Being up at Nobbys-Whibayganba felt like such an honour, and the lighthouse keepers’ cottages provided the perfect working space regardless of the weather.
As you make the journey up to the lighthouse, it’s as if you’re leaving the everyday humdrum behind. It made me feel apart from my usual world. Anything felt possible.
I’m a working writer—I have contracts, which means I have to work to a deadline, so, I already have a writing practice that works for me. The residency, however, gave me an opportunity to explore other ways of writing. I undertook writing sprints as well as marathon writing sessions. I minutely plotted some things and free-wrote others. I plotted books I need to write and books I’d like to write. I worked, I played, and I dreamed.
And I discovered that being perched on top of the headland, surrounded by sea, is ridiculously inspiring. Maybe it’s all the negative ions in the air, perhaps it’s the beauty of the scenery, or it could simply be the sense of isolation. Whatever it is, I wish I could bottle it and bring it home with me.
This is such a valuable program and I can’t help feeling incredibly fortunate to have been gifted such a residency. Thank you Lighthouse Arts for making this possible.
