Hello, I'm Bonny Snowden, Ex-corporate person, a mother 10 successful artist entrepreneur. It wasn't that long ago though, that I lacked the confidence, vision and support network to focus on growing my dream business. Fast-forward past many life curveballs, waves of self-doubt and so many lessons learned, and you'll see ignite my thriving online color, pencil, artist,
community, a community that changes members' lives for the better. And it gives me freedom to live abundantly whilst doing what I love and spending quality time with my beloved family and dogs all whilst creating my best artwork with coloured pencils and mentoring others to do the same. But this life wasn't always how it was for me. It used to only exist in my imagination.
I've created the It's a Bonny Old Life podcast to help increase people's confidence, share mine and my community’s experience and hope through fascinating personal stories, champion the other amazing humans in my personal professional and membership community and create another channel through which I can support others to realize their dreams. If you're a passionate color pencil artist or an aspiring one, who's looking to create their best work and a joyful life.
You love you're in the right place. Grab a cup and Acosta cream. Let's get cracking. Hello and welcome back to my next episode of It's a Bonny Old Life. Sometimes in life, we are just meant to meet someone. Sometimes that person is so insistent on being part of your life, that you have no real choice, but to listen to them and very,
very quickly, they just slot in as if they'd been there forever. Back in 2018, I started getting Facebook messages from a lady who was a big fan of my drawing, but wanted me to travel to London and hold a workshop. It became apparent that no, or well maybe next year, just wasn't going to cut it. And literally within a couple of months,
She had organized everything. We had about 20 students, all raring to go. And on a very rainy day in November, I traveled down to London to meet my next guest. The first time to say we hit it off is an understatement. And I spent the most glorious two days in her company and we have been best buddies ever since. I don't think I've ever met someone, so kind hearted and willing to help. And I'm grateful every day that she messaged me back in 2018, I'm delighted to welcome the fabulous Vicky Evens friend, extraordinary supporters. So many artists. And I have to say one of the best, if not the best Facebook group admin there ever was Vicky.
How are you today? Right. Really well, thank you. I'm really, really actually excited about our chat today because you know, we've known each other since 2018 and we know each other purely because you just started messaging me. You know, it's really funny because that feels like yesterday 2018 really feels like yesterday. And I can remember walking, walking on the dock here. And I suddenly, I think I was thinking about the film Field of Dreams, where they say, ‘if I build it, they will come’. I thought that's what I must do. I must get Bonny here and I'll build it and she'll come. And all the other artists will come.
Yeah. Yeah. Honestly. I'm so I'm so glad you did because it, it, I was thinking about teaching, but you really, really pre-empted it and you, I mean, you just wouldn't take no for an answer. I can remember going, oh, well, you know, maybe, maybe next January, like, no, no, you you’re coming this year and this is what you're going into. And you said, I call them, I don't, I'm not going to cheat. I can't teach you not like, yeah, you can't, you can do, you can't just come. And it was like, yes, you're coming here. We are. I don't know. But isn't it,
Isn't it funny? You know, you can meet somebody on social media and you know, not know them from Adam and then all of a sudden you're your best friends. I don't know. Isn't it just lovely. I think sometimes people just mention me or connect and it's really weird how it happens. And, and yet they're like old friends,
Yes just old friends and you just have so much in common and, and then you actually realize how much you really have in common as well. That's really quite interesting. You know, when you, when you talk about things, so yeah, we were both in Bahrain!
