Xi Xi

My Do Lecture chair has arrived! (Taken with instagram)

Wed, 16 May 2012 18:57:36 +0100

My Do Lecture chair has arrived! (Taken with instagram)

Fresh bread in the mornin anyone? (Taken with instagram)

Tue, 15 May 2012 11:19:00 +0100

Fresh bread in the mornin anyone? (Taken with instagram)

Ben Howard - Keep your head up Beautiful video. Beautiful...

Sun, 13 May 2012 11:46:00 +0100

Ben Howard - Keep your head up

Beautiful video. Beautiful lyrics. Beautiful Ben

Overall Winner.

Where friendships are formed and dreams are discussed.

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:39:16 +0100

A students perspective.

After making a 60 second animation on why I wanted to attend The Do Lectures and receiving an email to inform me that I had a ‘sponsored chair’ with my name on it, I felt sure that taking a leap into the unknown would be good for me. Uni was feeling a bit slow. Life a little too routine. So why not shake it up a bit?

Wednesday 25th of April. Three trains from Bath Spa to Carmarthen. Then a long taxi ride with 2 strangers, characters in a story that hadn’t been written yet. I felt young, and I didn’t like it. I felt young and I desired to be more knowledgeable. I felt young and I wanted to be older.

From the very first moment I sat down under a shelter from the rain, a cup of hot tea to warm me from the inside out and a freshly baked piece of apple and cinnamon cake, I knew that I was lucky. I knew I was somewhere special. And not just because of the delicious food and drink but because for once I knew that this was a journey worth making, despite the unsettling nerves and doubt in my mind. After speaking to just a handful of ‘adults’ I realised that the only difference between us was a number, apart from that we had all arrived into uncertain territory and no one quite knew what to expect.

The deal with the sponsored chair was that 10 students would receive a sponsored ticket to the event and whilst attending would have to make a film about the Do Lectures. (My sponsor was Mail Chimp) Well, at first I thought it would be easy. We were handed an iPod touch each and told to record every little detail of the event. Inspired by my surroundings but troubled by the tight deadline (three days) I got to work and started with the closest person to me. We talked. We ate. We laughed. We cried. And from person to person I continued to be overwhelmed by the passion burning within them, whether it be the family tradition of baking fresh bread every day or launching a LifeSaver campaign. I soon realised that this film was more than just a trivial documentation of my time there. It was a challenge to capture my own personal journey of what the Do Lectures meant to me, a beautiful and exciting task that encouraged me to take risks.

Over a hundred awesome people that were happy to teach and eager to share their stories, regrets, dark nights and ideas surrounded me. The great thing about the Do Lectures is that not only can you sit and listen to incredible speakers talking about what they have done and are doing with their lives, but you can also have a drink or eat dinner with them afterwards, a novelty that still hasn’t worn off. I was shocked and enlightened by the kindness and generosity of people and how much they have to give. I questioned myself, my actions and my desires. I started to realise that people are WONDERFUL. Alongside this I learnt to accept who I am and above all, I know now that it is great to be young. That it is okay not to have all the answers because if we did then life would be boring. Taking risks is how we continue to learn and ‘failure’ is only a stepping-stone of progress towards your final goal. As Sean Carasso said to me ‘Be light as a feather… the failures and the devastations will be your greatest lessons and they will lead you to your greatest victories. Love the whole process.’ It is a joy for me to be able to say that there were many incredible people at the Spring Do Lectures that I feel honoured to have met as well as make friends with. Sean is an inspiration to me and so many people with his goal of ending the war in the Congo and if you haven’t already heard of Falling Whistles I urge you to check out the website, watch the video and read the story. (http://www.fallingwhistles.com/)

Being a twenty-year-old student I cannot emphasise enough how liberating it is to know that fear is not only fine but also integral to learning. A massive THANK YOU is in order to all those at the Do Lectures for initiating the Giving Chair Student Brief that enables students like me to attend the event and of course to Mail Chimp, my sponsors. By giving me their support I have had my eyes opened to the potential of human beings and the power of passion.

Thank you.

You see that? That’s hope that there will be some blue sky...

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:05:17 +0100

You see that? That’s hope that there will be some blue sky sunshine over the weekend. Wishful thinking? Maybe….

The Day before The Do.

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 23:44:00 +0100

I hope to update this blog as I go along but you know what it’s like.

http://lucydo.tumblr.com/

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where..."

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 00:51:44 +0100

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood. He who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.””

- Theodore Roosevelt

http://blog.thedolectures.co.uk/2012/04/stuff-about-determination/#comments

My ticket to the Do Lectures. So excited, only 3 days to...

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 13:36:00 +0100

My ticket to the Do Lectures. So excited, only 3 days to go.

http://www.dolectures.com/

Easter is over

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 22:34:30 +0100

From fine Sauvingnon Blanc wines to a mug of lukewarm tap water, from elaborate dishes of slowly cooked lamb in succulent juices to a pitta bread with humous, from London to Bath, I am well and truly back at Uni. And boyo does it feel good! My flatmates very kindly left the flat in a more than acceptable state, meaning I can quite happily walk around with just my socks on and not feel the need to play a game of hopscotch across the kitchen to a single spot of safety. The faint ring of ‘Do It Like A Dude’ resonates in the courtyard letting me know for sure that I am surrounded by students again and with everything I need all in one room, most importantly a bed to conk out on when it all gets a bit too much, what more could a girl ask for?

So now for term three of three and it’s time to dirty my hands and get stuck back into the work that I came here to do. Much to get done in a short amount of time that I’m sure will fly by as it always does and the need to make the most of it is stronger than ever. So if my head’s down, my working hat’s on and my party pants are only occasionally paraded round Bath, then maybe I can return to the fine Sauvignon Blanc wine that awaits me in Highbury feeling like I deserve a glass or two.

Photo

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:21:08 +0100

Yes, it friggin hurt.

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 16:40:55 +0100

Shortly after I finished the drawings below I managed to fall off a bollard, yes a bollard, and fracture my right elbow in three places. ‘What a twat?’ Yes, you may ask such a question. You may also be thinking ‘Pissed?’ And the answer would be yes to the first and suprisingly no to the second. I’d had one drink that night. Honestly, I’m just an awful climber. Learnt my lesson though. And got a pretty awesome bruise outa it. But seriously kids, leave the leap frogging to the professionals. It’s not worth the pain or the embarrassment.

I drew a Chinese Lady.

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 16:25:00 +0100

Over a year ago now I took some time out of that fine education system and went to China for 4 Months. It seems odd to try and explain on here what I experienced there as it was so long ago now, but I guess the important thing to mention is the visual impact it had on me.

So I drew a Chinese Lady.

First post. Right. So…I did a drawing of my good friend...

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 15:57:31 +0100

First post. Right. So…I did a drawing of my good friend Nathan ages ago. And here it is…on the web. Awesome! That’s it. Phew. First post over. That wasn’t so bad. Actually, that was pretty easy. Might try it again some time.