FINDING YOUR VOICE

“Never look a gift horse in the mouth” is very wise saying from my nan

My mam. Always said the right thing at the right moment full of love.

“Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realise that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge”. A friend once shared this with me. It doesn’t make sense whilst you’re still in the negative period, but as new things blossom you look back and this then makes complete sense.

Once, when I was very discouraged about life, my creative work, my future, my wasted potential—all of that kind of thing—one of my best friends told me:

“When it comes to you, I believe in ‘yet’.”

All the things I had not done and the things that had not happened—she believed they just had not been done yet, had not happened yet. They were in the queue to be, though. That’s still one of the most beautiful things a friend has ever told me.

My Mum used to say " Once you have your own children, you will understand what I am saying and why I do what I do". And now that I am a Mum, I totally get it!

My grandmother about family “you don’t have to like each other BUT you do have to love each other”. In other words, they may drive you mad but you must always love them enough to have their back.

Amanda Gorman

As many people, I have struggled at different points in my life and when in those phases of life, it is hard to see past it. It is hard to see that it can and will get better. You end up thinking that your life is always going to be this way, that you are always going to be feeling this way. At one low point in my life, I was lucky enough to come across Frida Kahlo’s art. Something about it drew me in and connected with me. So much so, I started to read about her life. She had endured so many tragic events in her life but this quote has helped to focus me.

“Nothing is absoulte.
Everything changes,
everything moves,
everything revolves,
everything goes and flies away.”

‘’the more you read , the more you know, the more the places you will go ’’ these are the wise words of Dr Seuss which will always inspire me to pick up a book ;0)

My parents left when I was very young and throughout my life I’ve not been close enough to anyone to inspire me really. I’ve anxiety and depression and while there are clips here and there that have resonated with me I can’t say anything has stuck in my head too much to ‘inspire’ me.

However, I have four incredible and amazing children who I try my very best to teach, inspire and guide every day. To me, their spoken words are the most poignant, the most special.
In bringing them up to know their own worth and by supporting them when doubt creeps into their minds I hope to help each child become confident, self-loving human beings.

Without your voice you can’t be heard,
You’ll shrink into the Earth,
So with your voice sing like a bird,
And let them know your worth!

It has to be my mum, she always seemed to know what to say at the right time , I still miss her so much when I need advice or just a kind word , I remember her always saying , All you can be in Life , Be KIND & treat others as you’d like to be treated !

My Parents gave me wonderful words of wisdom all throughout my life and for that I will always be eternally grateful. Words meant to protect and guide me, some I listened to, some I really wish I had listened to! It’s as a parent yourself that all the lovely gems of help and advice from your own parents really start to shine through as you here their words spoken through yourself again to your own children. With this in mind I have truly learned the power of really Listening to what is said to me from people who love and care about me and always have my best interests at heart.❤️

It is difficult to choose only one quote as there are so many books, songs, poems so much information out there, therefore I have to say that things that inspire me come from “unsung strangers” those people who do something kind (not nice, but KIND), something that was done with consciousness, an open heart and a twinkle in the eyes; without any expectations or questions asked and when you receive it, you feel you can trust in the unknown and faith in humanity is a little bit restored.

I will always remember my husband saying to me, very soon after our son’s stillbirth that ‘ means never having to say sorry’.

My mom for sure!
İ have always struggled with my low self steem worried for not to be enough,brave enough ,smart enoug..
My mother always says: is not the one who can but the one who wants that reaches the highest accomplishments so every day i make sure i want to do it better!

got to be Her Majesty The Queen ATM calling Phillip her Rock so much love 73 years married. Many just give up now a days do not work at it. Hope we can be like her, up to 46 year this year

as an artist I’ve been doing a project on artists who shaped my thinking, and painting portraits of them, with animals that are as i see it representative to me, as their moniker,

My idea was to paint a writher, singer and visual artist that shaped how i see the world, the writers choices were easy for and singers also, but i noted that i as a male was influenced by some what equal gender balance in the singers, (i painted Nina Simone and Phil Lynnot (as a panther and a fox respectively) for writers it was still ok-ish (Flan O Brien and Vergina Wolf, a Poka and a wolf)but when it cam to painters or visual artists, i had to look at my list, and think again, and realised just how under represented classically females are represented in Art, and how the art establishment did not place enough focus on female artists, this has slowly being getting better, but there is still an unblalace, so i eventually went with 2 Irish female artists that changed art history Mainie Jellett and Eileen Gray(cubist painter and designer), these artists change massively how I as an artist, think about how we represent things visually jilletts work is so beautiful, and under appreciated, (which is great as its easier to see all her fantastic work easily) and eileen gray work, while i have never seen an original piece of hers, we see her inspiration in furniture and archature everywhere today.

Glennon Doyle with her book Untamed

It would have to be my Mum, she always knows what to say & how to help. I’ve even started passing her advice to my daughter! My favourite quote from mum is “You should always listen to advice, but that doesn’t mean you have to take it”

My parents, they’ve always been my biggest support. “Always be yourself, work as hard as you can, believe in yourself and others, if it isn’t working, make it work. Have courage, be kind and put a smile on someone’s else face”

I remember an old lady on the bus who talked to my young family and started telling us with no prompt that we are all foreign and that the last pure blood English died on the battlefields so we should be kind to each other and accepting of each other as we are each entitled as much as the next person to call this land our home. I have never forgotten it to this day and often retell it to my daughter as I love the truth and the beauty that were juxtaposed in her enlightening words.

Mother Teresa’s simple words of wisdom always ring true in my heart, especially as a Mother and a primary school teacher. There are so many powerful quotes I could mention but my favourite is: If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.

