Day 299: Carl's Beach Theatre

Today I want to dedicate this entry to a creative friend of mine who is currently developing a beach theatre. Now that's what I call a creative thinker. What better place to harbour your creativity than on a beach in Devon?

Have you ever been to a Devon beach? I have so many fond memories of beach holidays in Devon and the idea of pitching up with just a towel to sit on and watch a performance sound just amazing.

Similar to me with my writing competition at Ralph Allen School (which is going great by the way. Tune in next week for more on that!) Carl is running his theatre-with-a-difference for his final year uni project. It's so cool to do a degree where you can take what you've got and share it with the world. A Maths degree just doesn't give you the same benefits!

Check out what Carl has planned in his blog. Be inspired by what's going on around the UK. Think about what you've got and what you could do with it...

Day 298: Jenny Valentine's 'Finding Violet Park'

You know sometimes you think you've done something and then you realise you haven't? Well that's exactly what I've done with the last book I read. It was so good I thought I must have told you all about it, but, no, I haven't!

Scatty, as ever...

Finding Violet Park by Jenny Valentine follows a boy called Lucas who gets concerned about an urn left in a taxi cab office for over five years. Lucas has a real quirky voice which I really enjoyed getting to know.

The evidence of reading a good book:
You think about the characters way after you've finished, like you want to visit them again or wonder what they're doing.

Lucas' story twists and turns as you get to know all about his family and their dysfunctional dynamics. Can Violet, the dead lady in the urn really link in any way to his strange family? I mean, what do you do with the urn of a lady you never knew?

For me the best part was the ending. I'm usually disappointed with then, but this one was really affective. You'll have to read it to find out why...

Jenny Valentine won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize for this story and she's written more since, so check her out.

My cover doesn't have the teeth on it - weird!

Day 297: Pen-ultimate's, 'A Night on the Tiles'

Last night I went to see a play called 'A Night on the Tiles.' That's scrabble tiles, by the way. Yep, it was a play all about scrabble and the power of words. Placed in a gangster setting, the characters engaged in a violent game of scrabble, full of conflict, death and blood.

Have you ever been to the theatre? Everything's right there in front of you, live, real, not like the cinema. I felt the character's, I understood their relationships. I laughed with them, I was shoked, angry, discusted with them, right there and then, never really able to go back to it other than through my own remembering. That's the power of theatre.

The other cool thing about it was the actors were spoken word performers (live poets) so clever with their words, each one chosen specifically and carefully for that very place. I was literally blown away with their creativity, which seemed to strengthen with every word.

The group, which tour the country with their words, are called Pen-ultimate. Check out the videos below and be inspired. There's loads more on their website...

Day 296: Feeder, 'Side by Side'

Feeder. You remember them, right? The good old days of, 'I think we're gonna make it...yeah.' Last summer these guys came to my Uni's to perform at our summer ball and now they've made a record to help out with the rescue efforts in Japan. Funny how things come and go in little loops in your life, isn't it?

They've bought out a single you can download from their website or itunes. Here's the video, just to give you a flavour.



Please buy this single for just 79p and make a difference.

Day 295: The art of looking

Check out this photo which I stole (with permission) from a friend on facebook.

I think it's brilliant. What can you see? What do you think it is? What does it remind you of? How do the colours make you feel?

I know it might seem like I'm just practising my counselling skills on you, but I'm trying to prompting you to look, observe, watch. I always find looking an inspiring experience. Not in a hippy way, but in a creative way.

Try thinking about this image in terms of your own creative work. Can you make any connection? Why? Why not? Does it spark any ideas?

If it's still not really doing anything for you, try making a list of all the things it reminds you of.

Here's a few to start you off:
Steam rising from a cow's back in the morning sunlight.
New York Night Traffic
Fireflies buzzing

So, how ever you choose to do it, spend some time looking today and see where it takes your creative thoughts...

Day 294: Have Great Expectations!

So, here is a list of things that popped into my head this morning. Chose one to inspire your creativity today...

Honeycomb candles dyed pink, orange or purple.
Fairy cakes, shaped like black bats.
Umbrellas dripping with rhythmic raindrops.
Salt collected on your skin after swimming in the sea.
Fresh Coconuts filled with sour juice.
The crinkle of new wrapping paper.
Balloons.
Coffee in the mornings.
Talcum powder.
Church bells from the Abbey tower.
The ache of your jaw when you taste lemons.
Somewhere over the rainbow.
Counter clockwise.
After tomorrow we'll be finished.
Laughing until your tummy hurts.
Counting ancient steps weathered by walkers.