So We were, and I'd really like to, because you do, you know, Vicky, you are, you are just the kindest, loveliest person. I think I've ever met. I have to say, you know, you do, you do so much for everybody else. You are always doing something for somebody. And you know, you, you have,you started these amazing posts and, and in the Facebook groups. And I, I hesitate to say my Facebook groups because I don't think they are mine. I think that ours. And I think you, you know, you've done so much to sort of nurture and grow and just make them the most fantastic places. And, you know, you're always celebrating other people's successes and bringing people's stories to the fore, but when it comes to you, you, you, you, you know, and that's what I really want to do in this, in this call is to talk about you and to find out a little bit more about you, because I don't think you will realize how many funds you have. People just absolutely adore you. So would you tell us a little bit more about you and your,
What you were doing overseas and, and all of that kind of thing? Yeah, sure. Gosh, I'm blushing now. And I'm all hot and flustered. She's lovely. Thank you. Yeah. The groups just love the aunt, Diane. And I think when, when we started this Friday coffee club, I think it was, I don't think either of us realized how much it would grow and how real community would become and everything,
But yeah, it is and people say to me, why don't you do one about you? And I'm like, no, I've got
Yes. It's funny when you go back and think about things and you think, oh yeah, actually I did this and I did that. So I had a very boring start in a bank but I quite loved the bank. That's how I met my husband in the bank. And then you get caught up in your life of life, really children and family and stuff. You sort of become about everybody else. And don't think about yourself. And when mine were very little I thought ‘I always wanted to teach’. And so I did a teaching degree and you like, some people just take on more and more and fill the hours completely. You're a bit like that too Bonny.
Aren't, you?, Give me another two hours and I'll do 10 more things. And, you know, they say, if you, if you want a job done, ask a busy woman, and this is very true. So did teaching. When I had nursery school, I actually bought a nursery school. I always wanted to do it. And my husband was away.
A school came up for sale until the reasons for it. But anyway, came up for sale. I did a business plan to the bank without my husband, knowing I was - he's a banker as well. When he came back, I said, guess what I've done? And he said, you've bought school. Haven't you? He knew he knew I would be doing something anyway.
So I had this nursery school. I loved it. I loved the children. I think really why I did it was because I just loved the art and the messy play and the glitter and the glue. And I suppose that was my artist side coming out at that point with children. And it was great fun. And then he was moved to South Africa.
We moved there which was a complete change. So the nursery school’s still around here in England, and we were now in South Africa and I did the same thing there. I found all these children who would just walk from miles through fields, very by different culture to here, these little ones who just walked from miles, trying to find food. And the parents would probably be on the streets or wherever.
So we'd gathered all these children up in a field one day and both scientific field. And we started teaching them and they would come for food really. And then we sort of, once we had them hooked in with food, we were trying to teach them to write their name because lot, and don't have a birth certificate even, but if they could write their name,
then it would get them off the streets and they started learning. So that was in South Africa. That was brilliant fun. And then from there we then moved to Bahrain and that's a very different ball game because it's a country with lots of money. Once again, lots of poverty as well that you don't see, it's all covered up and you will, you know,
Bahrain, you were there as well. Weren't you? So I worked with children there, a lot of disabled children, oddly enough, who were in a school, but were very much put away. They weren't funded by the government at all. And then sort of the same thing that both in South Africa and Bahrain, what I could do is I could sort of link the schools together. So in South Africa, children didn't have anything, didn't have scissors, paper glue. So we would take stuff from England to that and British Airways, were brilliant and let me have a few more suitcases so I could carry stuff and take it back,
But it was a very different culture, you know, whereas we'd make Pastelmat kisses in the nurseries here. You couldn't do that in South Africa because it's food. And you've got to think very differently outside the box as to what you do as you were these little children. And then we moved to, from Bahrain to Doha in Qatar, I worked then with lots of children.
And that was just really very lovely. Once again, they were very little, they had no English, so that was a real barrier because they've got, I'll get some of my friends to come with me and we'd be reading them stories in English and they hadn’t a clue what we're talking about. So we used to play games with them and yeah,
They were happy times, happy times, Bonnie, I still keep in touch with alot the children actually, but the ones in South Africa now, are parents themselves. But yeah, I still got my little, my little family of little people, which always keep up with,
Oh gosh, honestly. I mean, I knew a little bit about, I know we've kind of chatted a little bit about, about things like this, but I didn't realize quite how much of an impact you've had, you know, who were on these children in these different countries. And it must've been really, probably a bit of a shock culturally when you're moving from sort of like a nursery school and in the UK to then over in South Africa and particularly Bahrain and Doha as well, where the culture is very, very different.
