19 Comments
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Anna Wilson's avatar

So nice to discover you! I used to be a geographer too :) Enjoyed reading this!

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Jane Porter's avatar

Aw thankyou Anna! Let’s form a geographer: illustrator club! 😊😊

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Nanette Regan's avatar

I love reading your newsletter every month Jane, you have so many interesting adventures! I would love to hear more about you making your fiddle. Spending hours planing wood sounds wonderful, I don't know if it's possible to video it but I bet it would make satisfying viewing too!

The board game is wonderful, and your book full of trees is so lovely! x

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Jane Porter's avatar

Might have to see if I can do a bit of video at violin-making class! I think planing is my new favourite activity - thanks for the lovely comment Nanette! X

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Momoko Abe's avatar

I didn’t know you used to be a geographer! And I love reading about your extra activities. I think artists who have non-art backgrounds or do non-art things on side bring more interesting things to their art than those who who just do art. Fingers crossed for your new old stories! X

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Jane Porter's avatar

Hi Momoko, yes I did a geography degree many many years ago - field trips were always my favourite part of the course. And it's very nice to be able to weave a bit of that back into what I am doing now... glad you enjoyed hearing about my extra activities, I hope I am not being a fiddle bore!

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dianne hofmeyr's avatar

So much to dip into there. A wonderful STORY STREET. And yes discovering old work that hasn't quite made it, is a chance for a rethink and often something great comes of it but its also a realisation of how hard we work! Loved the music video and also I haven't listened to The Island of Brilliant before... so much to enjoy. Thank you Jane! All wonderfully engaging!

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Jane Porter's avatar

Thankyou so much Dianne! Isn't Naomi Berrill an amazing musician, it's really worth listening to the whole album, it's just beautiful...

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Heather Murray's avatar

Thank you for sharing these pearls from your creative life Jane ! So lovely to wake up to !

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Jane Porter's avatar

Thankyou for reading, Heather! I do enjoy putting my newsletter together and it's lovely to get such nice feedback...

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Sophie Ambrose's avatar

Love your collages for the Mitcham map Jane! Reviewing old ideas is always valuable and a great prompt for other writers as we all have those rejects tucked away!

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Jane Porter's avatar

Aw thanks Sophie! Let 'Refresh the Rejects' be a motto for all of us!

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The Cloth Botherer's avatar

Very uplifting Jane, thank you! Your mention of the value of letting old work settle and reviewing from a distance is spot on!

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Jane Porter's avatar

Thanks Angela! Yea, it’s impossible to be ruthless enough with something you’ve only just made...

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Helen Stephens's avatar

Those pub windows!

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Jane Porter's avatar

Pint of shandy and a pickled egg please!

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Helen Stephens's avatar

Get my shandy lined up, see you there!

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Jane Porter's avatar

A pint at The Pilot :)

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Helen Stephens's avatar

The dream.

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