On cherry blossoms and tattoos

When I was 21 I decided on a whim to get my first, and so far only, tattoo. Having recently read an article about how the human body begins to decline around this age, I had come to the conclusion that I had physically peaked. Alongside this I had recently made the decision to take on the disordered eating that had been my shadow for nearly a decade, and to try to see my body as something to celebrate rather then control.

So, to mark this turning point I made the (very quick) decision to get a stem of cherry blossom tattooed on to my upper back.

Sitting on the floor of my student house bedroom, leaning against the radiator because it was the warmest spot of my converted-garage-becomes-student-bedroom, I found a photo of the blossoms that used to grow at the end of my parents’ garden. In significantly less time than you should probably dedicate to a drawing that is going to be etched on to your body for life, I sketched out my tattoo in fineliner. By 2pm the next day the drawing and I were one forever.

Me in my 20s, possibly contemplating how I’d already ‘peaked’…

So you might be confused as to why I’ve chosen to tell you about this not all that exciting tattoo experience on a blog about creativity.

Well, at that point in my life I had already come across the notion that cherry blossoms represent transient beauty.

As you probably already know, cherry blossoms are symbolic of the renewal of spring, and often the fleeting nature of life due to their short flowering period. They hold meaning in many cultures, particularly in Japanese culture where they are known as sakura (as beautifully discussed in the linked post.)

At 21 I thought these cherry blossoms on my skin would remind me that all beauty is short lived and I should seize the moment, particularly in regards to living in my body and enjoying life, rather then spending my time contemplating my literal naval.

It’s no surprise my relationship with my body and the concept of aging wasn’t healed in that hour or so I spent in a tattoo studio in North East London, but it was a meaningful step for me.

However, over time what I’ve realised is that the meaning I find in cherry blossoms now is something very different.

They do appear suddenly, signifiying that spring is finally in full swing, filling the roadsides and gardens with colour. And they do only last a few weeks, their fleeting beauty quickly turning into piles of petals collecting against the curb.

But of course it doesn’t end there. It is part of a plant cycle that happens year upon year throughout the seasons.

And after the petals fall, the tree transforms into branches heavy with leaves and eventually fruit. Those delicious cherries get eaten by birds, or fall and their ‘fruit flesh’ is consumed by decomposer insects. This allows their seeds to sprout and produce saplings and hopefully more lovely cherry trees.

These days when I look at cherry blossoms I see cycles. I see life, and death, and new life. I see rebirth. I see rhythms. I see new beginnings born out of things coming to a natural end. I see change.

And that I why is means so much to me to be beginning 1:1 coaching this spring as The Creative Pathfinding Programme is all about these things.

A slightly wiser me in my 30s, captured by the talented Lindsay Ward.

Finding new creative beginnings and growing as you connect with your creative self - these are all things I am loving supporting people with. But also helping people work out what they are ready to let go of. Those creative projects or old parts of your identity which are weighing you down but don’t fit with the person you are becoming. The things you used to enjoy that don’t really work with your life now.

I feel so lucky to be sharing the ways in which I’m learning to better accept change myself. How I realise now that my creative energy changes as the seasons do, and to have a better awareness of my own creative rhythms and cycles. How it’s completely normal to want to change and grow as an artist.

As I have developed this programme and grown into this new identity as a creativity coach, I’ve also had to let go of things too. I’m focusing less on exhibiting and celebrating my own artwork, and for now I’m stepping away from teaching in-person.

But I can do this easily, because working with my clients 1:1 to identify and unfold what creativity means to them, and how they can uncover the path of their own unique creative journey is so fulfilling and I am loving it.

If you know someone who could benefit from this kind of gentle, focused and personal coaching then please share the programme with them as I have four spaces open for people who are ready to make a change. And of course if this sounds like something that might be helpful in your own life then you can apply for the programme over on The Creative Pathfinding Programme page and I’ll be in touch soon to let you know if it’s the right fit for your needs.

Oh, and and just in case you are wondering - what would I get as my next tattoo now I know this?

Well I feel like for me, the understanding I have now is that we are always changing. So it’s unlikely anything I choose will have the same meaning to me in the future as it did in the moment of creation. Which is why I will probably just choose something I really love in that moment, and it will be just as unplanned as the first or I’ll get my now fuzzy drawing updated and born anew.

I’m so looking forward to finding out who I become and what new meanings I find along the way, and to be able to work with others as they go on that journey too.