Some people love the sparkle of jewels. For others, it’s the metallic gleam of a brand new sports car. But perhaps your idea of treasure is more down to earth: an unopened book, just waiting to tell you a story. When in a bookshop or library, faced with rows upon rows of such precious gems, …
Whether your idea of holiday joy is strolling through a sun-drenched vineyard, spending time getting to know a new city or stretching out on a beach on the other side of the world, travel doesn’t just fill your passport with stamps – it can enrich your life. Even a single day spent at the seaside …
For days now it’s been distracting you, this problem. You just can’t see a way forward. You’ve tried all the usual fixes – journalling your feelings, comparing pros and cons, talking it over with friends – but nothing has shifted. Exhausted at the end of a dispiriting week, you’re having a long soak in the …
There is a part of the creative process that often goes unnoticed. It isn’t the spark, the initial idea that came into your head on a random Thursday afternoon. Or the rhythm of the making, or even the standing back and looking as the picture or piece emerges. It’s the quiet pause at the end …
What do you think about the idea of visiting an art gallery? Perhaps it reminds you of school trips and reminders not to touch the paintings. Maybe they’re somewhere you only go while on holiday. You might visit on a whistle-stop tour of a city, ticking famous paintings off your list. They’re there to be …
For a long while I saw journalling as a way to capture what had already happened – a place to record the past, to sift through thoughts and try to make sense of tangled feelings. Just as when I began junk journalling, I thought it was simply a way to use up scraps, a creative …
Colours are often associated with emotions – people talk of being green with envy or feeling blue when they’re sad. When it comes to grief, you might experience the dark depths of loss or despair, or the bright red of anger. But grief and loss can encompass a wide range of different emotions and stages, …
Late afternoon sun streams through my teenage daughter’s window, spotlighting her as she curls cat-like on the bed, around scraps of paper, glue, a scattering of pencils and a tatty journal. In this tableau, her expression is serene and contemplative. The book is fat with scribbled notes, fragments of lyrics, a shopping list, a gig …
As you push on the bookshop’s heavy glass door, the little bell tinkles its welcome and invites you to step over the threshold. With a deep intake of breath, you absorb the scent of fresh paper and new print. A glance reveals shelf after shelf of colourful paperbacks and dust-jacketed hardbacks, some placed spine-on, others …
One of my notebooks is labelled ‘Compost Heap’. It’s where I jot down thoughts, stick in pictures and save interesting articles that have caught my eye. I use it to scrawl mind maps of ideas that come to me out of the blue, usually when I’m trying to fall asleep. The writing is spidery and …