Why not make your own list and see where it takes you? Give your imagination a workout!

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 292: Takeshi Kawano

Artist, Takeshi Kawano has created these set of sculptures called 'Melting Animal Sculptures'.

Not much more needs to be said. I think the sculptures do a pretty good job of portraying their message. How could you speak through your creative works?

Be inspired. Be creative.

Day 291: Advice poems

Ordinarily I don't really write poetry, but when I was at primary school yesterday, I really enjoyed turning advice into poetry. My efforts are by no means amazing, but the thing about creativity is, it can just be for fun. It doesn't always have to be serious and purposeful.

So, if you fancy it, write an advice poem with me. First off, write down a list of advice people have given you. It can be general advice or more personal. Just the first things that come into your head will be great.

Turns out nine year olds are given the best advice. One boy came up with, 'don't climb on the shed and then do a back flip off of it.' If that was the first bit of advice that came to him, it tells you an awful lot about his character!

Anyway, this is the poem I came up with. It's about the contradiction and frustration of other people's advice. I'm pretty sure you'll know where I'm coming from...

Get a dog, a companion for life.
No, don't do that. They pee on the kitchen floor.
Get insurance, to safe guard your stuff.
No, don't do that. You're just wasting your money.
Get a watch, to always be prompt.
No, don't do that. Live life on the edge.
Get the bus, to help save the earth.
No, don't do that. They're so unreliable.
Get out more, see the world's wonders.
No, don't do that. It's far too expensive.

What is yours like? Feel free to share them. Everyone needs some advice from time to time.

Day 290: WWF, be alert!

It would seem Pandas are craving biscuits of a Mango description. Yep, you read it right, Pandas love MANGO biscuits.



Well, if you can't have a bit of fun on a sunny Thursday afternoon when can you, eh?

Is it weird that I feel really sorry for this poor deceived panda? Why he's living in Australia is beyond me, but it's best not to questions these things.

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 288: Rhianna, U2 and Justin Bieber sing to help Japan

These three musical phenomenons are just some of the artists clubbing together to make a digital album to raise money for those struggling in the Japan tragedy.

Big music label, Universal Music are putting it together and hope to have it out for the world to purchase by the end of the week, so keep your eyes peeled.

What a great way to use your creativity to help others. It got me thinking; what could us creative thinkers do to help?

Obviously these artists have fame on their side. If I made an album to help Japan, I don't think it would be as successful, but the point is, we are all creative and if we did our bit, then it will definitely help, even if only a little bit. 

What are you good at? What are your friends good at? Could you club together to make a difference? Think about other people/organisations you could include. Maybe your school/college/work?

What better way to put your creativity to good use than help support those struggling across the world? Put your creative thinking caps on folks and let's see how we can help.

Day 287: David Bowie

Ever wandered how massive stars like david Bowie made it to the top?

Well, now's your chance to find out. The BBC have got a 6 part radio series on the life and works of David Bowie, starting with how it all began. To catch the first one click here.

Will Mr Bowie inspire you today?

Day 286: Bob Marley's sweet sunshine

The last two days have been filled with sunshine and I just love it! I dragged a chair out into my little sun-trap garden and ate my lunch watching the little birds that are nesting in our bush swoop down and eat the grains from the ground. They've fallen out of the bird feeder, which hangs on our rarely used washing line.

Whilst catching the sun rays, rare as gold dust in Bath, I was trying to think of something inspiring to share with you all on this Sunday afternoon, but all I wanted to write about was the sunshine.

My little garden is generally quiet, but as I sat there I could hear the odd lawn mower going, the shouts of kids playing in their gardens and people tooing and frowing from the park down the road. Everyone loves a bit of sunshine, especially in the UK. Generally, us Brits love complaining about the rain we get, but if you think about it, rain's actually amazing. Not only does it give us such a vibrant countryside, (and a flowing water cycle, of course) it also makes us appreciate the odd days of warm sunshine.

I feel like sunshine actually inspires a lot of creativity because it make people (in the UK, anyway) really happy. I mean, Bob Marley for one is clearly a fan. There's even a Mister Men book named after sunshine, followed by a film by the same name, but not really the same story! (Check out Day 264 for more of that one.) It's inspired me to write this entry anyway.

How does the sun inspire you to be creative? Have a think about it...in the sun...