Day 353: Olympics 2012 Designer!

12 year old Hannah Clegg from Wiltshire has had her design chosen for the Olympic Park 'Landmark Garden' which will be created especially for the 2012 Games. 88 designs were submitted, but Hannah's beat them all and will be combined with the winning adult design submitted by Rachel Read.

What an exciting competition to win! Can you imagine walking around the Olympic garden knowing you designed it! Just think how many millions of people from all over the world will walk through it!

Because of Hannah's creative talents, the world will see her designs in action.

How could you get invovled in London 2012? Hosting the Olympics is an amazing opportunity that may never happen again in our life time, so we gotta jump on it and get involved, just like Hannah. Let's take inspiration from her amazing achievement and step up for 2012. See what you could do. The Olympics needs your creative talent!

Day 349: Holburne Museum, Bath

Bath has loads of museums and galleries but for the whole time I've been here, the Holburne Museum has been shut. They've been refurbishing it for three years to make it double the size of it's former self.

Bath buildings are unique from any other place in the country and a lot of them are protected from any changes people want to make. When the sun hits them just right they look beautiful. There's no where quite like Bath in the sunshine. So, when the Holburne Museum said they were going to add a modern structure to the back of the museum to make it double its size, loads of people were mortified.

But, I think it looks amazing, don't you? It can hold way more exhibits now and more people will visit to see what all the fuss is about! The pillars running down the building are all mottled and change in the light as you move around them.

Change is refreshing. I think us creative thinkers follow in the Holburne's footsteps. Sometimes we need to take the leap to get that reaction, that encouragement, that inspiration we've been searching for.

What will you do?

Day 336: Mr Men Google doodles...

It's been one of those days where I've visited Google a lot to get this and that for my assessments I'm finishing. A pretty boring job to be honest, but Mr Roger Hargreaves has cheered up each visit. Everytime I go to the google homepage, there is a different on of these:

Mr Men have taken over Google for the day! These three are my favourite, I think (although it's hard to choose). When I was a kid I remember going round my grandparents and choosing which one I wanted them to read to me. Little Miss Tiny was my favourite.

It must be cool to think you affected so many lives of children through your wonderful stories and illustrations. Thank you Mr Hargreaves.

Take a look on the Google homepage and see which one is your favourite...

Day 311: The Hobbit!

I am SOOOOO excited. I just watched the first video blog about the making of the long awaited Hobbit film. For all you Lord of the Rings fans out there, check it out RIGHT NOW. They have rebuilt Bag End, Rivendell and they look beautiful. Peter Jackson gives you the rounded tour and it's so exciting!

This clip is not just for LOTR/Hobbit fans. Creative people listen up. This clip is full of weapon making, Costume design/making, Choreographing fights/action scenes, set building, shooting...you name it, it's there.

I am so siked about this film and we've still got to wait two years, but you know it's going to be worth it! Peter Jackson is amazing. An inspiration to creative folk everywhere!

Ps, if you haven't read The Hobbit, DO IT!!

pps, Is it just me or do you have a massive urge to watch Lord of the Rings RIGHT NOW???

Day 293: The Fiction Project

So, yesterday when I was 'researching' Takeshi Kawano's Melting Sculptures, I found an advert for this;

It's a project which is fusing words and visual art and making a book out of it, which will tour America, from coast to coast. Just think of your ideas, in a book, wandering around America...what a great opportunity! The cool thing is anyone from anywhere in the world can get invovled, which includes YOU! If you're into art, drawing, writing, graphic design, illustration...then check out their website. Once you're there, you can chose a theme and away you go! You could use an idea you've already got or be inspire here and now by one of the themes.

So, what are you waiting for? Go be inspired and be part of the project.

Day 289: Design the World...

Today, I decided to walk back to my house the long way round, through the park to make the most of the sunshine. You never know when you'll next see it, so it's best to catch it while you can.

Everyone obviously had the same idea as me. There were people everywhere; walking, sun bathing, playing football. The kid's park was rammed!

