Diary Project 2009

For many years I had the idea to design a diary for women, one that was tactile and informative, especially with a moon calendar, inspirational quotes and of course artwork. The inspiration behind the idea of a diary was to acknowledge ourselves (females) as the amazing women that we are; as individuals and as a collective. It is the age of the Goddess in which we can create the possibility of the world being a more loving and peaceful place.

After the loss of my Mum, Beryl to cancer, the publication of this diary became more imperative. I was so focused on trying to ‘save’ my Mum and help her ‘beat’ the cancer, that it wasn’t until after she died that I allowed myself to stand still and be overwhelmed with such emotion and a sense of awe for her bravery and courage to live and be confronted with this disease and ultimately a death sentence for over 6 years. I thought about how she must have felt. My Mum never complained and was always the social butterfly but internally she must have agonised. I felt such pain in my heart and guilt that I hadn’t really acknowledged her bravery whilst she was alive. Although I was incredibly supportive, and a believer that she could heal herself, at that point it was about the ‘fight’ with the disease and how I could keep her alive for my own personal agenda.

I embarked on a journey to make this diary a reality. I am honoured to have such talented, inspiring and creative women in my life. I sent out a request for the donation of a piece of artwork to be included in this diary with the theme “What it means to be a women; goddess, diva, mother, nurturer, healer, teacher, friend, partner etc”.

This diary is in honour of all the amazing women of the world; especially those women diagnosed with cancer that have such bravery and courage to face their hardship/or their path with grace and dignity. A very special dedication to my butterfly, Mum. I acknowledge your bravery and courage, especially your beauty, grace, humour, and gift to uplift and inspire others. I would also like to acknowledge the men of this world for their support and own journey.

The proceeds of the diary will go to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre. I have always been inspired by Olivia Newton-John, especially for her environmental activism, her bravery and success with her own diagnosis of cancer and now for the establishment of a Wellness Centre in Melbourne. It will be a blessing to have a Wellness Centre that will support patients and carers with complementary medicine, counselling and a place of comfort and support. The initial design, layout and motif was done in Venice, a city that healed my soul. A place to grieve, heal and recover. I chose not to travel to Europe whilst Mum had cancer. Europe was my escape plan when she died. A goal to focus on. I went twice.  

With love,

Tiffany Makinson