believe – puglia – art4good

some weeks just seem to join the dots.

you don’t necessarily realise it while they’re happening.

one meeting leads to another, an old friend reappears, somebody does something incredibly kind, a conversation sparks an idea.

and suddenly you get to the end of the week and think, wow.

this has been one of those weeks.

i was in london and got to spend some time with my lovely friend selina, who i ran the marathon des sables with back in 2016.

there’s something very special about friendships forged through experiences like that.

when you’ve shared miles in the desert, exhaustion, laughter, and definitely pain, you don’t really need small talk when you meet again.

selina is a straight talker, with a high powered career, and we went for a fantastic puglian italian meal near st paul’s and talked about what had been going on in our worlds, the restaurant was empty when we landed, but the cacophony of sound as our evening progressed made us talk at a significant number of decibels higher than normally acceptable, extremely authentic, we finished off with brandy, but not just any brandy, remy martin, my fave cognac.

then i spotted a cheeky tattoo.

one word.

believe.

i loved it.

i’ve been toying with getting some new ink, i only have one tattoo, the worst moose tattoo you’ve ever seen, and it rightfully resides, hidden under my watch, it’s so bad, don’t ever ask to see it.

but selinas ‘believe’ got me thinking.

actually, so much of what we do at bigmoose comes back to that one little word.

believe that things can change.

believe that people can get better.

believe that kindness matters.

so, i’m on the hunt for inspo, send your thoughts over, dear blog reader.

while i was in london, i also met up with one of our awesome therapists (jk) who has got another artist connection, and over hot chocolate and earl grey he handed me two pieces of art donated by the artist based in paris, all very international.

thanks jonny, and currently anonymous artist.

two more pieces.

two more steps towards an idea that we’re incredibly excited about.

and then yesterday i spent several hours with the wonderful artist caitlin flood molyneux.

we talked.

and talked.

and talked quite a bit more.

about art.

about business.

about philanthropy.

and about mental health.

caitlin has a wonderful story, that she shares in her tedx talk here.

we discussed what might be possible when you bring all of those worlds together.

and i’m absolutely delighted that caitlin is going to be joining us on our art4good journey.

i have a feeling this could become something really special.

then there has been another kind of endurance event, not just me talking, this week.

the uber cool people taking part in the ‘why we run’ 250k ultramarathon.

i went along to see them on monday as they assembled at the picturesque coastal location of st. davids, and i’m heading back again today, and hopefully i get to see nature do more of its magic.

watching people push themselves physically and mentally while choosing to use that challenge to help other people is incredibly humbling.

and somewhere amongst all of these completely different moments – an italian meal with an old friend, a tattoo, ultrarunners pushing through the miles, donated paintings and hours spent talking about art and mental health, there seems to be a common thread.

people.

people believing.

people giving.

people doing difficult things.

people sharing ideas.

people wanting to make a difference.

i’ve learned over the years that you rarely know where one conversation might lead.

the person you have coffee with today might introduce you to somebody tomorrow who changes everything.

an artist donating a painting might inspire another artist to do the same.

somebody running 250 kilometres might raise money that ultimately helps save a life.

and one little word tattooed on a friend’s arm can make you stop and think about what you’re trying to do with your own life.

believe.

believe that a kinder world is possible.

believe that we can change the way we look after people’s mental health.

believe that art can do good.

believe that running can do good.

believe that business can do good.

and most importantly…

believe in people.

because this week, once again, people have given me plenty of reasons to do exactly that.

have a great week.

blue skies,

jeff