Thank you for deciding to create and donate an image for the Hope in the Heart Project – from me for your help and support in answer to my plea, and from those who will be touched by your communication, even though you may never meet.
Guidelines are below. May this be an enriching experience for you all!
Please make your creation A4 size or smaller.
You may want to take a photo or copy of the image to keep. Discovering our own personal image of hope can be powerfully healing and it is good to put it somewhere prominent so you are able to look at it often to reinforce this.
The Brief:
After a loss or trauma, or in a depressive slump, everyone experiences their own individual cycle which includes significant events, people, emotional stages, faith/belief (or loss of these), emerging hope and reasons for moving forward - a journey from darkness, perhaps initially into an ever-deepening darkness, but eventually a turning point may be reached, at which a glimmer of light is seen and tentatively followed. It is specifically that turning point - the moment that they began to reach back towards life as plants to the sun, and to feel a sense of hope and purpose, no matter how initially slight - that I am asking people to try to capture in an image.
Some people's lives are so challenging every day that such a point is never reached and followed to a lasting conclusion. However, they may have moments when the darkness is penetrated by a spark or shaft of light, and these moments too are what I would like to see captured.
Prompting Suggestions
Remember a time when you were in the clutches of despair, grief or hopelessness. (If this is still at all raw, picture it as though watching on a TV screen, from a distance.) Try to see an image in your mind of how that state was for you.
Now think about what it was that encouraged you out of that dark space and gave you the will to carry on to a better life. This may have happened in one pivotal moment that you can clearly identify, or it may have been the gradual result of a number of factors.
Some possible influences:
A sense of honour or commitment to life – that it is up to you to “make the best” of what you have been dealt. Your own strong sense of faith or belief system.
People who may have inspired or supported you, or set an example of courage; these could include a neighbour who listened, and gave you the occasional meal, reminding you of the power of human kindness, or someone like Nelson Mandela, who survived 27 years of isolation in prison and then resumed his fight for justice for his people.
Factors in your environment; a flower growing through a crack in the pavement, striving for life against all odds; a butterfly alighting on your hand then flying off; the sound of birdsong on a grey and desolate industrial estate; a friendly cat who came up and rubbed around your legs when you were feeling lonely.
A piece of music, or art, a poem or story that spoke to you.
A memory that came to you from nowhere, or a poignant reminder from somewhere unexpected. A realisation, an epiphany.
Meaningful coincidences or anything else that made you feel there was a bigger picture than that which you could perceive.
A dream for the future; something you hoped to achieve, learn or experience.
Needing to keep going for your children or other loved ones.
An inspiration for turning the source of your despair into something that could benefit others, like the parents of a child diagnosed with a particular condition who later started a charity to help other such children and parents, or the Hibakusha (survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki) who now devote their lives to ensuring such a thing never happens again.
Any combination of these and anything else!
You do not need to know exactly what or who gave you the hope to move on.
Allow shapes, colours and images to trickle through your mind as you think of the various factors. Don’t reject anything, just be open, watch and receive.
Once you have a sense of turning point and the journey back from despair to life, or oasis of hope, however fleeting, take a pencil, paintbrush, needle and thread, magazine and scissors, or whatever medium feels right to you and begin to create. If it helps, light a candle, and/or say a prayer or ask your subconscious mind to provide the inspiration, images and creativity you need, and then just let go and play, as a child would.
There is no “right or wrong” with this exercise. We are not looking for accomplished works of art, and you do not have to explain, to yourself or anyone else, why your creation has turned out as it has. If the outcome is a surprise to you, that’s great!
A communication from the heart must not be derailed or undermined by the critical mind. Give your mind a break whilst your heart delivers its message – just set your intent and trust in the process...... and ENJOY!
Images should remain anonymous. Please put your contact details on the back of the image if you wish to.)
Finished creations can be sent to Hope in the Heart 22 York Street Penzance Cornwall TR18 2PW United Kingdom Thank You!