Untethered

I have been listening to two of Australia’s great singers: soprano Sara Macliver and mezzo-soprano Sally-Anne Russell. What struck me this morning was that their sound, their music, appeared to be completely untethered. Whether they were soaring, or providing richness, or dancing between each other, there seemed no restriction and, more importantly today, no binding to the earth. The sound, the human singing, was completely free of bonds.

It would be terrific to be able to harness (which in itself is a contradiction) this sense of ‘untetheredness’ for so many of our pursuits. Tomorrow, I am hanging my new exhibition and I know there are elements of some paintings that are very tethered. I think there are also untethered moments which will, I imagine, shine for me once the works are on the wall.

Tethering places restrictions on us – how we feel, what we do, how satisfied we are with our achievements. When tethered to whatever ‘ground’ may hold us back, we are limiting ourselves.

I am going to try, in the style of great classical singing, to remain untethered; to strive for a freedom both in my work and in my evaluation of it. Perhaps, even, in every aspect of life.

With best wishes, and no strings attached,

Kirsten