My father said before he died all the things he wished he’d done and my mum now still talks about how she wished they hadn’t waited to do certain things because now they can’t. When making big decisions that seem scary I remember this so I can push myself and live without regret.

BE WHO YOU WERE MEANT TO BE AND SET THE WORLD ON FIRE. Catherine of Sienna. Every Chinese New Year I get my grand daughter a momiji doll and that is the message that each one says. Katarina is 10, living this motto and setting the world on fire.

My dearly loved Grandads last words to me, before he died, were, simply, “Do your best”. With that in mind I put 100% into everything I do and hope he’d be proud of me.

Ru Paul Charles is someone who inspires me both in and out of drag and is also the creator of one of my favourite shows full of creative and talented people. My favourite quote is probably the most famous one “If you can’t love yourself how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else?”

Love these… i would love one for my daughter as shes overcome so much and still smiling

I have a learning disability which I have to l wish people would listen to people like me l people who are black

As an artist myself it probably only make sence that my biggest influences have been very big names in the art world such as Dali and Frida Khalo. I can see something of myself in each one of their qotes but if I have to choose my favourite ones they must be “Surrealism is destructive, but it destroys only what it considers to be shackles limiting our vision.” by Dali ♥️ and “Remember that every tick tock is a second of life that goes by and it doesn’t repeat itself. There is in it so much intensity,so much interest,that there is only the problem of how to live it. To each one to resolve their own as best as they can.” By Frida ♥️

I have 2 close friends who have both overcome breast cancer in the last 2 years. Their strength, bravery & courage has simply been outstanding. Their fight to hold on to those they love & the desire to also keep living their own lives inspires me every day. I love them both with all my heart & I’m so proud of them.

When I get up in the morning I give myself affirmation quotes from different people I admire, one of my favourite ones is from Michelle Obama:
Don’t be afraid. Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Be empowered.
That keeps me going, despite everything.

Hannah Gadsby is a person I admire a lot. In her show ‘Nanette’ she said
“To be rendered powerless does not destroy your humanity. Your resilience is your humanity. The only people who lose their humanity are those who believe they have the right to render another human being powerless. They are the weak. To yield and not break, that is incredible strength.”
and this is stuck in my mind for so many reasons.

My great granchild would love one of these Thank you in anticipation

I would love to win please

Don’t worry..bout a thing…everything little things gonna be alright….

I like the quote “one person’s craziness is another persons reality” by Tim Burton.
I like this quote because it signifies that we’re all different or we all have different ways of seeing the world and that’s ok. To me it means that it’s ok to be different or weird, because what other people see as weird, we see as normal.

Hello! My name is Ilaria, I’m italian but I live in England for 6 years. I ‘ve 2 kids,Nina and Pietro, 8 and 4 years old. I’ m very happy of my life but ,of course, missing me my family, my origins especially in this moment.
I born in Florence and I grew up with the culture around me. I try to explain everything of my town to my daughter, especially all the important characters that are became important in the history. One of this is Caterina de Medici; she has been one of most important and influential women in Florence in the past,and not only. Lorenzo de Medici’s daughter,married with King Henry II of France and best friend of Leonardo de Medici I think she has been very lucky in your life and as female in those years , was very considerated. She introduced in France a long list of foods, techniques and utensils for the first time ( it is said that she bring from Florence the really Tiramisù recipe! 😋). Anyway, this love for my town I try to pass to my daughter and last term, considering that the teacher told me she has been very good at school, I decided to reward her with a Florence book and one of your Momiji 😊 (Curiosity!).Nina was over the moon and I said to her that if she will be good at school next time, I will bring another Momiji!! Thank you!🥰

I love a quote from Sylvia Plath “ And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” I think of it every time I doubt my work and it makes me push on.

My Mum inspires me everyday. She has overcome adversity and been a strong woman and provider for me and my siblings. She is a queen and a tower of strength.

From the yes theory seek discomfort – having a challenge tests you mentally

They are so cute love to get one for my daughter thanks

I find inspiration and strenght mostly in people on the street I didnt expect to meet, a seller in the shop or an old granny in the park, a little kid.. 🥰❤

inspired speakers, the one that perhaps inspired me more than anyone else has been Stephen Fry, a great orator who talks pasionately about life and love and inspires people regardless to be themselves… having battled depression he helps so many with his words of wisdom

My daughter is 11 and I’m trying to be a positive roll model for her. I’ve told her to “love, respect and be herself.” The world is a scary place at times and the last year has been especially had for young people having to cope with something adults find difficulty understanding but laughing and expressing herself through art has helped her creativity and allowed her to be herself during that time. Love you, Mum xx

J’ai trouvé mon inspiration dans les livres et ensuite dans l’art et dans l’observation du monde qui nous entoure… Il y a tant de beauté dans ce monde et tant de force. Quand on sait regarder et écouter tout peut nous nourrir et nous faire vibrer.

I am inspired by the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin with his poetic tales.

Me and my Daughter are huge Kpop fans and the band BTS send a powerful message through their music which is ‘Love Yourself Speak Yourself’ basically promoting Self esteem and confidence in who you are ❤

I find inspiration often in the words of songs and music. Many musicians have inspired me; David Bowie, Bob Marley and Joe Strummer to name just a few!

My little brother inspires me everyday. He was born with a congenital heart defect but he never let’s that stop him. Even though he is physically weaker than most he has still climbed all the mountains in the UK, is a black belt in taekwondo and completed a marathon. He says ‘never put of until tomorrow what you can accomplish today’s and I think those are great words to live by. Not just for the big things, but for the little mundane tasks too.

My mom has inspired me with these words:“Drink more water”. I really appreciate that as that will make me more strong and healthy.