Day 45

'Filzmoos Nursery Slope', Pen on Paper

Decided that during this week I would make the most of my surroundings and attempt to fit in a few drawings relating to the local landscape and scenery in Austria. What this meant was that each day I went snowboarding I took a sketchbook in my pocket so that should inspiration strike me whenever I took a short rest I was prepared. It's amazing sometimes just how instantly refreshing taking a few moments to yourself to relax can be, especially after spending quite a long time exerting yourself or just generally being involved in something strenuous and exhausting. If you take the instance in which I did the above drawing there was this strange juxtaposition between myself coming to a standstill whilst all around me the locals and holiday makers alike went about their daily routines, their minds pulsating with a million thoughts, worries, plans and uncertainties. Although there is all this activity happening around me and indeed any of us at any given time, just by simply taking a few moments, a few deep breaths we can find a peculiar tranquillity. Even in the subtle chaos that surrounds us it can seem eerily silent as we have seemingly developed a way in which to drown out the background noise just by making use of the audibility of our own thoughts. Personally I find comfort in being surrounded by activity and background noise, to me being in complete silence can be more distracting as it's all too easy to get lost in your own thoughts.