Roisin Markham

With the 2km restriction and lock-in I’ve found the time and space to quietly reconnect to myself. My creative artistic self surges forward.

I’ve begun to awaken my imagination. It feels like a sleeping giant. It used to roam freely, untamed, inventing landscapes of wonderous adventures and colour. When did it fall into deep slumber?

My imagination wrestles to re-emerge to allow me escape, like a tubular slide from everything Covid19.

As a creative person it may seem weird to say I don’t sense I’ve been using my imagination freely in my creative work. I feel like I’m oiling the hinges to a great door. It’s circular not exactly a hobbit door but a weighty wooden tome of a portal.

I am reminded that as a child having my escape hatch was really important when I was scared. I was scared a lot as a kid. I’ve been remembering my imagination was one of the reasons I wanted to be a children’s book illustrator. It was why I went to art/design college.

So I’m thinking about all the people who are scared right now… all the things I’ve learnt about fear, darkness, pain, loss, grief, depression, PTSD, being unemployed, being broke, stretching into resilience, mindfulness, wellness, change and recovery… how might I be of service? How can I help

Wonder what happens when I get the door fully open?