Yeah. it's really interesting because, you know, I lived in England all my life and in, in more of the same county and then to go to South Africa with my two little ones, we were also where they weren't at level almost 12, one was eight. It was also a big culture shock them changing schools. So I then to deal with that, and also we don't realize how it affects you yourself because somebody you're taking away from all your friends or your family, everything and you're in different, different place completely. So I guess I just got on with it. I think, I think the girls had to do some community service and I sort of thought, what on earth is this what's community service? What they got to do. And in those, within the school, most people would make cakes or give money. But then as to my girls, let's go and see what this is all about. And that's when we found all these little children and there was a lady, one lady looking into maybe 80 of them.
I was trying to explain to her about my nursery school. She said, well, how do you teach? How do you teach colors? And it was really funny. I took all these photographs that I had from the nursery school. And I showed her and she was looking at him like, well, what's that? And I said, well, that's Lego bricks.
And what's that? Well, that's a sandpit. And what's that? That's, our climbing frame. And they had nothing, absolutely nothing. So she's become a very good friend. Her name is Grace.
And I'm like, well, you've got this huge blue sky and that's blue and you've got all these things around you. So I started then to really, I suppose, teach grace or teach base how we taught in England. And it was fascinating. And we became very good friends and she had a daughter called Angel. Angel’s now, parent herself. But we tookAangel to the movies one day with my two girls.
And it was, she'd never been to the movies at all. And we'd gone to see, I think it was a Christmas movie. And when I took her home, Grace said to me, can I come with you one day? And I'm like, of course you can. So the next week I took Grace on my own to the movies.
She'd never been into a cinema. She said, well, who sits in all these seats? I'm like, well, people, well, we sat down and I gave her a, she bought a coat and she didn't know what the well in the hole was for to put the coke in. And it was fascinating just even being in this movie house and then the movie started or she nearly jumped out per seat.
She'd never seen anything. So she hadn’t got a clue what's going to come on and the noise. It was really funny, but it made me really think, you know what? We just don't appreciate what we take for granted. We really don't Re we really don't, you know, and it is, it is,
Isn't it, you know, even it's just taken for granted everything that we've got, but, but actually, you know, even, so when people have far, far less than, than we have, you know, a lot of the times they're almost happier than we are. Oh, definitely. Definitely. I mean, they, and they're so thankful.
We took them in and out into McDonald's for example, but we couldn't take it because we didn't have transport. They don't have buses or coaches and stuff. So we would get McDonald's and bring it to the school. Well, I say to school, it's not even a building, it's just a field with a one drop toilet. Anyway, we bought this McDonald's and they would sit in a big circle. And when you gave it to each of them, they just say, thank you, there's the hand and say, thank you. And then they'd wait for them all to start eating together. And I thought, they'd just jump on it and just eat it.
And a few of them didn't even finish it. And I was really worried as to why, like they're not vegetarians or did they not like it, whatever. But when I found out afterwards, they were saving it for a bit for their brother and a bit for their sister, but for their mom, which kids wouldn't do here, they would just eat it.
Boom done, that's it. But they were actually saving it. So it was just an eye-opener, but they are really happy. They just really just wouldn't even ask for anything. You know, one day I remember giving them scissors and we spent the whole day, they just cut up bits of paper into piles and just had great fun.
Cutting. They'd never cut before, never used scissors. Then we started to collect them all up and some of them started crying and it was because they wanted to keep these cut up bits of paper. So we put them into little made envelopes to keep them safe. And then my husband came back from the bank and he bought all these folders and we made some glue out of flour and water because we didn't have any glue.
