From
Angie
There was once a woman - who had lived most of her life in London but this Saturday she, I, have been living in my new home of West Wales for a whole year! Being a part of the Llan project was really significant for me. I believe the Universe had responded to my feelings of loss and looking for a new connection by guiding me to participate in the project. Starting in October, when I was very low, mourning the loss of my friends in London and not knowing who I was anymore, I had retreated into a period of reflection and self-healing. The project offered up an opportunity to reignite my creative fire and channel the deep thinking and self-discovery I was experiencing.
Meeting
the other women in the project, those telling their stories and those facilitating
and filming us was something I needed. It very gently revealed a space and a
time for me to believe in myself again. The communication and relationship
building was both nurturing and nourishing.
The
period of six months for the project had seemed long at the outset but
suddenly, there the 4 of us were in March, with Tracy, eagerly, excitedly,
waiting to watch our films! It was a joy to see what the other women had
created. I was deeply moved by the honesty, the courage, the insights and the fun
we had all clearly experienced. It all went so quickly, I wish there had
been more time really, as once my creative juices got flowing the ideas just
kept on coming. When I'd completed and seen my film, although delighted and
moved and stunned by my achievements, a small part of me did think "Hmm, I
could have done 'such and such' there" and "oh that' would have
worked brilliantly"
And now,
well, I have set up my workbench and tools in our conservatory overlooking the
valley that gives me so much peace and inspiration for life and started making
silver jewellery again. I continue to write my monthly emails updating friends
and family of our progress in our new home and business adventures. I would
love to come together with the women of Llan again in a year’s time to reflect
on what has passed and make another film!
From Pamela
TO BEAR WITNESS
To bear witness to myself
is..
Beautiful,
To see myself
is…
Deeply Revealing
To listen to
My own story
Told how I needed it telling
is…
So satisfying
There are no words.
Just tears
(or smiles, or sighs, or laughter)
If I try
to
Find some words,
They might be…
‘profoundly healing and satisfying and a glorious
affirmation’.
But those are just words.
To tell my life
so
It ends with hope and love
Brings closure.
To tell my life
so
It may begin again
Brings hope.
To be seen,
To be heard
(For that is what a film may do, I discover,)
Means it is imprinted
Forever
As the life I lived.
What better gift might there be?
It is a Llan place
It is a sacred place.
From Sheila
The
experience of working with Valley and Vale to produce a short video about
my home life has been wonderful. The combination of the very professional
help from the Tracy and her team and the amazing support from my own family was
very humbling. To have a camera crew come into your home and make a
permanent record of whatever you'd like to show them is quite something!
For many years now I have been banging on an alternative parenting drum,
trying to encourage parents to think about how they parent their children in
terms of their emotional well being as opposed to their other achievements.
The Wisechild Video is an amazing sample of the product I'm selling.
Before we made this video I had no proof of the relationship I share with
my children or how fun and relaxed they are, now I do. It has given me so
much more confidence to talk to people, now I can say, look at the video see
what I'm talking about. And people are looking, the video has had more
than 6000 views.
From Suzanne
Being part of this project has been incredible. It has expanded my ideas of what I thought I was/am capable of and has made me bolder in trying new things. In my art practice, the use of film and sound have now become a possibility, and this is incredibly exciting!! I enjoyed making the film so much that I want to continue doing this in some way. I feel like a child again exploring new areas of wonder and delight! The home stuff and its frustrations are still there but the whole process has reminded me that everything in my life is material that can be used in creating something. It has been incredible getting feedback from others too, who have said, "I feel like that". It feels good to know that others may find the film, and indeed the other films too, helpful in some way. It has been wonderful working with the other women too and I hope we will all stay in touch. I am so grateful to have had this opportunity and have loved every minute of the process, and working with such incredible and talented professionals too.