BEACHCOMBING
I enjoy being outside every day; the hunt of finding beauty in discarded objects, rich in history and stories old and new, and breathing new life into them thus giving them worth and value once more. I feel this is important especially in a society which is largely driven by ‘single use’ consumerism. When not actively working on art projects, I can be found foraging along a stretch of coastline in Scotland.
With this in mind, I set up business as a beachcomber about fifteen years ago. ‘Scottish Beach Finds’ has been a good tool to teach our two boys about the value of things and how it’s possible, with a little imagination, to create ‘something out of nothing’. It is lovely to think our children make the connection that work needn’t be something you don’t enjoy, and that it’s possible to make choices about work/life balance.
I frequently comb parts of a 40 mile stretch along the east coast of Scotland (Fife & Edinburgh) but try and visit the west of Scotland and east coast of England a few times a year. The furthest we’ve travelled to date for beachcombing pursuits was a trip to Heligoland, which is a small island about 70km off the coast of Germany. I yearn to visit Texel one day, one of the largest Frisian islands north of Holland, where they made the beautiful documentary Flotsam & Jetsam.
If you are interested in learning more about my time spent beachcombing, please follow these links:
scottishbeachfinds.etsy.com facebook.com/ScottishBeachFinds instagram.com/scottishbeachfinds
