Jump off cliffs
Jump off cliffs
A serving of creative nuggets worth sharing, the dipping sauce is in the details.
This week’s creative nuggets:
1. The Chelsea Hotel - inside NYC's Bohemian Palace during lockdown
2. Creativity in crisis - livestream interviews with Imogen Heap and Zolani Mahola
3. Take a virtual field trip someplace wonderful with Creative Mornings
4. By the Book - a virtual literary festival because Covid cancelled the real ones
5. Sounds like happy feels - a playlist for lightening the vibe a bit
Hello good people,
If you’re receiving this, it’s because you’ve signed up (thank you) or because we’ve worked together or connected along the way, and I’d love us to continue on the journey. If you’d prefer not to be here, you are welcome to unsub at any time.
Creative Nuggets is a bi-weekly letter sharing a selection of creative bits I come across each fortnight; a mix of global, a dash of local and always with lashings of outlandishness, mystic and mirth; finds that are worth spreading the word about.
Here’s a test-nugget I sent to no-one in particular, because I ‘wasn’t ready’. This time around, I’m following through - and trying this thing called vulnerability (jump off the cliff, build your wings on the way down and all that).
So this is the first one landing in inboxes - the official start of a wandering exploration of the creative interior. I hope you will join me. And I’d love some feedback, or even just a hello, in these strange anti-social times. :)
Hollyx
Creativity is an ongoing process and energetic exchange with oneself, and if this year did anything right, it was to give us all a chance to spend more time exploring whatever our creative heart beats us up about not doing enough of. Whatever your creative hobbies, interests and secret passions are - I hope you’re finding time to squeeze some juice out of them.
Here are 5 things I thought were worth sharing this week:
I get the quickening every time I read about the Chelsea Hotel. I fell in love with it, its creative chaos and controversy, whilst reading Patti Smith’s Just Kids. The infamous ‘artists in residence’ hotel has been under construction since 2011 and only 50 of the 300 rooms are filled. Amanda Chemeche lives here with her elderly artist father, who moved in back in the 70’s! Due to Covid19 and the need to self-isolate, they hardly see each other and communicate by email between rooms. She calls the hotel ‘a ghost town’ and stepping between the lobby and the ghost city beyond, ‘fractally destabilizing, a strange, haunting series of echoes’. Have a quiet meander through the hollowed bohemian palace here. It’s a whole mood.
2. Creativity In Crisis. Heavychef is hosting a livestream interview with Imogen Heap on 11 August. The music technologist was due to keynote a live event at Heavychef last year, exploring her high-tech music career, but her tour to the tip of Africa was cancelled. She returns virtually to share her whole heap-world, as well as musings on the global creativity crisis. Zolani Mahola is the opener interview addressing the uncertainty of the times from a South African viewpoint.
3. Take a Field Trip. This new series of virtual events by Creative Mornings is an excellent way to tap into the global creative headspace. Every couple of weeks they mail you the upcoming roster and you can choose to attend an ‘intimate’ zoom call of 500 attendees or watch the live stream from Youtube. I tuned into Transcending Perfectionism and Embracing Your Craft with Jen Hewett, which had bonus lessons for me in setting professional boundaries. The topics are always interesting and different - Tarot reading intro anyone? Register here.
4. By the Books. Something for the word nerds. Mailchimp has launched a virtual literary book festival because C19 cancelled book festivals the world over. By the Book offers a new way to elevate inspiring artists and their work; learn about rising voices, explore essays, drop into conversations, find new books and geek out at the self-service festival programme- a bookshelf-style interactive web design. It’s super cute and clever.
5. Sounds like happy feels. Balancing out the academic foray above (sorry, not sorry) with a playlist for the times. This came together over a couple of weeks when I needed some music to LIGHTEN THE VIBE. And so tracked down all the easy-listening nostalgia I could find. I’ve just added Thor Rixon’s latest release, why don’t you love me, to the happy pot - it fits in like an old friend. Listen on shuffle, it’s as a good as a holiday.
If we listened to our intellect, we’d never have a love affair. We’d never have a friendship. We’d never go into business, because we’d be cynical. Well, that’s nonsense. You’ve got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down. ~ Ray Bradbury
Building wings,
Holly Jade
Thanks for reading.
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