And then the next day they spent all day sticking these bits of paper onto these folders. And, you know, this folder was so precious, so precious. We used to put all the artwork and stuff into their folders. And when they eventually, I don't know when, when they would go, they would take the folder with them. I hope.
I'm sure someone's still got it. But yeah, really an eye-opener. Gosh, it is amazing. Isn't it? How, you know, these little, very, very little things that we wouldn't even sort of consider being so, so much less than that in a way it's fabulous, isn't it? That they, you know, they, they don't have,
well, I suppose back then there wasn't phones or iPads or anything like that. And I, and I do, I mean, when my, when my children were little, I didn't have an iPad. I didn't have an iPad. They didn't, well, I didn't, I don't even think I'd a phone, Very basic mobile, but when I brought my children up, they had very little television. I mean, that kind of scene changed to start working from home, but it was all about having tea parties with my daughter, going out for walks, you know, playing, playing in the garden, all of that type of thing. And, you know, it's, I think it's in a way, and it sounds awful to say that I'm almost envious of these children because they have nothing, but in a way, you know, they, they kind of learned to be just sort of, you know, they don't need all of this, You know, it's just the simple things, which I think is wonderful. Yes. And, you know, just writing their name in the sign, it was just such fun for them. And, and, and, you know, they, as a community, they would know that the community pulled together and looked after all the children, you know, they were all there together. And if I had a chicken, I said to one of the ladies, I'm going to bring you a chicken. She was a little bit confused. And I said, are you okay? Is it alright if I do that, because a live chicken will lay eggs under dead, and you can eat. So I haven't really thought about that question. So that Christmas we actually bought some live chickens and built a chicken hut. And we also bought goats because goats gave milk and the children have milk. So you think so differently, but they were such a happy group and they never ever asked, you know, they've never said, you know, Vicki, can you bring this? Or can I have that? Absolutely nothing.
They've just so glad to see you. And one, one day it was, I think it was one of the children's birthdays or something. And I went along and they'd most of the little party for this child. But I was like the guest of honor, you know, they've made this cake and they brought me a proper cup, like, you know, proper China, but a proper cup, not just a plastic thing. And it was really sweet, you know, really sweet. But yes, they, it's a very different world and education isn't free. But there you have to pay for it, which is why a lot, the children don't get anything, you know, it's improving now. It is getting better, but then go back 20 years, no education, if you didn't pay for it, if you weren't in private, you didn't have it.
Gosh, it's, it's a real eye-opener, isn't it a real, Oh yeah. Cheers. It was a very happy time as well. I think my girls, when they came back here to go to university, I remember one of the university lecturers saying where are you from..tell me a bit about yourself and who you are and where you're from and to my daughter. And she said, “well, my name's Cerys. And I, I really, I don't really know where I'm from. Really. I've been to lots of different places and I don't quite know where I belong, but I've had some amazing experiences and, and that's been lovely”. And I think it was good that they had that they had that insight to, to have this because they did understand that they were probably lucky to go to a very, very lovely school and, and have things. But like you say, when they were growing up, we just, we played with the washing line and the garden and made ziplines for the dolls and we cut out things and we, you know, you just make things and it was all very different.
I'm quite glad. It's very different these days. And I, you know, it's a different world. We live in with the children now, but yeah, I'm glad we had that still fun time of, they got those memories of all those sort of silly things we did and playing games on a Sunday afternoon and, you know yeah. But the three TV channels then, or maybe more, I don't know. And the other thing as well is, you know, we, you know, when I was growing up, I mean, I I'm one of six, so there were always an awful lot of us, but my parents were always working. We lived above a restaurant, so we had a big flat above the restaurant.
And my mum and dad were always working, you know? So a lot of the time, yes, we have, you know, help and everything like that. But a lot of times we had to just sort of, you know, Entertain yourselves really. And sometimes we just had to put up with being bored, you know, just lazing around,not doing anything.
