Happy Monday Sunshine!

by Liz Ward

It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living. ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Everyone at Handprint hopes you had a wonderful weekend – full of sunshine and smiles.

Handprint often take inspiration from the visual details around them for productions and ideas. Even when the sky is cloudy and its raining, they don’t let that close them off to being inspired. In a recent article written for the Hearing Times (available now in the April issue), Laura said:

We come across visual inspirations every day, be it the shape of a building, or the way people are running across the street in the rain. We are always noticing the visual aspects of things, and try to incorporate that into our work.

When writing (Liz), I am always looking at the world – whether visually or by learning something new – and taking inspiration from that for either articles or fiction. Even in things that are not conventionally thought of as beautiful – especially these – I find something to wonder about, to celebrate. Just as a photographer captures a moment in a photo, a writer is striving to use all these little details in their work. An actor observes people and notices all their little quirks and tics and takes these in to use as future reference. Being observers of the world means that everything in life has potential, has meaning beyond what you can immediately see. Accessible theatre, especially, needs those visual elements of life in order to tell a story. Total communication in theatre needs all the visual tools it is possible to use – puppetry, dance, physical theatre, BSL, sign song. This makes for a visually complex and rewarding experience, that is accessible to both hearing and deaf people.

So – next time you find yourself pausing at the bus stop, running to catch your train, sitting on the tube – take a moment to look around you and appreciate all the little things that you don’t usually notice. Allow yourself to take off on a flight of fantasy and make up your own story. Be inspired by the little things you see.

Read books. Care about things. Get excited. Try not to be too down on yourself. Enjoy the ever present game of knowing. ~ Hank Green.