Today I’ve been reading a long interview with Johnna Flannagan from The Pale Rook, who makes beautiful, wistful dolls from antique fabric. I particularly liked what she had to say about creative blocks: “I used to get crippling creative block, which, in my experience is usually the result of two things, focusing too much on…Continue Reading “Rebooting from empty”
I have a scar on my left knee. It has been there for more than 30 years. I was about 7 when I fell hard onto a Yorkshire pavement and grit worked its way deep into the graze. I raised such merry hell about having it cleaned, that my mother missed some of the dirt….Continue Reading “Scars And Oysters”
During the summer my occasional art assistant, The Wonderful Z, helped me get my studio up and running. I’d already carved out a studio area in my bedroom but because it hadn’t been organised properly, it had devolved into a dumping ground. So we decluttered, moved furniture around and made sure that I had everything…Continue Reading “Pelt in progress”
Burnout. I have it. Burned Out Car by Niklas. Used under a Creative Commons license And at some point in your creative life, you’ve probably had it too. Creative people tend to go like the clappers and then fall down in a heap. My candle burns at both ends It will not last the night;…Continue Reading “Blooming burnout”
Today I read yet another ‘you should only work when inspired’ comment on a post about creativity. Wah, wah, wah. Cry me a river, newbie. This idea that you should only work when inspired otherwise you make rubbish is a load of bollocking crap. Making rubbish is the important part. Making rubbish is how you…Continue Reading “Please make rubbish!”
When we moved into our house 13 years ago, the garden was so neglected that I thought I’d have to dig up the lawn just to have a few flowers. Then I started cutting back the hedge and discovered to my surprise that I already had large flowerbeds. They were just completely hidden by a…Continue Reading “This is not about gardening”