CONNECTION + COMMUNICATION Page 11 of 13

The school run

Posted on 2012-06-08 at 9:00 am.

My trusty bicycle, which comes everywhere with me these days

As you will know if you have been reading this blog lately, I recently spent a couple of weeks studying at Kawashima Textile School. This meant a daily routine of cycling to the station, taking a sweet little train north out of the city, then walking through the quiet streets of Ichihara to school. Despite the early hour, the journey itself was a lovely part of the day, and I thought I would share it with you…

Past lovely little coffee shop ‘Amuca’

Greeting other early birds

Through this lovely temple complex

Past sweet houses

Along the riverbank

Calling out ‘Ohio gozaimasu’ (‘good morning’) to joggers…

…and to musicians in training who prefer the riverside to their paper-thin walled apartments

To the ingenius bike park at Demachiyangi Station (I think they could do with one of these in cities like Oxford!)

Just in time for my train

This rural station at Ichihara is my stop

Past freshly-planted paddy fields

And to school, just before the bell rings (yes there is a school bell!)

I change into my slippers(!) and then head off to class…

More posts from school here: Preparing and dyeing the thread / Preparing giant bobbins / Preparing the warp

For the love of cafes (Kyoto edition) part 1

Posted on 2012-05-29 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Kimono-clad ladies in the cafe of Doshisha University

One of the upsides of living in a shoebox is that you have to get out! If you want somewhere lovely to read, or write, or think, you have to metaphorically ‘get up off the sofa’ (although we don’t have a sofa!) and find somewhere. And Kyoto is the perfect place for this – I think it might just be a city of cafes to rival Paris. I am on a mission to discover all the hidden gems while I am here. I thought I would share a few pics of those I have discovered so far…

Coo Cafe (above and below)

Les Freres Moutaux boulangerie and cafe

Iyemon Salon (more on this later – I am in love!)

Meet me there?

Where is your favourite cafe?

The ring!

Posted on 2012-05-27 at 8:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

And here it is… my lovely engagement ring!

My man decided to let me choose which one I loved the most, and we got it made here in Kyoto.

I think it is just perfect and can’t stop looking at it.

Seven sparkly diamonds!

What do you think?

We’re engaged! I’m going to get MARRIED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted on 2012-05-07 at 1:50 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

On my 35th birthday, in the quiet of a beautiful Japanese garden he went down on one knee.

He asked me to marry him.

And I said YES!!! (And cried, and danced, and laughed…)

So so so happy. Best birthday present EVER.

I am engaged to the most precious wonderful man and I can’t quite believe it…

Old friends

Posted on 2012-04-24 at 4:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Kyoko and Adachi in the jazz studio in their home – happy times!

When travelling in rural northern Japan we stayed a few days with some very old friends of mine. I still can’t quite believe how I met them. Let me explain…

Some 15 years ago, when I arrived in this remote snowy place, I had temporary accommodation for a couple of weeks but no place to stay after that. I had a job working as an interpreter for the local government, and the colleague who sat next to me turned out to be something of a fascinating enigma. Staid government worker by day, semi-pro jazz drummer by night (and racing driver in his early years!), he had invited me to one of his live gigs after work one day, but I declined, having already made plans to meet the person whose floor I was temporarily sleeping on.

After work I headed to the station to catch my train ‘home’ but missed it by a couple of minutes, and there was not another one for an hour. Hearing smooth jazz wafting over from a nearby café like steam off coffee on a cold day, I wandered over to wait it out in 1920s America. It was the cafe where my colleague was playing.

I was stood at the bar soaking up the atmosphere when the lead singer of the jazz band took a break and came over to get a drink. Her name was Kyoko, and she was a tiny ball of energy, with crazy curly hair like no Japanese woman I had ever seen, with kind eyes and an infectious smile. We got talking and within ten minutes she said “why don’t you come and live with me and my husband (Adachi, the bass player)?” Well, I thought, why not?

And so began an incredible adventure, living rent-free with this wonderful couple, in their house with a jazz studio and cocktail bar where we would host parties for all the foreigners within 50 miles, entertain jamming sessions twice a week and I would wake up on a Sunday to the sound of the grand piano. Some fifteen years later Kyoko and Adachi are still like family to me, they still play jazz, pass beers round and open their sliding doors to new friends with an openness which is quite astounding.

Two of the most generous souls I know. I wish you could meet them.

Featured in Somerset Life!

Posted on 2011-11-09 at 9:30 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

(Image via Gypsy Girls’ Guide)

Earlier this year I said that one of my goals was to get featured in one of Stampington‘s beautiful magazines, and now that has happened twice in two months – first with new title Mingle and now with the ever gorgeous Somerset Life – thank you world (and Christen Olivarez)!

(Image via Gypsy Girls’ Guide)

It is such a privilege to be featured in this fab article by photographer Alessandra Cave, mentioned as one of her global tribe of wandering contributors to her lovely blog Gypsy Girls’ Guide. It is such a fascinating eclectic group of women and I have to pinch myself that my name is there among them. You can see more about the article on Gypsy Girls’ Guide here.