I was very privileged and grew up in the most fantastic place. And we had the attics, had a big mattress room and we used to just go make dens, you know, in the mattress rooms. So we just all ended up going up and kind of crawling through, goodness knows what's on these mattresses probably full of, you know, mouse droppings and whatever. But, you know, we were all sort of a little bit like just scrolling through it, but, you know, we, we didn't have to have anything other than, you know, w what was there for us, you know?
And it was, we used to play a game brothers and sisters, you know, when we used to go on adventures in the garden, you know, brother, brother, sister, like I was always fat Teddy, Not because I was not because I was fat. It was just what I wanted to be. And I just kind of jumped around with my cheeks, sort of pushed out of the blue now today, but Such fun.
Yeah. Yeah. And you dig in the garden and you dig up worms from schools and, you know, drink host pipes and all this sort of thing. And now I'm really worried. And I thought, I think probably up until the age of about eight or nine, I really honestly thought I was a horse. Cause I mean,
I've always had a massive passion for horses and, you know, all I did all day, (it's probably why I've got such bad knees now) as all I did all day when I was at home was gallop around on my hands and knees and make horse noises!
I've noticed that before. I mean, it's just, it is not recent to not be memory and yeah. Yeah. You're not really a horse Bonnie. I can be like horses. That's my horses now. I mean, this day and age, if I wanted to be a horse, I could be. Yeah, absolutely. You can be wherever you want to be.
I might, I might have a look into that. I quite fancy being a horse, But there's happy memories and yes, you've made lots of gains and go on picnics and you'd make a sandwich, you know, and then go sit on the bottom of the road and, and that's an adventure, isn't it?
I mean,
So we always used to have Elevenses is when I was little, my mum, my mum is very creative and I can remember, I can see it in my head now. And she'd made me a haul out of, I think it was a broom and a kitchen table, a kitchen chair. And you kind of put like a bit of a rug over the top of it.
And I can remember sitting on this kitchen tack chair with, with kind of some reigns on this, this horse head, you know, with this broom. And I've got my very own horse whilst I was having my Elevenses, which was probably, you know, like some orange apple or something like that. And I remember that really, really, really vividly.
And you probably thought you were the luckiest, luckiest little girl there alive. Well, you really know you've got this real horse and it's amazing. Well, the thing as well before, well, I grew up in a, in, in a, in a beautiful building, which was the restaurant, but we also lived on a farm, which was the most fantastic thing because we've got all, obviously all of the animals, you know, there's, there's photos of me at a very young age, probably about one or two, just sort of trotting around the, the farmyard. And, you know, apparently I went missing a lot of the time and it was, I was always in one of the bonds, you know, cuddled up to a lamb or something.
Oh, lovely. Or being chased by the cows. We had houses in one of the fields and we all, I think, I think it was probably four of us because my, my younger sisters they're about six, seven years younger than me. So I think there were the four older ones and we'd gone to the hen house to get eggs.
There was a particularly ferocious cow in the field. And we made one of my older sisters, Tanya. We made her run to get help because she was the fastest, we were all sitting in the the henhouse. But Tanya was always really, really, really brave. So she ran like the clappers to go and get help from this cow.
Goodness. You are, you are incredibly artistic. Your, a lot of your work has been botanical, hasn't it? Yeah. I sort of, as when I was overseas, I used to dabble. I used a lot from those lakes and DECA Polish and lots of messy stuff, which is why I think the nursery school suited me so well as well, because I would get messy. And then I suppose by things, when you're overseas, it's something different. Cause you can't get all the things you need. And I can remember coming back to the UK and thinking, I can't keep traveling with glue and glitter and stuff and,
and buying things. So I need to a really simple hobby. And that's, that's where I thought, oh, I know I'll, I'll do pencil drawings. Just need a pencil, a piece of paper. That's all you need. Isn't it simple? And then I can travel with a pencil, a piece of paper. Oh my goodness. I was so wrong!
