'Get Lost'- Irish Nature Walk
I’ve been away from social media quite a lot lately. I’ve been busy working on new plans for my business; Lost Forest, creating custom work, raising an abandoned kitten, and generally just getting outside and exploring. Having a business means I have to have a social media presence. I find it both wonderful and destructive at the same time. It gives me the opportunity to connect directly with my customers, show my inspirations, how I create, and allows me to earn a living by reaching customers all around the world.
The downside are the platforms themselves; controlling the reach of my content so in turn my audience never see it, biased algorithms, and promoting and encouraging sponsored ads and influencers who offer very little to what should be creative and inspiring platforms. It appears that monetisation has trumped, and genuine creatives are getting cast into the shadows. It is a worrying precedent for artistic culture.
It can cause a lot of stress, doubt and unhappiness as an artist. To spend many hours creating content that no one will see or bothers to engage with feels counterproductive when time is so precious. I felt a video exploring nature to help unwind a busy mind, and gather some perspective can perhaps help others who feel the heavy burden from time to time that comes with running a small business. I hope you enjoy this little Journey through the Lost Forest. Give a thumbs up on YouTube, and click subscribe to show your support.
“ Autumn has encroached into the Lost Forest. The early signs of the golden season are speckled on the leaves, heard in the birdsong above, and felt under the crunch of each tentative thread of the foot on the forest floor. A cooling zephyr glides across the landscape, and caresses my shoulders, gently reminding me that winter is never too far away. There is a play of light within a forest that is incandescent with hues that uplight the soul, and make peace with turmoils felt within. The shadows dance and sway with the lustre of autumn, as I enter further and further into this arborescent wonderland. The rush of water forces through ancient caverns below, cascading over giant boulders, healing their jagged shoulders with centuries of flow. The sounds of warring waters are mighty, yet the mind is remarkably pacified. Being embraced by nature heals. It nourishes an inner yearning for that link back to who we were, while helping us to define and accept who we will become. So many have become lost. Directionless through technology, devoid of connection or purpose, or knowing who they are, clouded by who they think they should be. If we disconnect from modernity and little screens, we can rediscover that contentment that only exists down that meandering path through the forest, or on that arduous climb to the summit of the mountain, or by sinking your feet into the cooling soft sands. These are places of memories, places of hope, and places of peace”. ~ words by Gillian Corcoran