Snapshots

I found a wonderful photograph album recently. It's full of  dozens of little photographs documenting the lives of a group of friends. They looks so happy as they pose on the beach, feed the ducks in the duck pond and dig the land. I wonder what happened to them after these snapshots were taken. I'm sure they have stories to tell, stories of a whole lifetime. This album of snapshots is like a little window into their world, a glimpse into life in 1940s Britain. As I turn the pages of the album, I look in and imagine what it would be like to be part of that world.

Where do you look to find ideas for your writing?

Inspired Image

You can find out why this photograph inspires me at Things We Make. Thanks Amy for asking me to take part.

I Learned ... I am going to be published in Japan

I just learned that my first book 'DIY: The Rise of Lo-Fi Culture' is going to be published in Japan by Blues Interaction. I am very excited about this. I can't wait to see my words translated into Japanese, a language I can't speak.

Do-It-Together

 

I am such a big fan of do-it-yourself culture. I love it when people create something on their own terms just because they can't find what they are looking for anywhere else. I get giddy about zines, independently released music and blogs and all that good stuff. I admire people who write, make art and play music just because they want to, without worrying whether it is perfect and polished or how much money it will make them.

I have always had a strong sense of community. I am lucky to be surrounded by people who take action just because they want to see things get done. My friends can do anything and they do. They play music, curate art shows, start clubs, run cafes, take photographs, draw, sew and write. They build, make and do and inspire me to try and do the same.

A few years ago, I wrote a book about do-it-yourself culture. It was a wonderful experience to research and write about how people find new ways to create and distribute, away from traditionally commercial routes.

Recently, I was asked to write a piece for a Canadian art journal about how I felt about Do-It-Yourself culture. I wrote that, instead of just doing-it-ourselves, we should do-it-together. Together we are tougher, stronger, braver and infinitely more creative. I believe in that.

Thank You

The first Handmade Writer e-course started today. It  has been so wonderful welcoming all the students to the course. I have a feeling that we will have a fantastic six weeks together.

I want to thank everyone who has helped during the process of launching the course. I especially want to thank my buddy Michal. He is the brilliant graphic designer behind Bring Yourself. He has listened to all my garbled attempts at explaining my ideas and tolerated my last minute design changes. If you want a graphic designer who cares more than anything about finding the perfect font and tells you that all your ideas are possible then you can find him at Semi Square. 

Exploring

Your writing won't suffer if you take a day off. Especially if you are invited to visit an old disused church tucked away on a backstreet of the city.

And you climb a staircase barely as wide as you are, up and up, to the roof.

And look at out over the city from a place you have never been before.

You will remember how important it is to explore and learn that a day off from writing might not  be a day off after all.

Sunny Days

I have just come back from a beautiful few days in Dorset. I ate Easter eggs, played on the beach and went on long walks. It was glorious.I can't wait for the summer to come. I am going to enjoy every minute of it.

Now, it's back to work, head down and jump straight in. The Handmade Writer E-Course starts on Monday and there are plenty of last minute preparations to be done. I am so excited about this course that I can't tell you.