Hello!
Well, this is wiiiiiiiild!
To release this blog amidst the chaos of this global pandemic, it is sure to be a memorable time to begin. It has been a number of years since I released a blog and it’s quite humbling to plunge head first into a seemingly vast-less sea of blogs that have been around for some time. It is slightly (okay, very) terrifying but also thrilling to climb over the fear of comparison that sometimes feels like a never ending trek. To throw off every hindrance that has discouraged me in the past from pursuing what has been pressing upon my heart to create and then to thus, release.
In the past few years I have taken a step back from creative projects, in comparison at least to my very early twenties. Outwardly, it would have seemed as though I was finding success in the bubbling art world I was surrounded by in Sydney, my identity was consumed in what I achieved and the temporary validation that came along with it. Inwardly though, I was very confused, hurt and longing for more than what I was immersed in. I couldn't find the words to express just what that longing was, but I knew that what I was pursuing wasn't fulfilling the deepest needs of my soul. There were many little and big personal shifts occurring in my life at this time that slowly but surely led me to return to faith that I had grown up in but walked away from for a few years. (that will be a story for potentially another post) I personally felt to take a set back from the fast pace lifestyle of pursuing the arts that had all but consumed me, whilst I settled in restoring the health of my soul, my mind, my body. It has been a restorative, tender, revealing and at many times, arduous journey to come to this point and no doubt will continue to be so.
In quite a few ways I have felt like a little seedling in incubation, cocooned in darkness and establishing roots hidden from view in which to create a firm foundation upon which to grow and to stand firmly upon. The light of day, it would seem to be now, is shining upon this little seedling blossoming into a little flower that you are now glimpsing. ( I am enamoured by flowers and so many references to anything nature related will be found in abundance here)
I can’t continue to speak of myself without speaking of the one to whom I call my most beloved. The one to whom met me when I was at the lowest point in my life, without hope in the world and it was there in this muddled mess that I encountered Love itself. The lover of my soul; Jesus. A dear friend of mine shared with me recently a poignant line that has stuck with me; "you can’t experience a love so potent and not become it." This is what I consider to be life’s most worthy pursuit; to encounter the love of the one to whom created you, to enjoy Him and all that He has created and to learn how to love one another as He so loves us. It has and continues to be a glorious journey of unravelling of all I have self made myself to be which falls short of who I was truly created to be. There is so much I have learnt, especially all the sweet and tender things sorrow and suffering have bestowed to me. I still undeniably am yet to continue to learn, as I keep my heart soft and open to all that there is yet to know and experience.
I also sincerely would love it to be known that there will most likely be differing beliefs about how we each perceive the world to be, and certain things we may not share a common understanding in and that is absolutely okay. What I am sure we can all agree on is that we all desire to be seen, to be heard, to be respected, valued and loved. In the current climate we see a world that is hell bent on not just only disagreeing with a worldview of another, but with the person entirely which breeds contempt and hatred. I believe that one can hold both being able to differ with someone else’s ideas and beliefs held whilst still being kind and respectable towards them. To be able to have intelligible conversations and to see beyond all the wide cultural and belief chasms that can seperate us, never forsaking above all else to love one another. To be patient, to be quick to listen without comprising one’s own beliefs. "People aren't problems to be solved, but mysteries to be explored." - Ravi Zacahrias
So, why this blog you may ask?
Lola Ziggy (formerly known as symphony of colours) began in 2012 as a humble little instagram which was a space to publicise and refine my love of poetry, visual arts and anything that stirred an emotional and moving response within me. The space sparked a creative process, which culminated in the production of a magazine which would aim to inspire the same response to creativity and the arts. What if there was a place for purposed collaboration, where different mediums of art could come together as a tapestry - a mosaic of creative expression, a corporate artwork that communicates a sense of unity within diversity? Such was the question that birthed the first Lola Ziggy magazine. Now, Lola Ziggy will be finding her place online as well as still pursuing future magazine issues (currently in the middle of the fourth issue which I will delve into further in another post). Since it’s inception, Lola Ziggy has aimed to reignite the imagination and to agitate the desire in each human being to explore various forms of artistic expression. The publication and this blog will continue to travel through the depths of what it means to be created in the image of Creator God, and the process through which we express and inspire through acts and expressions of creativity. This is the heartbeat of Lola Ziggy - an exploration of creativity, and the cultivation of oneness as a response to the One who created all things.
In this space you will find a collection of my musings/reflections, interviews with people I admire, featured artists and their work, everything and anything else that stirs my heart so and I hope, yours too.
So, it is here that I bid you welcome into this glorious, messy and humbling endeavour that is, Lola Ziggy.
- Rachela
