An Ode to one of my favourite cities

Edinburgh is one of my favourite cities, so much so that I’ve *almost* moved there twice.

Last month, I was fortunate enough attend the Edinburgh fringe and international literary festival. While I’m still integrating the experience, I emerged from the crowds feeling deeply inspired and expanded.

Over 5 days I watched 11 shows which included a mix of comedies, dramas, musicals, and talks with authors of many different genres.

At its core it felt like a celebration of human creativity. A platform for courageous individuals to share the intimacy of their unique expression.

Although every single event was radically different from the others, what they *did* have in common is that they all moved me in some way.

I laughed, I cried, I frowned, I questioned my own perceptions, I said “wow, I had no idea you could do that” a lot…

I was reminded there is absolutely no one way of doing anything. We get to explore, play and find our own way of moving through this human experience. We get to discover our own language and medium for revealing the depths of our being.

Creativity is by no means limited to being a painter, sculpture, actor or writer.

Living is a creative act. We are all creators.

We are creating every single moment of our lives.

How we speak, decide, love, walk, do the dishes, relate to ourselves and others - are all expressions of this.

Often I ask myself: if I didn’t know how X is done, and I gave myself full permission to do it the way I yearn to do it, how would I choose to do it? If nobody told me there is a “right” way, what would be my way?

What if we gave ourselves creative licence to re-define what work, relationships, friendship, having a family, etc mean and look like for US?

It’s vital to be exposed to new environments, new perceptions, new ways of being that open us up to new possibilities. That’s one of the reasons art has always been so sacred to me.

The older I get, the more I realise there are no set rules for life. We get to choose, if we’re courageous enough to stay true to ourselves, daring to step into uncharted terrain and write our own unique story.

Check out a video of my Ode to Edinburgh here.