And I do laugh when people use that analogy as well because it's pencils, paper, more pencils, more pencils, and other sorts of pencils. Then you need sharpness. Then you need more paper. Then you have different paper. Then you sit to carry it all in. Oh, it just goes on and on. But that's how I started. But alongside that in South Africa,
I was doing watercolor painting with a lovely lady there. Another funny story, because she, she was, she was lovely teacher, but I used to draw with another member of the group. And we were like in the naughty corner of the back, we'd be very naughty and how seriously we took it, but we did. It was lovely. It was good.
That was more to cover. And then I started doing pencil drawing botanical. I think it was more for the company. I met some artists and it was just really nice getting together. And we'd used to chat all day and occasionally draw something, but I've got to look better now I do actually finish a piece of work. Now if I do that.
So yeah. So then botanical, obviously, you know, but was very green. I don't like green. I hate leaves. I hate touring leaves. So I think when I saw you, I thought, oh, animals and eyes, how is it to draw something with eyes? You know, real thing, not just like a cabbage. So I, I thought I know, but that's just the beginning again, field of dreams. I will build it when y'all come and then we can draw some eyes and things together. So that's how I got into animal art, but I do still draw the odd donut and box of chocolates. And sometimes it's nice to have a change. You know?
I think if you, if you're drawing a picture and you’re getting very hung up on it and it's not going well, and it's not all is not right, or you're not enjoying it or whatever, I do enjoy all my art. It's nice. And to have the, oh, I just don't, don't not today. Oh yes. I'll draw some pancakes or I'll draw a box of chocolates.
Problem is I draw chocolates. They just go one by one. And I can remember, I can remember all sorts. And I had this lovely, lovely composition of licorice, all sorts. I came in and half of them had gone. I'm like, where are they were gone? But I know. Yeah. When you have a husband in tow, they soon disappear. So I have to take lots of photographs now I'm going to draw rather than drawing them from life happens. Absolutely. Oh, I don't know. No, it is. It's some, yeah, I agree. It is really nice drawing animals, but then I agree as well. I, it's funny, isn't it? Because all we're doing is it's still drawing shapes and stuff like that, but I, when it comes to grass and you know, things, things that are green, I find it quite, quite tricky as well. Yeah. It is definitely. I would try and avoid leaves. And then people said, Hey, why don't you, why don't you draw this plant? No, it's got leaves. Well, why don't you draw this got leaves.
And oh no. I had just drawn a cauliflower,. Cause my daughter asked me for cauliflower and maybe I've cracked the leaf phobia. Maybe I can now do it, but I call it. That was all right. She'd got engaged and we'd gone to dinner and they'd had cauliflower steaks for dinner. So it was like an engagement present.
But so that's why I do the cauliflowers. And so, yeah. But yes, things with eyes also, but they’ve got little personalities haven't they? And you can make your personality. You can make your, your animal, your drawing, you know, your own. So that's lovely too.
Drawing online is so much more fun. It's so much more fun with happy people there. And we have a group of friends and I do meet a couple of times a year. You and I met for the first time last year. And we hadn't seen each other for like three years. We were mostly chatting, but yes, I, you do this, this thing isn't that. But they say that you should say so many words a day. And if you don't say those many words, (probably like 10,000 or something) My husband told me this story. So maybe it's true. You're meant to say so many words a day. And if you're deprive, yourself of them / don't say them, you know, you can have, it can make you feel quite, quite sad.
And so he jokes when I, when I come into say have you had your words today. Haven't you got your words out. So maybe it's true. So drawing in a group and chatting is so nice. It really is. Absolutely.
Yeah. Well, the other thing, as well, as you know, when you're talking to somebody and like, I mean, we're talking here now, obviously you're, you're in London, I'm in, I'm in Yorkshire, you know, which is amazing. But both of us, I imagine where my talking will be, especially when you're thinking about memories and stuff like that, you start to smile. And then as soon as you start to smile, your whole mood lifts and you know, you, you, you, it just makes you feel an awful lot better. I know you, you do a huge amount of helping, you know, for people in our community. You, you know, you've, you've got people in your community, you're always helping, helping people out. You've got, you have the most fantastic people who go and visit as well.
