
These three hills each have a very different feeling. To me it feels like Lewesdon was the Druid hill, as it's got a mysterious and magical feeling. Pilsden Pen feels bleaker to me, like a military stronghold, and at Lamberts Castle I can almost see the ancient settlements, a community of families, soldiers, traders and children.
It's also easy to imagine everyone sat round camp fires at night, under the stars, talking, eating, making music and dancing. What's remarkable about this is that we can have exactly the same experience today, and for sheer pleasure it still beats all our technological distractions. Frankly I'd far rather be sat round a fire with friends on a clear summers night, than watching a movie, or playing on the computer.
Anyway, there's a camp organised by a local family that takes place over a week in July, just to the west of Bridport, near Whitchurch Cannonicorum. A dozen or so families decamp to a field and set up tends, yerts and bell tents. Here's a taste of a summer evening sat round the fire...
Lovely.
Some thoughts on creativity and perception
I sometimes feel that our accomplishments in life are laid out before us like a row of choices, each leading to the next, and when we're 'in the flow', we naturally and easily glide from one to the next.
What tends to impede the flow is when we procrastinate, and avoid doing something that might not be as exciting or entertaining as we would wish. But it is only when we finally follow through with the 'natural' action that it transpires that our entire destiny was lined up beyond that event.


This reminds me of the way that artistic progress seem to occur. It seems to be the result of a combination of very ordinary decisions, alongside the 'big' ideas. Being a successful creative person really isn't about trying to be 'amazing' every moment of the day, but instead, of trusting in the small decisions that allow us to build momentum and confidence, without being distracted by the countless rational excuses we might have.

I experienced a fine example of this recently when I was looking at a couple of small recent paintings I'd made (of paths up Lewesdon Hill). They were lying next to each other on the floor, and the outer edges were obscured by furniture, so all I could see was a combination of the left side of one painting and the right of the other. The resulting configuration appeared like a new painting that I had unintentionally made - the unlikely fusion of two different projects.

Anyway, I managed to keep my logical brain at bay long enough to allow my creative or imaginative brain to enjoy and remember the experience, but it was my clearest indication yet of the 'yin and yang' of perception that we utilise. To function at our best we need to balance both sides of our brains, so that we can enjoy both structure and discovery.
See for yourself
There's actually a great way that we can all experience our two left/right perspectives. Have a look at this image of a spinning girl. At first she looks as if she is just spinning round and round in one direction, but then, all of a sudden you will probably see her change direction. You might think this is just a random series of clockwise and counter-clockwise rotations, but in fact there's an easy way that you can change her direction whenever you want...
Here's what you do - look at the shadow of her pointed foot at the bottom of the image. You'll notice it seems to either move from left to right or from right to left. If you just relax for a moment and watch the shadow, you can begin to see how it is actually going from right to left to right to left, a movement that corresponds to your brain also switching right to left to right to left. In order to make the girl spin clockwise you simply wait for the shadow to start moving from right to left, and then lift your eyes to see the movement continued in the spin of the girl. Likewise, to make the girl spin counter-clockwise, catch the shadow as it begins to move from left to right and then lift your eyes to see her keep spinning in that direction.
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