I was on a roll and enjoying writing regularly for my Spanish adventure blog when I took on a new project that has completely consumed me over the last few months. Leaving my blog writing somewhere at the bottom of my priority list. Not good but sometimes living in Spain just works like that. It is rather easy to get sucked into the ‘mañana’ mentality, as in ‘I will do it tomorrow’. This doesn’t mean that I have been lazing about, enjoying the sweltering heat, running to the beach early mornings to claim a spot by jamming my parasol into the sand, to then return hours later, as a lot of summer holiday makers seem to do. None of that. In fact I have been busy interviewing people, writing articles, translating articles, taking pictures and finding free pictures on the net. I am also selecting recipes that I have either invented or that come from a recipe book that I wrote over 15 years ago, but was never published. All those years ago I specifically went on a trip to Italy to interview Italian friends and their mothers for recipes.
You see, it doesn’t matter if you put time and effort in something and not see an immediate result. I like to include recipes in the web magazine and ‘hey presto’ I have many to share. This does mean that I have to cook them to take pictures as well, but that is a pleasure as I do like to cook and my Spanish husband is happy to try whatever I prepare for lunch and dinner. But creating a web magazine requires a lot more. It means I have to scroll to and make summaries and translate information about events sent by the town hall, like blues, hip-hop, jazz and other music festivals and much much more such as flamenco shows, etc.
It also involves asking people to write and submit articles. Because a web magazine needs interesting articles and in this case with a link to La Herradura, the village where I live, as the website is called La Herradura Cultural. Looking for interesting subjects can be a challenge. Managing a web magazine also means thinking up new ideas and features to use on the site in collaboration with my colleague and website builder Ferry Verhoeve. Then, by the end of the week, incorporating all these images, articles and notifications into the web magazine, both in Spanish and in English. And last but not least finding potential clients who would like to advertise on the page. And the potential is there I am sure, as the advertiser is getting prominent attention in the form of an interview which is translated into an article with attractive images. I feel like a time juggler trying to find weekly moments where I can visit the various places, like hotels, local bookshops, and other places where my latest book
‘Reflections from La Herradura’ is for sale, to find out whether something has been sold. In Spain you also have to pay autonomo, which is a monthly fee of almost 300 euros, whether you manage to earn that or not, so the pressure is on! This means I am also trying to find the time to post on Twitter, Buffer, Instagram and Facebook to let people know that I still exist and actually have some pretty cool arty stuff for sale. So if you happen to be my ‘friend’ you might come across a few sentences about my Cheers book, my visualisation books and the La Herradura book, but also about my ‘Surrender balls’, each with a specific meaning.
You think that is enough? Not really as I also want to let you know that my first visualisation book is now available in audio in Dutch and I am working on a series of Ascended Masters cards.
Moreover I would like to remind you that my mandalas (horoscope, elephant, angel and inspirational mandalas) and some of my flamenco paintings are available on products such as bags, t-shirts, skirts and much more. Sometimes the time juggling is a struggle as I also need to find time to chat with friends to avoid myself from going mad and to find time to relax, which is not happening enough. Having said that, I do seem to have finally picked up a daily routine in doing a morning meditation, which is more like a fight in my head to concentrate on my breathing whilst my ‘to do today and mañana lists’ are screaming for attention. It has to be said that I am getting better at it and actually am enjoying these early morning moments with myself. Perhaps this is teaching me a lesson. Take it easy. What cannot be done today will be done tomorrow, and tomorrow does sometimes arrive. Like this blog!
For information about the La Herradura book you can go here and remember, you don’t have to be in La Herradura to enjoy it but you might want to go there when you read it.
You can click on the various bold words to go directly to the information.
Are you interested in a publicity article in La Herradura Cultural. Feel free to contact me via renate@laherradura-cultural.eu
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She likes us to become close friends. She is short, abundantly curvy and her grey, very short hair does not really flatter her white face, but the colourful blouse with bird of paradise print turns her into a really pleasant appearance. She greets me with a bright smile at the Nerja Arts Festival, where I have an exhibition, and she says “Hi, I am Beate”. She turns out to be a fan of my work and buys my entire series of mandala cards. Soon it becomes clear to me that she has all the time in the world and I listen to a waterfall of words. She gives meditative dancing classes and asks if I want to join. I explain that it is not really my thing, but promise to meet up with her sometime soon for a cup of coffee. Three months later my phone rings. “Beate here” ... She explains that some of her friends from Germany like to also purchase my mandala cards. Hopeful she asks whether they can come and visit me in my studio. I hesitate, because saying that I am a messy person is quite an understatement. I look around the small old house that I am renting in the middle of the old, typical white-washed Spanish village and realise it is littered with stuff. A dining table filled with two bowls of fruit, all sorts of bits and bobs, my computer and keyboard and lots of papers and unopened bank statements. The state of almost every other surface in my house is not much better. Books on various bookshelves look cluttered with sheets of paper bulging out. Fluffs of dog hair are scattered around the tiled floor as I have not vacuumed the house for over a week. My ceramic statues are collecting dust. The old white walls are filled with paintings and in every other room in the house there are paintings stacked against the wall due to lack of space. My studio in the small garden is disorganised with too many plastic boxes filled with painting materials and brushes and tubes of paint lie scattered on the large table. There are tools and empty plant pots everywhere on the floor.
I take a deep breath whilst deciding that I am not in the mood for a huge clean-up and suggest meeting up on the village square. Beate assures me that she and her friends don’t mind a messy house, so we agree to meet near the church where I am introduced to three grey-haired, elderly ladies. They look very polite and tidy with their wrinkle free white blouses all buttoned up and no make-up on their slightly pink faces. Feeling a sense of panic as we walk towards my home I apologize for the messy state of it, but they wave my worries away as they too are messy when on holiday they explain politely. However, there is no doubt in my mind that my mess is in any way similar to what they understand it to be and surely they will be tempted to call in the Spanish equivalent of the public health service to help me declutter. I clench my teeth and together we walk to my house. One and a half hour later, more than 100 euros richer and some mandala cards poorer, I'm perfectly happy on my balcony. Swallows skim right past my head. The late evening sun envelops the mountain range in a fairy-tale orange glow. White houses in the valley glister like gold leaves in the distance. The penetrating sound of the swallows is reminding me that summer has arrived. And Beate and me? We are now close friends.
My mandala gift cards come with a specific meaning. There are two sets of gift cards; one set of 5 cards, representing abundance, gratitude, balance, love and joy and strength and light. The second set represent the seven chakra’s which stand for: security and safety, creativity and self-worth, personal strength, give and receive love, communication skills, intuition and dynamic thoughts and energy. More details here:http://renatevannijen.com/products-page/mandala-card-series/
Via this blog I will keep you informed about my life as an artist and writer in Andalusia in Southern Spain. What can you expect of me? Observations, real life stories and light-hearted stories with a touch of fiction. There will be some photos of my surroundings, my house, the village where I live but also of my art, my books and mandalas.
If you would like to find out more about my art and books please visit my website: www.renatevannijen.com