Thank you Stampington! Thank you Alessandra!

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Countdown to the start of The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design featuring Rachael Taylor… only five days to go! If you haven’t yet signed up you can still register here!

Making memories

Posted on 2011-10-06 at 11:05 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

While we are on the subject of the Do What You Love retreat (with the film launched on Tuesday and the Mingle article yesterday!) I wanted to share the gorgeous hand-bound book made by the very talented Rachel Hazell, using individual pages crafted by retreat participants. I will treasure this as a wonderful memory of the first Do What You Love retreat – thank you all!

3D page above by mixed media artist Priscilla Jones. NB Other pages have not been credited due to the personal nature of some sentiments shared on the pages!

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If you have ever dreamt of seeing your designs on stationery, fabric, homewares or other products, sharing your art through pattern, and monetising your designs this groundbreaking course is for you! ‘The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design featuring Rachael Taylor’ is the definitive guide to becoming a surface pattern designer. Find out more here.

13 page spread in ‘Mingle’ (new magazine from Stampington!)

Posted on 2011-10-05 at 10:04 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw the preview copy of Mingle, the gorgeous new magazine from Stampington which is all about ‘creative ideas for unique gatherings’.

The Do What You Love retreat is brought to life in 13 beautiful pages, featuring a few words from me and a host of photographs from the very talented Christine Boyd and Xander Neal of NavyBlur. Editor-in-Chief Christen Olivarez has done an incredible job.

This is a sneak peek of some of those pages… you can get your own copy from bookshops across the US or by mail order direct from Stampington.

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By the way, if you missed it the Do What You Love retreat film premiere is now showing here!

Roadtrip #4: A fairytale wedding

Posted on 2011-08-28 at 3:33 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

It was actually a wedding invitation that took us out to the US in the first place.

One of my man’s old school friends fell in love with a lovely girl from Bow, New Hampshire, when she came to England to help develop the game of lacrosse. They decided to get married at the bride’s family home – a beautiful house set in gardens the size of a field, overlooking nothing but mountains in the far distance. The wedding was simply stunning, like something out of a film – and a very happy time was had by all.

Although the wedding was huge, it was really personal and so full of loving touches. The bride’s family even built a bar in their roof garden in the style of an English pub in honour of the groom, and put up framed vintage photos of the groom’s hometown in Manchester to make him feel part of the family.

It was interesting to see the similarities and differences between US and English weddings. One of my favourite parts was travelling from the church to the reception in an old school bus!

And the bit where the wedding party (including best man, bridesmaids etc) made a big entrance doing a funny dance. I cannot imagine that happening at most traditional weddings in England! I also loved the favours – we each found a glass jar waiting at our tables, and could fill it with as many sweets as we wanted from a table overflowing with old fashioned sweets. Perfect for the road trip ahead!

Around 50 people had flown out from England, so it was fun to have a few days enjoying the area with old and new friends. This was our second overseas wedding this year, following a gorgeous one in Greece just a couple of months ago. It is quite odd to have your holiday destination determined for you, but it is a fantastic new way of experience a place – and so much fun to party on such a special occasion in different corners of the world!

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More roadtrip adventures all next week!

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“Life-changing”, “Revolutionary”, “Awe-inspiring”, “Transformative“ – just a few of the ways former participants have described the Do What You Love e-course.

Do you fancy some of that in your life? Do you want to get closer to identifying your true passion and finding a way to do what you love, for life? Then this is for you!

The Do What You Love e-course is open for registration now. The adventure begins on September 26 but places are limited so book now to secure your place. This is the last time it will run this year.

This is your chance to join a global tribe of like-minded people who will support and encourage you to find your way.

It could be the most influential six weeks of your life… Join now!

Gathering

Posted on 2011-07-01 at 12:15 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

There is magic in the air as the bonfire crackles, sparklers hiss and laughter floats past in the wind.

Open-hearted souls from all over the world are gathered deep in the English countryside to create, discover and grow.

This is just the beginning…

On the opening night of the Do What You Love retreat, as wine flowed and stories were shared, I took a moment just to watch.

And I am sure I could actually see new friendships forming, creative wings unfurling, and possibility bubbling up.

There is nothing quite like a creative retreat to connect you with like minded people, boost your confidence and gently guide you in your true direction. And that is why I am so delighted that today sees the launch of Seek Your Course, an innovative concept from Jess Greene, which provides a database and online hub for connecting you with creative learning opportunities online and around the world.

I have been mentoring Jess over the past through months as she has developed this from idea to valuable tool, which gives you the wonderful world of creative retreats and online creative courses at your fingertips. I know how powerful retreats and e-courses can be, and am excited that so many more people will get the chance to get involved, now the information is being provided in one easy-to-navigate place.

I hope you will use Seek Your Course to find whatever is the right course for you, connect with others and step into this brave new world!

[All images taken at the Do What You Love retreat in May by NavyBlur.]

For more posts about the May retreat see: Full of Love / Reflecting / Bloom True with Flora Bowley / Paper heaven with Rachel Hazell / Delicate wax and wire sculptures with Priscilla Jones