Tim Taylor

For Stella

Soul connecting – Anam Cara and Art

“Anam Cara” is an old Gaelic term from the Celtic tradition meaning “soul friend.” Anam is “soul,” and cara is “friend.” It describes a person with whom you share a profound, intimate connection, a person you can be completely yourself with, without pretence.

This concept resonates to my core. As an introvert, I have always limited myself to a small circle. I thrive on depth, not breadth. I treasure these bonds: my brother, a friend for over 60 years, for whom my respect has grown immensely; his wife, my earth mother; my art school friend, known since 1984, with whom I reconnected after years apart as if no time had passed; my business Partner in the UAE, a very deep thinker. Finally, I include my 3 children in my inner circle, noting that they are on their own journeys, so it will take time before they connect with me as a true friend. This pattern- the small circle – is my comfort zone.

Now, I am in Nardo—a new town, a new culture, a new language. I’m finding that forging deep connections is incredibly challenging when you lack the nuance of a shared mother tongue. I’ve seen the common expat trap in Singapore, Sydney, and beyond: gathering to speak English, only to complain about the locals. That is not a path I wish to follow. I know my circle here will also remain small.

This lifelong search for connection, for a true Anam Cara, runs parallel to my work. My art, is its own visual journey through consciousness. It is, in fact, the same search, only manifested on paper.

My works emerge not from design but from discovery. Each line is a conversation between instinct and awareness. Where a friendship is a dialogue between two souls, my art is the dialogue with my own. The process is devotional, I allow images to reveal themselves through attention rather than intention. This is exactly how true friendship begins—not by force, but by patient, quiet attention. A true “soul friend” is a person with whom you can sit in that contradiction, a person who allows you to reconcile your own matter and meaning, shadow and light, without judgment.

I still hope one day to meet my Anam Cara. I suspect this person won’t be found in the familiar expat bubble. But the search continues, both in this new town and in the studio. Ultimately, my art exists to remind me (and anyone who looks) that creativity and consciousness are the same act. Both require surrender, patience, and courage as does friendship.