“Cornwall is very primeval: great, black, jutting cliffs and rocks, like the original darkness, and a pale sea breaking in, like dawn. It is like the beginning of the world, wonderful…” – D H Lawrence, Letter 1916
I’ve lived in Cornwall, albeit a little further inland than the beginning of the world, all my life. However, it’s only in recent years, since moving barely an hour away to Devon for university and then back again after graduation, that I have really started to appreciate the beauty of the place. I guess I just took it for granted when I was growing up that my town was only a short drive away from the stormy seas and misty moors that have inspired so many writers and artists throughout history. I think at the time I was too busy being annoyed that most of my friends lived in neighbouring villages and valleys, too far to walk to, to really think about it.
From Geoffrey of Monmouth naming Tintagel as the place of King Arthur’s conception in the twelfth century, to Daphne du Maurier’s novels, John Betjeman’s poems, and, yes, Winston Graham’s Poldark, there is almost no end to the writing that has been inspired by this wild coastal county. Creativity doesn’t just seem to thrive here, it seems to be in the very dirt of the place. I’m positive that growing up here, between ocean and fields, is the reason writing and photography have always lived in my bones. Who could live in a place like this and not have a desire to capture it somehow?
I couldn’t resist taking this opportunity to share a little of it. If you’d like to see more you can find me, my photography, and my writing at stasialikescakes.
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Thanks a bunch to Anastasia for the lovely post and gorgeous photos. I’ve never ventured down as far as Cornwall but these photos are utterly dreamy! Gotta love the good ol’ British coastline.
Ria Xx
![](https://scontent-arn2-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-15/e35/c0.58.1080.1080a/s150x150/102553196_179608096808939_284574406840022070_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-arn2-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=111&_nc_ohc=QqdzZhJl8NUAX9Xa0rR&oh=78196c3716ad6fa31cbc01836fd492b2&oe=5F3833E3 "So it\'s Friday. How\'re we feeling folks?
Now that many have posted their black square, the blackout hashtags have been and gone, and platitudes and promises have been made that #BlackLivesMatter, I wanted to highlight the passage on the second slide, in which #AudreLorde wrote in 1980
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\\"...Black women and our children know the fabric of our lives is stitched with violence and with hatred, that there is no rest.\\"
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I highlight this passage in particular because it serves as a reminder that even though George Floyd\'s killers have been arrested and charged, WE are not done yet. There is no rest in dismantling white supremacy. It\'s tiring and exhausting, but it\'s absolutely necessary work.
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I wrote a blog post in 2017 called \'Welcome to the resistance: Are you sitting uncomfortably\' as a direct response to the Women\'s March.
I wrote it as a plea to keep sitting with the uncomfortable energy that comes with active allyship, anti-racist work and challenging white supremacy, not just for the march but for the long run. That endurance faltered quickly after the Women\'s March. Many of us fell complacent - myself included.
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We cannot allow that to happen again this time. Because that tiredness, exhaustion and fatigue is something Black and minority ethnic people live with everyday.
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The call to arms remains the same as it did back then. Whatever you do, don’t resolve to stand still on issues.
Embrace being comfortable with being uncomfortable.")