You've got that lovely lady who has the cats. I think she's in your issue and your, your All development. Yes. We, the development here is so we never planned to live in London, never planned to live in an apartment, never planned to not have a car. And here we are doing, oh, so I started here. Yeah,you're right. I hadn't even thought about this. I started a social group. So we're trying to set up an art group. We've got a tennis group, I haven't joined that one. It's a bit energetic. There's a running group. Haven't joined that one either. That's also a bit energetic and we're doing like a pet sitting group and a movie club and there were other ones.
And then I do a focus group each month. So we have, we had a photography focus in January, and then we're going to do one on health and CPR this month. So we just try and yeah, I guess I just sort of, let's all get together and have a purpose and a reason and do it. And actually a few people here have said how nice it is because I didn't have anybody.
You know, you can build a block of apartments or 330 apartments. To not know your neighbor is crazy. So yes, I do that. I'm also, I'm getting involved in a children's charity down the road where this lovely, lovely lady is trying to get books. She's getting books. And she wants, it's like a little library, but it's not an official library, but children can come and have a story. They can do an art and craft activity, which I'm trying to set up once a week. And then also they can borrow a book so they can take it home. And so it's just to really try and get children once again, maybe away from the television and actually looking at books because the children don't these days.
So it's really important. And what seems very natural to us isn't isn't these days because children have other focuses in other areas. Definitely. I mean, I still absolutely. I've got all my hundreds of books, upstate hundreds of them, and they all bring back memories as well.
You know, there's one that I used to read to my daughter all of the time and I, I can't even talk about it. Cause it just makes me cry.
With you on that. We used to have the brand behavior books and they're so gorgeous and the illustrations are so gorgeous. And then we got a little, little still called dusty Dogwood from the family Hage books, you know?
And so yes, those memories, those books bring back all very, very special. I'm like you, I've got, I've got, we've got mini storage here, but you know, they are, they're too special to throw away two special. Yes. Yeah, they are. It's amazing. Isn't it a memories.
And they just pop up don't they, you know, you can be, you can be kind of just minding your own business. And then all of a sudden this memory will just kind of pop up and it's sort of either sort of leaves you smiling or leaves you a bit, bit speechless, you know, but oh, brilliant.
It's like smells, smell can also bring a memory back contest so strong or cooking or, you know, making breads various things. Can you think, where did that memory come from? What made us think of that? And my girls now will say something to me and they'll have a memory that I thought, would you remember that? Well, gosh, the things that is very odd,
very odd, lovely, lovely, odd. It's wonderful. It's upset. You wonderful. So I've got, I've got a question that I'm asking everybody and it, well, I'll ask it and then, and then I'll see what you come up with when it comes to confidence. What is your number one tip? Oh gosh, that's a really good question.
Isn't it? It's a really good, good one. You know, I suppose I don't overthink things too much, so I, I don't, I'm not a worrier. I don't tend to sort of have a situation then agonize over it for a long time. So confidence. And I suppose I'm quite happy just to ‘jump in and do i’ sort of person.
And if I was doing a drawing for example, and I thought, oh, I don't know if I can do it. I would just go for it. And if it didn't work out, I wouldn't worry too much about it. So I think really for confidence, I just tend to get on with it. I've just whatever it is, whether it be, doing something with somebody else or helping them or something that I want to try and do and have a go at, I think I would just go for it. And there are things that I still want to try and have a go at, so I will do so.
Yeah. I would think just jump in, just jump in, have fun. Yeah. I, yes. I'm I'm with you. I'm with you on that. I know, I know a lot of people find that sort of, you know, it does feel a bit daunting and I think it is the overthinking thing. Isn't it, you know, very, very easy to get carried away and overthink and worry. And, and, and, you know, I wish there was a magic wand that we could, we could just kind of wave over everybody that would stop people worrying about, you know, tomorrow or the next day or the next day, because we also, the worst thing that's going to happen.
