It is with nostalgia that I look back at those afternoons I would spend in the garden with a book. At that age when time didn’t just fly by, I would sit in the sun during “siesta” time with my head buried in between the pages of a book, as if that way I would be even closer to being part of the story.
I have always been a huge fan of adventure and mystery novels, and I can’t quite remember when times changed and I wasn’t able any more to keep up my reading habit. Somehow, I gradually became “older” and with that, time went. I started spending many hours at school, then studying and doing my homework, going to music school in the afternoons and having to fit in practice time in between everything. As life became relentless, my precious books started to gather dust and become decorative assets. But that wasn’t the only thing that was gone with them. The time to think and reflect on myself was gone too – the key to all creation !
It wasn’t until I unpacked my boxes in London and discovered its magnificent libraries and book shops that it became evident to me that I was starving to read. Books can have many purposes. They can be entertaining and relaxing, but they can also be inspiring, energising and… life changing! It certainly is thanks to them, that I started self-teaching and growing confidence as an artist and today, I never leave home without one.
It happens to all of us at one point or another in our lives that we give up on books for other seemingly more important priorities. The book is the artist’s best companion and the time you spend with it is precious. If you are one to think you don’t have the time to read… Never underestimate the power of a good book!