Inquiry

Friday 2nd November 2012

The course has so far dealt with us finding our inner reflective skills which I feel myself are already improving and from seeing other blogs, it seems that it is the same with everyone! I am starting to see common themes through out the way I think, how I act around people and the things I say. For me, an interpersonal approach continues to crop up and it is this that I have become so much more aware of since starting the BAPP course. The reflection reader asks us questions which at first appeared quite personal and daunting, but then I got thinking...

"What in your daily practice gets you really enthusiastic to find out more about? Who do you admire who also works with what makes you enthusiastic?"

For those who know me well, know that I enjoy walking... a lot. I absolutely love the outdoors and wildlife. I wouldn't say I'm the average 21 year old. If I'm honest, I'd rather be sat with a massive cuppa looking through photographs I've taken that day of places I've been, than going out until 3am not remembering what has happened the next morning... 
I would say that walking is something I am particularly enthusiastic about. I feel lost without my routine morning walk. It sets me up for the day, gives me fresh air and clears my head, ready for what is to come. Walking and exercise are an important part to anyone's daily routine but for professional practice, keeping active will allow my body and joints to stay healthy. Although I'm not actually in dance training any more, I still like to 'feel good' and want my body to keep in a respectable shape, especially if I do go into a career such as Dance Movement Psychotherapy. 

Walking also lets me explore new places.. there are many places I should love to go purely for the scenery and beautiful surroundings. Such places liberate me, make me think of the wider picture and standing on a hill top overlooking a stunning view really puts everything into perspective.

The following link shows a series of walks.. many of which I should love to do. I hopefully have years a head of me so I'll be able to tick places off one by one. http://www.walkmag.co.uk/walks/

I have various friends who also enjoy walking and will happily dress in their scruffy clothes, walking boots on and go trekking in the mud. One in particular also enjoys wildlife and photography so that's an added bonus! I admire Sir David Attenborough - what an inspirational and incredible man.  For those of you that watched 'Frozen Planet', you'll understand why! His TV documentaries and the places and things he has seen fascinate me. I would love to travel, see the world and document it all with writing and photos. 
One day...

Here is the link to a website on Sir David's works: http://www.davidattenborough.co.uk

"What gets you angry or makes you sad? Who do you admire who shares your feelings or has found a way to work around the sadness or anger?"

Not a lot of things will get me angry, sad, yes, but no so much angry. Going back to the theme of myself having an interpersonal intelligence, it makes me sad to see those close to feeling angry or sad. I do it myself, I see so many other people doing the same. I bottle up emotions and sometimes don't share them with anyone until it all gets on top of me and there is a sudden outpour.. I always feel sorry for the unlucky person that I drop everything on! I think I feel sad when I see family and friends in such a situation, as I always want to be able to help them, make them happy and enjoy themselves. Sometimes it can be out of my hands but I find it so hard to see people upset, it affects me just as it affects them. I will always offer my best advice and try to point other's in the right direction.

"Any emotion, if it is sincere, is involuntary." - Mark Twain


I admire my sister. We can be very like-minded and are both the worst worriers around! We tend to be each other's agony aunts but this allows us to not 'bottle up' and express how we are feeling. Even if we aren't involved in each other's troubles, we find it best to let our thoughts out to someone else, just so that it isn't continually going over and over in our minds! I feel that this is where our reflective journals also come into play. As I have mentioned in a previous blog, letting out emotions and thoughts allows us to clear our heads more and focus on what is important and how to go about solving and improving any given situation or event.

"What do you love about what you do? Who do you admire who also seems to love this or is an example of what you love?"

I love the varied ways of expressing opinion and emotion. Having an artistic background and lifestyle - dance, art and music, I have learnt that everyone expresses themselves differently and I find it truly fascinating. I love that the arts can portray happiness, anger, sadness or celebration etc. For example in dance, a slow, heart felt adage could be a romantic or sad moment where as a fast-paced allegro would show joy. 
I shall show examples of the different way emotions are shown in art work...

Henry Moore's 'Tube Shelter Perspective' - 1941
really does put the cramped, dirty life of World War II survivors into perspective!
The darkness of the tunnel with every single body highlighted, an endless row of people living this way in order to live brings out emotions of sadness and tiredness but also determination.
The simple colours and sketchy style adds a rough touch, how it must have felt to those taking shelter in the tube tunnels. For those of us that have been on London Underground we have seen the filth and darkness that those tunnels include. I know that I personally would have found it extremely difficult living that way so I feel that this image by Moore gives a real sense of what life was like there and the feelings that came with it.

In contrast we have Piet Mondrian's 'Broadway Boogie Woogie' - 1942-43. Produced only a year after Moore's image, it has quite a different quality.. the name alone is exciting! The vibrant colours and abstract shapes are joyful and make us smile. The lines of roads and bright lights are a complete contrast to the dark, over crowded tunnels in the image above. If you have been to Broadway, Mondrian's version of it really portrays how I felt about it when I visited! The bright lights, the yellow cabs and the energetic atmosphere is shown perfectly through this abstract work. I feel that colour plays an important role in our emotions.





..in music, just listening to the tempo and notes included tells us the story and brings out certain emotions in us all. One particular piece (my favourite classical piece) - Elgar's 'Nimrod' from 'Enigma Variations' brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. I have been in performances of it where people get the tissues out because of the emotions they go through. 
It isn't the best quality but I wanted a clip of an orchestra, not someone's photo montage so here is a Youtube link of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performing it.. see how it makes you feel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUgoBb8m1eE

"What do you feel you don't understand? Who do you admire who does seem to understand it or who has found a way of making not understanding it interesting or beautiful, or has asked the same questions as you?"

Space, the Universe, our planet, galaxies...Incredible. I wish I could fully understand it. When I look up at the sky or read articles about Mars Rover and space observations, I find it difficult to get my head round it all. Where does space end?.. Does it ever end? What's beyond what we can see and know about? .. but will these questions ever be answered?! 
I find space so interesting, the fact that there is so much of the unknown out there just makes me want to know more. It may not seem as though it really fits into my professional practice but looking at how huge everything is out there makes me realise how small I am within it all and that at times, I needn't worry so much. We share this beautiful planet and I take things for granted too often. Looking at distances, planets and how many millions of stars there are gives a real sense of perspective and when I worry about what my future holds.. it really is quite insignificant. It makes me think that we have to take each day as it comes, enjoy what we have and think about what we can do with our lives. It may all sound quite silly, but I honestly enjoy the ideas and theories behind life and the universe. I am extremely jealous of the views Felix Baumgartner got when breaking his World Record... 

Obviously, Stephen Hawking (http://www.hawking.org.uk/) would be the most admirable man for this! I have read some of his book 'A Brief History of Time' and I tell you, there are a lot of words I didn't understand but it is fascinating stuff. His knowledge and research is sensational and reading his theories and information allowed me to open up my thoughts even more and learn things such as how time can be slower in one part of the world to another.. He explores things that seem impossible yet have clear explanations and shows us the complexity of the Universe we live in.