You know what I mean? I'm, you know, I can remember going to an art group and it was in a way spiritual, it was one evening and it was quite late. It was very dark and rainy. And I got there and I was, you know, walking into a room of strange people could be quite daunting as well.
But I went in and I sat down and I looked around me and people were, you know, knew each other and were drawing away and some wood painting, somebody will pay some, a draw anyway. And I looked at it and I'm like, oh my God, what on earth am I going to do? I was so unprepared. And the person said, oh, just, is there any white blank piece of paper? Just do something. And I'm like, yeah, any blank piece of paper. Okay. I'll just do something. I don't know what I did, but I had a great time and - what's the worst thing that's going to happen.
You know, if you know, what's, what's going to go wrong. What could go wrong very little. If something doesn't work out, does it work out - in life you've got to go somewhere and it's not a bad experience, don't go again. I don't know. Yeah. It's, it's, it's hard. We want that magic wand, Bonny.
Definitely. And I think as well, a lot of it is habit, isn't it? It's building these really good habits. So, you know, I'm, I'm not really naturally a confident person, but I've, I've kind of built strategies and habits. And the more you do something, the easier it then becomes. Yes, definitely. Definitely.
Yes. I think once you do something, you think, oh, I'm so, okay. Oh, that was all right. Or I had a nice time doing that or going there then. Yes. It's much, much easier. Much easier. Definitely. Yeah. Oh, well, do you know, thank you so much. Thank you so much for chatting to me.
It's fascinating. And I think, you know, lots of people who, you know, they know how fabulous you are at supporting others and, and, and kind of, you know, sharing other people's stories and everything like that. But, you know, nobody, we just know of you as always Vicki. She's just amazing. And she's,
so she's so lovely and everything, but just hearing a little bit more about your story and what you've done. And it just, you know, this week is the 16th of February today. We're recording this and this week is the random acts of kindness week. And tomorrow is random act of kindness day. And I have to say you, I think you are just such a, just a, they call them an activist. Don't you don't, they run this activist or whatever. And you really are because you do, you do all of these things for absolutely no return. You're not, you don't expect anything back in return. You just do them because, you know, just to make people happy, that is just the most wonderful quality to have.
Oh boy, that's so sweet to say that. And it's yeah, I don't even think about it really, I suppose I just get on with that, but it's some, it is lovely. It's lovely to, it makes you smile. I think he makes me feel happy and as a really sweet words of yours, and it's been, it's been so much chat as well, you know, and I know we could probably chat for another few hours.
Thank you so much for joining me.
Thank you for asking me, Bonny. I think I was very, very honored that you asked me. So thank you so much as well. It's lovely. And yet the November workshop we did feels like yesterday, It really does. And so many lovely people as well that we still, we still talk to which is just wonderful. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Well, it's been lovely, very lovely chatting. I can't believe this Random Acts of Kindness week, but that's, that's super, super, Thank you. Thank you. You take care, have a lovely rest of the week. All right. And thank you so much.
I really hope you enjoyed listening to this episode of my It's a Bonny Old Life Podcast. If you did a big, so grateful to you for emailing me or texting a link to the show or sharing it on social media with those, you know, who might like it too. My mission with this podcast is all about sharing mine and my community's experience and hope by telling your fascinating,
personal stories, championing the other amazing humans, in my personal professional membership community, and to create another channel through which I can support you to realize your colored pencil in life dreams. If you haven't done so yet, please help me on my mission to spread positivity and joy throughout the colored pencil world. By following me on my socials at BonnySnowden academy, or by getting on mylist. And remember, I truly believe if I can live the life of my dreams, doing what I love, then you can too, we just need to keep championing and supporting each other along the way in order to make it happen till next time.
