Day 159: Cath Kidston

Here is a dress I saw today at the Bath Fashion Museum and next to it is a Cath Kidston iphone case. Is it just me or are they really similar?

When I saw it the first thing I thought was, 'wow, so that's where Cath got her ideas from.' It got me think about how ideas are recycled, revamped and repackaged. I mean, both of these patterns could be used for wallpaper too. And, if you think about it, they are all just copying the flower in the field!

Who starts ideas? Does it matter?

I think what counts is how YOU put your mark on it. Whether it's a pattern you create, a song you sing or a canvas you paint. YOU are what makes it.

Use what you know, what came before and make it your own...just like Cath Kidston.

Day 158: Mick Rock's rock stars!

Check out this video on the BBC website. It's a slideshow of all the work by Mick Rock, the legendary rock photographer. (I recon his name called him to that job!) He says he didn't set out to be a photographer by profession, but his fascination of all those rock stars came out in the photos and that was it, job done!

Isn't it interesting how many people get a career out of what started out as a hobbie, specially creative ones. What's your hobbie? What inspires you to be creative? I recon most creative people are just doing what they love and couldn't be any other way!

Use what you got and change the world with it. That's what all the people in Mick Rock's photos did through their music. It looks like Mick Rock had a pretty good crack at it too. He's got a new book out full, of his creative work.

What will you do...?

Day 157: Reminiscing with Helen Cross

Today I went into the little primary school in Saltford as I always do, but this morning, Helen Cross came with us. She got the class thinking about what they would miss if they left home for a holiday or wherever. We looked at a poem by Grace Nichols called, Like a Beacon, where she misses her mum's home cooking from Jamaica.

It was all very pleasant until I thought, hang on, I'm away from home right now! Uni is one of those strange times in your life when you have two homes, but neither of them feel quite right. When I'm home with my family I miss my home at uni and vise versa.

So, as I'm at Uni, I was thinking about my family home five hours away and this came out of it:

Opening the fridge and picking at fresh grapes,
five varieties of cheese, crisp cucumber,
red peppers and thick yogurt.
Bracken and Bramble sleeping, stretched out lazily
on the most comfortable sofa imaginable,
or curled up by the hissing fire.
Being surrounded by my dad's teddy-bear hugs.

Kind of a poem, I guess. What would you miss? I don't know about you, but thinking about it makes me really want to be there. All that feeling and emotion...

Try writing a list of what you'd miss and put those ideas, feelings, senses into your creative work somehow, whether it be writing, painting, animation, music, dance, drama...Using what we know from our own lives touches other people's lives and that's the power of creativity.

Work with what you got and see how far it reaches...

Day 156: Illustration and Stephen Cartwright

Lately, when I've been reading, I've found myself thinking, 'man, I wish my books still had colourful pictures in.' Wasn't it great when your mum/dad read you a book and all you had to do was 'read' the picture? I miss those day...

It got me thinking about how amazing illustrations are. They tell way more of the story than the words really. One of my favourite things used to be finding something on the page, like in Farmyard Tales. Stephen Cartwright drew these wonderful pictures. Can you spot the duck in these pages?

I used to love it. Searching the picture and sharing the experience with my parents was great. Now I read to my little sister and do it with her. I ask her what she can see and talk about what's going on.

Illustration is under rated and I this has to change, right? It's a really powerful way of story telling. It must be so fun telling stories in pictures...have you thought about it? Could your creative talents take you there?

The next time you're in a bookshop, swing past the kid's section and take a look at the picture books. They're are incredible! We all need to give a little more time to just looking, I think...

Day 155: Spread your creative passions...

I'm pretty sure I've spoken to you a few times about how I've got stuck into knitting, but really credit has to go to the knitting club at Uni. We hold it in town every other week at a coffee shop. Yesterday I went along and there was one girl making gloves and another who had never knitted before. That's the great thing about it, anyone can come and join in the fun.
We sit. We chat. We knit. Simple.

It's great fun and I've really got into it. I've even started making some baby booties (I will show you when they're done, I promise)! It's fun doing something creative that's separate from my course. I do it when I'm watching tv in the evenings or watching a film. I love it!

The knitting club was set up by my friends Celia and Beth just because our Uni didn't have one and I am so glad they did. I wouldn't be into knitting without them and the knitting club.

 Does it annoy you that your school/college doesn't do what you love? Well, my challenge to you is to set up a club. If there's something you like doing creatively and it's not there, do it yourself! Get permission, put up posters, start a facebook group and away you go, you've got your very own lunchtime club going on. Maybe you're into writing lyrics or poems, sewing or dance. If you like baking why not set up a recipe club where one person brings in something they've made for everyone to try and give feedback? School/college is the perfect place to get more people involved in what you love.

Just because something doesn't happen, doesn't mean it shouldn't happen, so start it. That's what my friends did and it worked out great.

Give it a go. You won't know until you try...

Day 154: Rupert the bear

Today I want to say, Happy Birthday Rupert!

Everyone knows who Rupert the bear is with his red jumper and yellow trousers. When I was a kid I used to watch him on tv and my nan had all the comic books too from when she was a child. Now he's on tv with mobile phones and scooters! How times change, but good all Rupert has rolled with it and is still entertaining children worldwide.

Can you imagine creating a bear which would touch children's lives for over three generations. He's even got his own museum. Now that's inspirational! If my stories are half as successful I'll be happy. How about you, what do you hope for? Where do you want your creative work to go...?

Just think about all the different people that have been involved in Rupert's 'career', animators, artists, writers, painters, musicians...so many people and all of them creative. Without creativity the world wouldn't have Rupert and personally, I think it would be a darker place!

I couldn't resist putting up this. Send Rupert Happy Birthday thought as you watch. Looking good for 90 eh!

Day 153: Documenting journies...

Over the pass few months I have had a few thoughts about how you could document travel in a creative way. To begin with, it was for my art project, but then I stopped doing art at uni, so it kinds stopped.

But, the other day when I was walking back from work in the dark, I started thinking about all the rubbish that I could see on my journey and how, if I collected it all, I could put it together and call it 'Upper Bristol Road.' It would be a way to visually represent my journey home.

Then, I got thinking about lots of different ways I could record my travels. Here's some I came up with:
All the leaves I pass on a journey.
A sound recording of a journey.
I could use a camera placed around my neck to show what I see as I walk
For a bus journey, I could take a finger print of everyone who gets on the bus to record the route through people rather than a map of where it goes. (This one's more tricky, but more interesting!)

Unfortunately, I don't have time to explore these creative ideas at the moment, which is why I thought I'd share them with you instead. Feel free to give them a try and use the ideas in your own creative work.  Sharing creative ideas moves thinking forward. Post up your own ideas and let me know how it goes.

Catch the idea, let it go and then follow it. That's my advise for today!

(If this subject interests you look at the artist, Richard Long. Here's his website.)