Naturally, on my stole, my thoughts wondered all over the place and I got to noticing all the things I could see. It started off with a lamp post. It was one of those ones which looks really old fashioned, like it should have a real flame in it at night, but you know it's really a fake, 'in keeping with the surroundings.' You know the ones. Someone designed that deliberately to have in that exact place, next to Bath's Royal Crescent.

In fact, everything I could see was designed by someone; the clothes people were wearing, the cars parked up, the posters on show, the bandstand, the dog leads, the playground equipment, even the way the flowers were arranged. Everything. It's all designed by someone and then redesigned by someone else.

Look around you now, wherever you are. I bet most things you can see were designed to be a certain way. Even the devise you're reading this on.

I don't know about you, but that blows my mind! We don't even think about it, but actually everything has a designer....

I wonder what they're like. Where do they live? Do they like their job? How did they get into it?

In fact even the objects themselves have a story. Where were they made? Who by? Where were they sold?How did they get here now...?

If everything is designed everything has a designer. Everything has a story.

Just a thought...

Day 239: Terrific Illusion, eh?

I got this sent to me today and I have to say, it's pretty impressive. Take a look:



I love illusions, don't you? There's loads of this kind of stuff around at the moment, what with Derren Brown and films like The Illusionist and The Prestigue. But is there much creativity involved?

What do these kind of things make you think about? I find myself really concentrating, looking for anything that could give it away. And, I HATE it when I can't work it out!

People must come up with these gags, design them, test them out. You need the right atmosphere, music, lighting...So yeah, I recon there is an element of creativity involved, hence the blog entry. You need to be a creative thinker to come up with illusions...

How do you recon it's done then?? Wanna know my theory? I don't think it's a real person myself. Watch it again, before he gets chopped in half. It's a machine, I recon!

Day 230: Creativity and Hobnobs!

Just for a bit of fun on a Sunday afternoon, why not get creative with a biscuit? That's what I've been doing. Here are my efforts:

We tried chocolate spread and peanut butter mixed together. Then we tried peanut butter in the middle and chocolate spread on top. I preferred the first combo, but I'll leave you to make your own decision.

There's loads of room for creative experimentation, so try whatever you've got in your cupboards...

Happy creating!

Day 226: Colaborative Creativity

Us creative types need to stick together, especially in times like these where the government seem to be squashing all the we love out of their national budgets. Perhaps with a bit of team work, we can make what we do stronger and get our talents noticed...

This year is my last year at uni, which means I get to do loads of cool creative stuff exactly the way I want to (woop)! As you might already know, I'm running a writing competition in a local school, making an anthology out of the entries and selling it for charity. I'm pretty excited about it, but, to be honest, I know very little about actually making an anthology. I can't do design and I don't know a thing about layout. That's where collaboration comes in. My friend Fleur is a graphic design student in her final year, so she gets to pick cool creative stuff too. To cut a long story short she's designing the layout for my anthology. She gets experience in her creative field and I get an amazing anthology. Both of us win!

Plus, another girl I met called Laura is dramatising a scene from my novel for her final year Film and Media project. She gets a project, I get a video to promote my story. All are winners! (Watch this space for video excitement!)

So there you go, proof that creative collaboration works and is really exciting.

Who do you know that's creative? Could you work together to help each other out and make both your work more exciting? ALL creativity works well together. You just need a little creative thinking to get it going...

Day 217: Wooly Winters

Good News Folks! I found out from BBC this morning that wool is on the up. More people are buying knitted stuff. More people are knitting. Which means, British wool is making money for our country, yay!

You wanna know why I'm banging on about this, don't you?

Well, the truth is guys, knitting is cool! Creating your own bags, clothes, toys...is the way forward.

So get out there and start creating. There's never been a better time to support our country's economy. Plus, it's real good for the environment too. Hardly any fossil fuels needs to be used to produce yarn and British wool is being sold all over the world.

If you need an excuse to get creative with wool, here it is. No more excuses people. It's time to be inspired by sheep!

Day 212: Make your own thank you cards

There's always people you get pressies from at Christmas who you don't see to say, thank you too. So you need some cards, right? Well, try these ones out.

