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Poetry and Community

‘Art has a range of positive effects on health and well-being – even on wealth if we count the collective purse. Visual arts, dance, music, theatre, and poetry can all have positive effects on physical health, mobility and mental health’ – and after reading g at Guilfest, playing on the bandstand, leading open mics and […]

Whose Pleasant Land?

What is it about a project like this which makes it so exhilarating? So energising? I think it’s partly the teamwork, building something with a talented group of musicians, visual and spoken word artists, and theatre practitioners. It’s partly the sense of creating something on a larger scale, it’s the sense of community, and it’s […]

Overwhelm

Feeling daunted by all the demands of the New Year? Powerless in the face of all that’s going wrong in the world? Aren’t we all. We’re ‘in overwhelm’ – thoughts on escape… https://tonyearnshaw.substack.com/p/overwhelm

On Song

Voices lifted together in song – from Japanese tradition to Twickenham, with a bit of Handel thrown in https://tonyearnshaw.substack.com/p/on-song

On Paradox and knowing

‘What we can’t know is liberating … long live vagueness, muddle, compromise – and liberation and inspiration.’ https://tonyearnshaw.substack.com/p/on-paradox-and-knowing

Ah, but I was so much older then

On time, enjoying the moment, and the joys of retirement – taking in thoughts from Bob Dylan, Japanese culture, Facebook posts and more, and with a note about the late great Brian Patten https://tonyearnshaw.substack.com/p/im-younger-than-that-now

Houses of straw

Tariffs meet fairy tales. The big bad wolf. Again. https://tonyearnshaw.substack.com/p/houses-of-straw

Hearts for the Arts

We’re thrilled to learn that Mole Valley Arts E-Live festival 2020 has been shortlisted in the National Campaign for the Arts (NCA) Hearts for the Arts Awards, which are to be announced on Valentine’s Day!    Tony has a long association with the annual Mole Valley Arts Alive festival, and had two hugely successful events in Arts E-Live […]

Shades of Grey

I’ve been thinking about black, white and grey recently. Not black and white as in race and certainly not shades of grey as in 50, but more a concern about polarisation. I took the photo above this morning and took the colour out to make it ‘black and white’. Except it isn’t. Rather, it is […]

Arts Alive becomes Arts E-Live

Arts Alive is back – in a different form, as most festivals are this year. At Damn Cheek we’ve now participated in Buxton Fringe and the Saltaire Festival with on line productions and it’s good to be able to add Arts Alive to the list. Three festivals we have existing relationships with, three festivals where […]