Dear Mediterranean Lovers
Recently a friend commented on some photos of mine. They were part of a Workshop presentation I was sharing with him. Images taken from my trips to Greece – mountains, rugged cliff faces, cobblestone street scenes and the stunning blue of the Aegean Sea interspersed with the content for the Workshop.
At one point he pauses as he’s scrolling through the images and simply says: Greece is good to you, isn’t it Paula?
strolling the streets of Sifnos…
It struck me hearing those words because I knew that what he could see in the pictures was far more than just a pretty image. The richness of the picture, what it evoked revealed so much more. The image being shared was expressing just as much about me as it was the place being captured. He could see the love affair I have with Greece and the enormity of freedom and happiness it brings to my heart and soul that translates through what I capture.
When I lived in Byron Bay – one of the most beautiful places on the planet, I was restless, fearful, uninspired, felt like I was going against the grain and completely disconnected from myself. The more people would tell me how lucky I was to live there, the more disheartened I would get. Living in one of the most beautiful places in the world brought out the worst in me, I felt like I was on autopilot following the same predictable routine where nothing changed, including the colours of the surrounding landscape that stayed the same regardless of the time of year and the weather which always managed a steady, temperate climate.
I was desperate to get out the minute I arrived…
Melbourne beauty…
There are places that fuel me with a pulse, an energy, a drive. I feel it the moment I step foot there. In Melbourne, I love the noises of the city, the chance to weave through its narrow laneways where I find hidden nooks in the guise of bustling bars, cafes and restaurants. I love the changing seasons – getting rugged up in winter and being sweltering hot in summer and the beauty of bursting pink magnolias in spring as the ebb and flow of natures patterns unfolds around me throughout the year. In Greece, regardless of whether I’m in a quiet village on one of the islands or in a traffic jam in the middle of Athens, I feel completely alive and uninhibited, like something on the inside has cracked wide open and the beauty and magic of the place takes on a life of its own and I’m completely caught up in its spell…
private beach, Lipsi…
The minute I left Byron and returned to Melbourne, things all around me started to open up.It’s when my creativity exploded and I felt I took back control of my life.For the very first time in years, I felt that I was in complete alignment with where I was meant to be. That feeling allowed me opportunities and possibilities that I’d never been open to before. It made me realise how powerful we can be when we are doing what we love.
There are places that have the power to make your heart sing and your soul shine.
Byron may not have been the place I would call home, but it is where the greatest change in my life was sparked and it spat me out so I could finally start what I love…
Happy Travels, Paula x
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