Feel the Beat – Stephanie Wilkinson (2014)

This week’s Raise Your Eyes is a little closer to home...in fact literally in my home!

I have a painting my mum made of dancers at a local carnival in Recife, Brasil, where she grew up. Mum's painting is based on cine footage her own mum took in the 1960s.

I love the sense of movement, colour, and energy in it — but I also love the layers. A moment performed, seen, filmed, painted, and now reflected on again in writing. Generations interpreting one another’s perspectives.

It reminded me of something my friend Robbie said on a free coaching webinar last week (more here if you fancy joining!): if you want to really understand the dance floor, sometimes you have to get up on the balcony.

Down on the floor, the movement is beguiling — intoxicating, even — but it can also be bewildering. You can lose sight of the bigger picture.

That’s why Raise Your Eyes exists inside Raiser — as a little built-in nudge to pause, breathe, and remember why you’re doing what you’re doing before diving back into the dance.

Fundraising, leadership, and creativity all live somewhere between those two perspectives — the rhythm of the floor and the stillness of the balcony.

So take a moment this week. Step back. Look out. Then, when you’re ready, jump back in.