having Fun in Broadford.   Jo went on to do an Art Course & tells us about her struggles with some of the skills being explored & the realisation that that is the creative process, sometimes it’s not always enjoyable!

Her topic was “Cracks & Edges”  & through the process she learnt a lot about herself & gained in confidence

One of Jo’s pieces from her art course with her theme of Cracks & Edges

Jo’s display table at the Exhibition at the end of her art course

examples of Jo’s work

Bus & art photos – courtesy of Jo.

Jo tells us how she is about to embark on a spiritual development programme to further grow herself & we talk about our shared interest in personal development, learning & coaching.

We hear about Jo’s meditation practice, Skye meditation & her Brave Souls business with Jen.

Jo started her meditation practice prior to her travels & we hear about her dream to have a retreat here on Skye combined with yoga.

We explore the principles of the Brave Souls business with Jen – be authentic, speak your truth & live brave – & Jo talks about how they give people various tools to step up to these principles & connect with what is important to them.  They have a podcast where they explore these principles, where they have shared their stories & Jo talks about how they openly share what they are learning along the way.

Talking to Jo she brings out how it’s ok to try things out & see how it unfolds, even if we don’t like it.  It’s about our journey & what we learn about ourselves.  Jo also explores being brave to show our emotions & expose our vulnerability, especially in this day of social media where everyone else’s life looks perfect.

We recorded this interview at the beginning of September & now in the middle of October Jo & Jen have decided to  stop working together.  I bring you up to date with what they have said & congratulate them on how they have built up a community & lived up to their prinicples.

Jo has made a very generous offer to listeners of the podcast – a 25% discount on her mediation e- course which consists of videos & a call.  Here is the link to the website, Wearebravesouls.co.uk for more details.  Coupon code is TJFROG25 & only runs until 31 October 2018.  Thank you Jo!

Interviewing Jo has kickstarted me into setting a morning routine to get regular exercise & get back into regular meditation to feel the benefits from it.

Finally I’m happy to say since the interview I’ve been on the bus & although I failed to get some photos of the inside or with the pod I’ll leave you with the views they are enjoying from the bus before they move into their house.

 

That’s it for now I will be back later this month!

Music – the music is:

One Frog For a Prince, by Ron Patton & licensed from Melody Loops.

Bye for now.