Jennifer Funnell

This is a very loose blog post, I might lose myself a bit so be warned!!!!

AND TRY NEW THINGS!!!

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I bought two charm bracelets yesterday, they were £3 each from Cancer Research and I bought them because I had a vision.

A ‘vision’ is a little dramatic but let’s say I saw potential in them.

As a painter – or any type of creative for that matter – you are always observing, looking, thinking, considering, and searching for new directions. Change inspires me, and my life seems to change every week.

This week started off with the purchase of these charm bracelets. Which I proceeded to put on (with difficulty) on the Islington-bound bus.

The above picture shows some of the charms on my favourite bracelet of the two.

Now, if I were to look at each type of charm in reflection to my experiences of the last year – and the changes I have experienced, I’d start with the influence of bag collecting as an era in my feminine identity.

/I’ve already written this all out and my laptop (annoyingly) crashed and deleted all my cool thoughts so I’ve resolved to make this new version even better/…

BAGS!

“Bags bags bags, I am the bag girl, I stay up at night with bags on my mind and wake with them under my eyes!”

When I first moved to London in august of last year, I remember the first trip I made to the shops was with my trusty tote. I bought the cheapest pinot grishhh I could find along with some cream cheese and bagels in celebration of my new arrival. For some reason bags have played a significant role during my life in London. Pockets get holes in them, bags do not! I’ll never trust my wallet, phone and keys to my flimsy puffer, only to my bargain-brand-bag from a brick lane backstreet warehouse ‘thrift’. For two months, September and October, I’d continuously come across bags, and would of course buy them. I’m glad they’re sold so cheaply in charity and vintage shops – I think I was really one of the major consumers in the charity shop handbag market at the time.

However, my bag-buying era had to slow down and eventually come to an end. I could not keep up this rate of spending – most of my disposable income was going to these handbags! Bringing up the annoying phrase in my mind – ‘HOW MANY BAGS DO U NEED JENNY???”

To think of my era of bags from a creative and symbolic point of view… I’d say there is a meaning behind it all. Why did these bags have such a big impact on me during the first few months of being in London? What does this era tell us about my expression of identity and experiences of change.

I have concluded one thing…

THESE BAGS ON THE CHARM BRACELET REPRESENT MY NEW STARTS, MY NEW THOUGHTS AND MY NEW IDENTITY.

Every time I buy a new bag, I’m a slightly different person. Whenever you get your fav Pret (cause we’re London girls here ;)) order, you’re a slightly different person. etc.

Each time I approach the experience of buying the product, e.g.the bags, I was a little different and I’d grown and learnt a little more about myself.

okay i’m going to convince you that I have a clear thesis here for the shoe meaning.

The shoe charms represent the hard work I put in and the rewards that can be gained from it.

Little anecdote here: If you have been keeping up with this blog (hi avid readers!!!) you may know that I worked the morning shift at a coffee stall for two months (circa oct 2022). With this job, i earned a pay-check that i could then transfer into funding purchases i would have previously shied away from because of my limited disposable income. One thing I channeled my wages into funding was a pair of cowboy-style boots I saw on Vinted.

These cowboy-style boots not symbolise the hard work I put into my job at the start of my art-school experience. For two months I woke up at 5am (four days each week) and would serve 100+ jolly customers. The shoes represent that.

The charm bracelet is coming together!

“Shoe girl get ur boots on! Time to go out and talk the day away!”

CHAIRS

I love this one.

Chairs are the odd one out on this charming bracelet. They don’t fit in with bags and shoes? Or do they?

They fit in my life perfectly!

Chairs symbolise my art! I know I talk about it a lot.

Chairs are such a common motif in my paintings so in a simple way – it’s perfect that they are a part of the bracelet. Like it was made specifically for me!

Now to make a conclusion to this post so something can be taken away from it…

Embrace change! Embrace you!

Look around you and find the things that fit in! We are multi-dimensional beings full of so much potential. You are only the present version of you for a moment – so appreciate yourself as you are now, and look forward to the future.

I read something today about living each day as if it was your first on the earth. I might start practicing that, so then I’ll never dwell on things and continue to push forward.

“Sit down and think, there’s a chair right there!”

Thank you for reading!

Jenny Funnell

Take care of yourself this week!