You know what it is like: I take half an hour and weed in the garden or on the small, freshly sown lawn. On other areas we let nature run free (well, a little control is allowed). It has to go fast, because there are more fulfilling activities.

I start and it takes longer and longer. Just when I think everything is done ... I get up ... the short control look ... oh no, it can't grow back that fast ... especially thistles are very fond of our small area. (Elsewhere the thistles are allowed to grow, thistles in bloom have their own bizarre charm)
Okay, reschedule. I spend the rest of the afternoon mostly on my knees. I work my way forward square decimetre by square decimetre. The experts among you will soon notice that this is an existing area without new topsoil, which 'naturally' has some content :-)

As a beekeeper, I can see that weeds have a great advantage over bees:
Weeds are patient. To miss a few plants is no big deal, then I'll catch them the next time I check. With the bees this would be more fatal, concentration is required: a swarm cell is overlooked and the colony is swarmed the next day (the queen has disappeared with half of the colony). So it doesn't really help when I look through the rest of the colony again and find out that I hadn't discovered a cell after all. Probably I was again somewhere else with my thoughts.

When dealing with bees you learn mental calmness: If you have already dealt with bees, you will surely remember: The first time you are around a colony you are overwhelmed by the buzzing and liveliness of the bees. Both are alarm signals or even fear triggers for humans. One feels uncomfortable. The longer you spend time with the bees especially with hat and veil, you get accustomed to the noise and to the fact that the bees are only outside at the veil and not inside (hopefully anyway). The increasing mental calmness is noticeable, no matter how many bees buzz around or climb on the veil, you can concentrate on the beekeeping work (most of the time anyway).

When weeding, your ‚thoughts can fly‘. The therapeutic / creative function of weeding is remarkable. Have you already noticed that? If not, the next time you are weeding, enjoy your own thoughts... and above all, hold on to them! Maybe you will develop a contribution for something. Be it for a creative birthday card, a great sentence or longer text passages, or the ingenious winning thought for an invention.

What I created are for example my contributions to the competition #Maskenliebe (‚love your mask' It's about how can we get a positive approach towards wearing the corona-masks), initiated by the city of Karben with the ev. Gesamtkirchengemeinde (the protestant churches). On my knees and facing the ground, my thoughts circle around the topic of the competition, around 'Corona' and my own attitude towards the topic of corona-masks; the seamstresses (and certainly men as well) who selflessly provided us with masks; the daily reports in the Corona live blogs of the News stations; the carelessness with which some fellow citizens and heads of state endanger others by not wearing the mask; the privations that the pandemic brings with it; e.g. the fact that I’am  not visiting my dear father, but only talking on the phone (he would certainly be very happy about a visit; but as he says, he couldn't bear it if we got infected because of this trip (how honorable ... or just reasonable); the occasions when I find myself wanting to do without the mask; the realization that pure egoism would be to the detriment of others if I did it anyway... Surely each of you has your own point of view and stories about it.

Again and again ideas and partial aspects are sorted, how this can look like as a contribution to the competition, the basic idea is thought through and elaborated, besides the roots of the thistles are pulled out (yes I know it should be the other way round, concentration on the weeds and if there is 'something creative emerging' the better :-) )

After finishing I take paper and pencil or go to the computer and have to write or scribble the pictures in my head and then I 'simply' make them visible for others.

You can find the results of my thoughts in the galleries below or on Facebook under #maskenliebe. The thoughts about each work are also attached (sorry only in German). The nice thing about the competition is that it is primarily about the topic itself, how diverse the topic of everyday masks and corona can be creatively interpreted. Winning or not is secondary, the topic is much too important for that. Thus, the initiators consciously request that the works should be published and 'carried into the world' even before the decision is made. ( The result of the jury will be announced middle of August)

And the weeds: yes, yes, I admit that a few thistle plants were left standing. Next time, then. Because neither half of the thistles (a pity actually) nor the lawn (fortunately) swarm away.

And before you have said it or even thought: No, you don't have to think that I would have to come to your garden and weed your lawn to be inspired wit new creativity :-)

These days I was amazed by what goes through my head during this activity of weeding - which normally I don't really appreciate doing - and what ideas and creative connections are created.

So they make sense somehow after all, the weeds.


:-)



P.S. Advertising on my own behalf: Of course I'm happy if this doesn't just stay with these free works. So if there is a need for creative graphic or conceptual work, for photo shootings e.g. for couples and parents-to-be, or for the - albeit currently small wedding or birthday party - let's talk. I find enough weeds to come up with special, unusual and creative ideas. You can find more about my professional activities under links here on the website