Create - Making An Anthem Out Of Sounds

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"I left my studio behind and went on an epic journey. I wanted to see if I could capture the song, what it is that makes us, us."

I posted a few days ago about Dan Mace, a director I discovered via Casey Neistat's channel on YouTube. Inspired by his vision and creativity, I've been watching Dan's back catalogue and found this absolute gem. Magical.

Quieting The Creative Mind

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I wonder if you feel the same as me? I go through phases where I mull over the same creative idea again and again, refining it, researching it, exploring its potential. And then there are the phases where the idea I'm working on seems to fade ever so slightly into the background while new ideas sing and dance around me, demanding attention. Giddy, excitable, running around like they've had too much sugar and totally distracting me.

An old friend once told me to do one thing at a time. He was right. He could see I would jump from idea to idea and he wanted me to achieve my dreams. This simple piece of advice led me to focus on Angel's Great Escape, which became my first picture book and then I concentrated on An Amazing Alphabet of Cake until it was published. So what do I do when new ideas pop up and tap me on the shoulder while I'm trying to complete a project? I don't want to ignore them as they may be worth exploring. So I capture them, a bit like a genie in a bottle that I know I can release later. I make notes, a lot of them! I'll sit quietly with a cup of coffee and give myself 20 or 30 minutes with the ideas, free writing anything that comes into my mind. It quietens my thoughts a bit, allows me to concentrate and reassures me that the idea isn't lost but rather quietly being worked on by my subconscious waiting until I'm ready to turn the volume up back up.

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Inspiration - Dan Mace

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This guy is new to me. He's teamed up with Casey Neistat for a brilliant new creative project called 368 and Casey's videos have led me to Dan's channel. This video reminds me of how I started creating. My sister and I used to create movies on a massive old VHS camera with me filming while she presented. We loved it. We even filmed our own version of an old programme called Star Test. I then went on to study Media & Cultural Studies, purely because I wanted to run around with a camcorder. Somehow life has led me to events, writing and illustration but watching this really speaks to that initial spark in me and now my mind is racing.

Sunday Song - Frederick

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I've been reading and really enjoying Patti Smith's Just Kids. It makes me want to jump on a plane to New York. This tune, dedicated to her husband Frederick is such a fantastic love song.

"I met Fred at Lafayette Coney Island. It's a place where they sell hot dogs in Detroit... I looked at him. I didn't know who he was. He looked at me. And I swear to you I thought, 'That's the fellow I'm going to marry.' I don't know why that happened. It was an instant moment of alchemy."

Following Your Dreams

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If you look at this page regularly, you will know that I'm a big fan of Holly Exley's work so it was lovely to see her vlog this week in which she announced that she is currently writing and illustrating her own vegan cookbook. This really resonated with me as Holly had previously mentioned on Twitter that she'd love to illustrate a vegan cookbook and she has obviously been mulling this over and has decided to be proactive and just do it herself. I love that Holly's loves of vegan food and illustration have combined to become a project that she's really excited about. And I love that publishing has reached a place where we can now come up with ideas and create our own books in a way that can sit alongside traditional companies. Publishing your own book isn't easy but it's challenging, absorbing and rewarding. I can't wait to buy the book that Holly's creating.

Thank You Stephen Hawking

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A beautiful tribute to Stephen Hawking from Oliver Jeffers.

Three Minute Epiphany

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I love this series on Mary Anne Hobbs' show on BBC 6 Music. Three minute snippets of wisdom from creatives and people who are passionate about what they do. I found this one really comforting. Tom talks about music in his workplace, a bakery where they listened to tunes while they make doughnuts and rolls. He mentions rummaging round in a bucket full of cassettes and the joy of choosing which one to play. It cast me back to using a pen to wind a cassette back and to taping songs off the radio. Magical, cosy times.