I spent a few hours making them yesterday and, as they're creative, I thought I'd tell you about them. It's super easy to make them, so get involved if you want to save some cash and make your own funky thank you cards.

All I did was get some old magazines and cut out patterns, colours and textures I liked. Then I cut each bit into a letter and stuck them on the card! Easy.

Here's some tips;

• Chose your card colour before you start cutting. I did mine on black, but had loads of black/dark patterns which I couldn't use. Equally, if you do it with white, you don't want anything too light.
• Work out roughly how big you want each letter, so they fit on your card.
• You could use different magazines for different people. If you're doing one for a boy, maybe use a boys' mag. If you're doing one for a kid, use a kids' mag...it's up to your creative slant, of course!

So, have a go at creating your own cards this year. They make pretty good birthday cards too...

Day 210: Location Location Location

Today is one of those busy days where you go visiting (probably 'cause it's Bank Holiday). First, I went to my cousin's new flat. She was a bit embarrassed 'cause it was messy, but it's to be expected, right? There was a sofa here and a table there. I found myself thinking, 'hmm, I'm not sure I'd really put that there,' or, 'I wouldn't paint it that colour.'

Then, we went to see my sister's new flat, which is literally just a shell. No furniture, no curtains, just carpet. That was even more fun. I imagined the furniture, colour scheme, where the bookcase would go, how will it all fit around plug sockets, where to put the 'feature wall'...

Do you do this too? Do you find yourself becoming an interior designer in other people's houses?

I even think about the layout, 'I would've put the door opening the other way...that radiator should be on the other wall.'

Like I really have a clue about any of this stuff!

Next time you go round someones house, have a secret nose around. What do you think? Get your creative thinking cap out. Or why not plan your own future house? What will it look like, how many rooms, where will the lounge be? Will the bedroom have an en suite...?

So many things to think about... 

205: Epic Mickey on the Wii

For Christmas the family got a Wii game called Epic Mickey. Basically, Mickey Mouse has to go on a quest to save a world created the Sorcerer (from Fantasia). Mickey ruined the new world by spilling paint all over it, releasing a evil paint monster that he now has to find and destroy.

I have to say, I'm pretty rubbish at it, so my sister does the controls and I tell her where to go! We make a good team I think.

So, why am I telling you about this? Well, I actually think it's a really creative game. For one thing, a new world has been created (which I think is supposed to represent Disney World). Plus, when Mickey's in the world, his weapon is paint. That's how he makes enemies his friends and how he breaks down walls to pass through...what would be your creative weapon of choice?

Games are amazing. There are so many varieties, something for everyone. The cool thing is, it's some one's job to make and design them. Could it be your job?

Something to think about...

Day 203: Decopatch

Do you like my hearts? Well, actually, mine is the middle one and the other two were decorated by my sisters. Amongst Boxing day's festivities, we took time out to do some Decopatch.

What the heck's Decopatch, I hear you ask? Well, basically, it is covering stuff in little patches of tissue paper to jazz them up. Find out more on their website.

It's proper easy, so if there's a scuzzy old ornament you need to sparkle up, why not try to Decopatch it? You can do it on anything; lampshades, boxes, bowls, chairs...

Chose your colours, patterns, shapes, sizes...see how creative YOU can be...

Day 192: What's your duvet like?

I've just put my new double duvet on my bed to keep me warm on these winter nights. It's got a really cool duvet cover which got me thinking about how many millions of duvet cover designs there must be in the world.

When I was a kid I have loads of Disney ones like 101 Dalmatians. I had a Snatch the dog one too, complete with lampshade and bin. (so cool, I know!) I had a panda one too. Everyone has one with their favourite animal on, right? Then as I 'matured,' I had, Lord of the Rings 'cause I was obsessed! When Uni started it was bright pink and now I have a brand new green one with flowers and dots. (it's actually way nicer than it sounds!)

I loved all of them at one stage or another, but I can't help but think it would be infinitely cooler to create my own duvet design...

What design would you create...? Here's some ideas to get you started on your creation!

Day 184 : Always Coca-Cola...

