Welcome to the
Brave Journey Home
Circle
Brave Voice Books · Gillian Walter
Welcome to the
Brave Journey Home
Circle
Thank you for joining.
Brave Journey Home is a creative and reflective space exploring perspective, creativity, reflection and meaningful conversations — through artwork, poetry and hands-on explorations.
This circle is for coaches, therapists, supervisors, educators, facilitators, helping professionals and reflective practitioners who are curious about creative ways of seeing, thinking and making meaning.
What to expect
- Glimpses behind the creation of the book
- Selected artwork and poems
- Reflective prompts and explorations
- Audio reflections in my own voice
- Early invitations to workshops and events
- Launch news and updates
- Occasional creative surprises along the way
I'm so glad you're here
"What do you wish wasn't getting in your way?"
GRATITUDE
Pinned like a bug behind glass,
I’m cast, I’m restricted,
Adamant, I lament,
I’m left out, I pout.
A sorry predicament,
Plans postponed,
Bored and alone,
All plans shot
I’m useless, unable
It’s not fair, I shout
Emptied out —
Is the tree breeze,
and the blackbird’s song
Of blessings to belong,
In his poetry, truth,
That this morning,
Placed me precisely
Where I need to be.
Exactly positioned,
To witness the forming
Of this song.
Notes of love and gratitude,
Sung for the unsuspecting
Pause of each glorious
Still and present breath —
LISTEN
Then listen again — what do you hear differently?
The Gift of Stillness
- With your situation in mind, choose a simple shape to represent what feels stuck. Draw it in the centre of a page.
- Using a thick line, draw a border or container around it — something that clearly holds it in place.
- Choose one colour and, using your non-dominant hand, draw slow, continuous lines around the page without lifting the pen.
- Choose a second colour. With eyes closed or a soft gaze, add another set of flowing lines. Let them cross, loop and overlap.
- Continue until the page feels complete enough. Notice how the area you first named as stuck now appears within the whole image.
A few questions to sit with
My broken ankle was the unexpected muse for this poem — and I suspect you can hear the grumpy frustration in it! I couldn’t put any weight on my first cast, which meant last-minute cancellations of clients, concerts, and swimming in the lake in the heat of summer. Even showers were a logistical nightmare.
I was ‘stuck’ on the balcony — comfortable, looked after, with my dog for company — but so busy thinking about all the things I couldn’t do that I couldn’t feel appreciative of what I did have. Until a pair of blackbirds started singing right next to me. It was so loud and beautiful that it shook me clean out of my head and into the joy of the moment.
Once I’d been shaken free of my grumpiness, I was able to think more calmly and creatively about what I could do. I had my cast decorated with fairy lights as a safety feature backstage at a ballet show — so the dancers wouldn’t knock into it. I would never have chosen my predicament in a million years, and yet once I viewed it as a gift rather than an inconvenience, I was innovative, I made memories, I made friends, I made a difference — and I certainly grew from the experience.