I, like many people in the UK, have been working from home since the lockdown began about one year ago. For me this has meant that the time I used to spend commuting to work can now be used more creatively. The benefit of having more time at home is that we can start to consider taking action to start a new hobby or actualise some long held creative ideas that were put at the back of our mind due to lack of time earlier. For my part, I have started to write blogs about my passion for Ikebana which I had been meaning to do for a long time in order to share my experiences with you.
A few days ago I held an Ikebana taster lesson simultaneously with two family members who live in different parts of England. One of the family members had come across Ikebana before and has decided to take it up now. She also wanted to share the Ikebana experience, the art of Japanese flower arrangement, with her family member so we arranged a taster lesson where both can take part via video call. Thanks to the modern technology we can connect with each other, sharing common interests and hobbies, while living miles apart. Such activities as Ikebana via video calls create a wave of well being even if it is on screen.
Our one hour taster lesson went very quickly because of the joy of connection among all three of us while engaged in exploring various three dimensional Ikebana compositions. I am convinced that learning something new or doing something towards engaging with people is uplifting and fills one with a sense of satisfaction and wellbeing. In pursuing my own passion for Ikebana I have realised that following our interests or creative passions motivates our desire to learn more. The flowers and greeneries used by them for the taster lesson was from their own gardens. In fact, the origins of Ikebana lie in Buddhist priests in Japan composing arrangements for the alter using materials from their temple garden. The photographs of the arrangements created by them, using their garden materials, upholds the tradition even in these modern times.
