I’m midway through my residency at Cove Park working on ‘Lost, Found, Stolen,’ and things are slowly but surely taking shape. Having a week here with National Theatre Scotland artists has been an absolute gift. It is so nice to meet with new people and share ideas in a beautiful (but very cold) landscape. When I arrived I had bits of songs and bits of texts and a few vague ideas of where the piece may go. The last few days I have tried to fit these fragments together and really get a grasp on the structure of the piece.

I have been playing a lot, exploring a lot and reading a lot (There is an amazing archive here donated by artists who have spent time here) I have mapped out things in chalk and post it notes and become obsessed with maps and co-ordinates. This week I have been reading and inspired by Sophie Calle, Tim Etchells, Fevered Sleep, Ordnance survey maps, 80’s board games and Laura Marling

I feel closer to having an idea of what; ‘Lost. Found. Stolen’ is. It’s a personal journey for me, but what I really want to create is something that people can identify with and find parts of themselves in. A celebration of all those stories and objects we still cling on to, that shape us and stay ingrained in our hearts.

At the same time, each day I feel further away. Every thought and book, every bit of research triggers something new. I’m really challenging myself as a writer and performer to allow this piece to have lots of layers. I’m thinking about the connotations of the words Lost and Found and Stolen and how they relate to me and my world but also the bigger world. I have been writing personal confessions, stealing other people’s stories and playing with the significance objects hold. I’m hoping that by approaching the project with honesty and generosity that it can be about the audience, too, so they can slip in and out and connect with these things.

So far, here are some of my inspiration points and ideas I am playing around with:

• ‘Not till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves’
• Being a part of a Lost Generation
• Personal stories of things, lost, found, stolen and how these have shaped me
• Ordnance Survey Maps, Sat Navs and co-ordinates that direct us
• Objects we hold on to, objects we forget
• Outside Influences that map out your future
• Risk- how exposed do I want to be?

The thing that’s struck me the most this week is that I’m frightened. Unlike writing a play, with this piece I know I can’t hide behind the words.

Today I’ve made a list of the stories I don’t want to tell. Today I tried to get lost just to feel that fear again, because being frightened is good. Being frightened is a challenge. Being frightened means being exposed and is forcing me to risk take which is exciting and fresh. I’m also a little frightened because it’s Halloween and I am literally lost in the lochs in the middle of nowhere….