I always know it's nearly Christmas when I see this advert on T.V! You know what I mean...



But, what I want to know is, does it really make people buy coke at Christmas? It certainly makes me want to be at home with my family getting Santa's mince pie ready and putting out my stocking (oh, whatever, you totally still have one too!)

Did Coca-Cola really make Santa red? Rumour has it, they gave Santa his red 'image.' Does that make us want to drink Coca-cola at Christmas?

I have to say, the other day I really fancied a coke when I saw an advert for it at the train station. In fact, all this makes me want one right now!

It's worth a few thoughts though, right? How much power does advertising have over what we do, say, think even? Do you think advertising is creative or just bashed out?

Take some time (perhaps over a mince pie) to think about advertising...you never know what might come up!

Day 182: Be Disney's designer!

Take a look at these logos. The chances are, you will know what company most of them belong too, we see them so much. That's the power of advertising.

But what do these symbols really mean? Why did they chose those colours, patterns, arrangements?

The cool thing is, it's someones job to design them and they get to see their work all over the world. When I was 14, I entered a competition to design a logo for a local bowls club and I won (yay). It was really fun and as far as I know, they're still using it.

Big companies like the ones above are always looking for ways to re-style their brands to keep it fresh and new...My challenge for you today is to design you own logo. It could be for your own future company or for an existing one you think needs to get with the times.

You your creative fingers going and design your way to the top!

Day 177: write a book in 30 days!

My friend sent me this list on Facebook and she called it a 30 day challenge. At first it just looked like a list of things you can do each day, but then I thought, why not WRITE about these things everyday? You could write 1 chapter each day, and hey presto, you got a autobiography on you hands!

Or, if a book's not your thing, why not write a song each day, based on the topic. Or if you're really feeling creative, do a drawing, an animation, a dance...

Whatever you do, see if you can use this 30 day challenge to help your work. Give it a go if you think your hard enough:

Day 1: introduce yourself
Day 2: Your first love
Day 3: Your parents
Day 4: What you ate today
Day 5: Your definition of love
Day 6: Your day
Day 7: Your best friend
Day 8: A moment
Day 9: Your beliefs
Day 10: What you wore today
Day 11: Your siblings
Day 12: What's in your bag
Day 13: This week
Day 14: Nicest thing ever said to you
Day 15: Your dreams
Day 16: Your first kiss
Day 17: Your favourite memory
Day 18: Your favourite birthday
Day 19: Something you regret
Day 20: This month
Day 21: Another moment
Day 22: Something that upsets you
Day 23: Something that makes you feel better
Day 24: Something that makes you cry
Day 25: A first
Day 26: Your fears
Day 27: Your favourite place
Day 28: Something that you miss
Day 29: Your aspirations
Day 30: One last moment.

Day 175: Creating in a Winter Wonderland!

As the whole country has turned into a winter wonderland, I thought it only right to concentrate on the cold today. So, how can you be creative with the cold?

Well, I was thinking about ice sculpture. If you could make anything out of snow, what would it be...?

Here's some ideas to get you going:

Embrace the cold and use it to think creatively!

Day 164: Could you create comics...?

In school today we were animating animal noises like a comic strip. One kid had an, eek, eek really small in the corner of his page and another had the squeel of an elephant growing across the page. They loved creating them and it was really exciting to see how much they enjoyed guessing each other's sounds.

This all got me thinking about comic books and how incredible they are. LOADS of people read comics and graphic novels, but have you ever thought about creating one yourself? Could you animate a story frame by frame? Could you create character faces that tell their emotions just by looking at them? Could you be imaginative with words to describe exactly what's going on in each frame?

If you fancy a go, check out Superhero squad. It's got all the Marvel characters and you get to choose the background, sizes, frame style...I had a quick go and it's heaps of fun!

Or, if you want something a little more advanced, try Pixton. You can have a play for fun and even get them into your school!

There are LOADS of sights like these so have a look around and find one that's right for you. Google's a good place to start. Or if, computers aren't your thing, why not hand draw them...

What story will YOU create, draw, animate?