head into the heavens is the blog of a 24-year-old film-maker/lecturer/haberdasher/Irish lass/conniver/child of God.
What you will find here is a bunch of (probably confused) musings on life, creativity, gender, faith, film, social justice, church, Jesus…My theological influences are probably ridiculously eclectic – I am a huge fan of a lot of emerging church voices such as Peter Rollins, Rob Bell, Shane Claibourne and Brian McLaren, but also people like Tim Keller and Bill Johnson, and – wait for it – I also get a kick out of some of Mark Driscoll’s sermons (other times I just want to me the one doing the kicking)*. I grew up Catholic, ditched that early on, flirted briefly with atheism, ditched that just as quickly, and am currently part of a quasi-charismatic Vineyard church. I have a huge interest in organic expressions of church, and hope to find that in the future. I am also a feminist with anti-establishment tendencies, which makes things a little more interesting.
The blog title comes from a quote from G.K. Chesterton that pretty much sums up what I’m about:
Poetry is sane because it floats easily in an infinite sea; reason seeks to cross the infinite sea, and so make it finite. The result is mental exhaustion…The poet only asks to get his head into the heavens. It is the logician who seeks to get the heavens into his head. And it is his head that splits.
I should qualify that I am not a ‘poet’ in either the strict ’someone who writes poetry’ sense (I actually hate poetry as a form of writing – with a few exceptions) or the pretentious ‘yeah man, I’m an artist‘ sense. I identify with the quote insofar as I prefer mysticism and ambiguity to systematic theology or indeed any kind of modernistic form of knowledge.
* All white, heterosexual and male, of course. Forshame.
Not-so-pertinent information:
Education:
Ba(Hons) Film, Radio and Television Studies with French, Canterbury Christ Church University (First)
MA Film Production, Canterbury Christ Church University (distinction)
Work experience:
YIFM Film School – 1st AD/Continuity, Lily’s Bad Day (Summer 2004); work experience on BBC’s Little Miss Jocelyn (Dec 2005); Production Designer, Fifth Column; Writer and Producer, Small Talk; Director, Wanted: a Lover; editing internship, SpartMedia; Editor, Deception; Director, This is My Story series; Media Team Leader, Canterbury Vineyard.
Miscellaneous:
Birthplace: Belfast, Northern Ireland
Favorite Movies: Kill Bill Vol. 1, The Matrix, Me and You and Everyone We Know, Adaptation, Fallen Angels, Coffee and Cigarettes, Amelie…I could go on and on…
Favorite Music: Le Tigre, Hole, Dresden Dolls, M.I.A., any French electro of the Feadz/Mr. Oizo/Justice variety, Sleater-Kinney, Beyoncé, Joni Mitchell, Deadmau5, Bjork, Land of Talk…
Favourite Books: Sarah Waters – Fingersmith; Rob Bell – Velvet Elvis; Frank Viola – Reimagining Church; Tim Keller – The Reason for God; Lionel Shriver – We Need to Talk About Kevin; Harry Potter
Favourite music videos: Justin Timberlake – My Love; Beyoncé – Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It); 30 Seconds to Mars – The Kill; Bjork – Bachelorette; Lady Gaga – Paparazzi
Favourite directors: Quentin Tarantino, Jim Jarmusch, Michel Gondry, Floria Sigismondi, Sophie Muller, Jonas Akerlund
Baptised: February 2009
Favourite thing about Jesus: that we’re allowed to be his hands and feet
Best Nightclub: I enjoy Belfast’s Stiff Kitten (have yet to check out Shine) and Montreal’s Parking
Favorite spot on earth: Montreal or Martha’s Vineyard
Favourite cafes: Le Cagibi, Montreal; Boho, Canterbury; Breakfast Club, Soho; Clements, Belfast; Mocha Motts, Martha’s Vineyard.
University: http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/
Church: http://www.canterburyvineyard.com/
Where I get a lot of my calories: hazelnut cappuccinos and those damned pastries they insist on putting out at church
Celebrity crush #1: Noel Fielding
Reasons for vegetarianism: primarly environmental
Living Heroes: Jimbo Denison, Miranda July, Frank Viola, Pete Greig, Michel Gondry.
Favorite NT verse: John 15:5
