What is your name?
Keone
Where are you from?
Wales
Where are you living now?
Leyton, East London
How was ‘creativity’ part of your upbringing?
When I was 3 or 4, I loved making: drawing on books & inventing scenarios for my toys to act out. My dad was a designer & my mum was creative too but never saw herself as such. After the breakdown of my parents’ marriage, I lived with my mum & creativity wasn’t welcomed. I was repeatedly told to ‘stop creating.’ Creativity grew to be something that I did in secret, furtively, when no one was looking.
How do you answer, “What do you do for work?”
This is hard to answer because what I do is so varied & there are things I do that are central to my sense of self but don’t involve being paid. I’m a dreamer, painter, speaker, stitcher, wanderer, magician, healer, mentor, tutor, beekeeper, gardener, tantric bodyworker, journeyer, scribbler, celebrant, consultant, stargazer, herbalist, dancer, surfer, listener, lover & energy worker. I’m sure there’s a single word that includes all these, but I’d rather other people use it.
Why do you do what you do?
To keep sane, to fill my days with pleasure, to make a difference to the world, to translate my visions into ordinary reality, to stay balanced, to help shift the paradigm.
If you could give one piece of advice, what would it be?
Just keep swimming.
What do the words ‘Forever Applaud’ mean to you?
A lot of my work is focused on shifting the paradigm from the patriarchal model of imbalance, inequality & division, to something more holistic, compassionate and loving. These words make me think of praising the divine feminine.
Where should people go to find you?
Instagram @keone1973 & www.serpent-rising.com
