Tagged: inspiration
Semi-Permanent Auckland 2014
“Get inspired.” One of the key messages (amplifying) from this event. How the heck couldn’t you, with such mind-blowing storytellers? Speakers: Ian Wharton (Creative Director), Tiffany Bozic (Artist), Ashley Gilbertson (Photojournalist), Augustin Teboul (Fashion designers), Matt Willey (Graphic Designer), Galon Levin (Artist) and Abbot Miller (Partner) kicked off on the first day.
Ashley Gilbertson spoke about his time on the ground in Iraq (2002-2008) photographing immediate imagery of warfare and the human experience. What a ‘profound encounter’ of truth, conflict and bravery. Seeing pictures of bloody (dead) bodies, explosions, destruction and ‘a collection of photos of intact bedrooms of service members who died in Iraq and Afghanistan’ captivated the audience into utter silence. Incredible. Touching – nearly to the point of tears. No one will ever forget those (human) stories.
Fashion designers: Annelie Augustin and Odely Teboul provoked with their “black is our universe” collections. Having only launched in 2011, they have worked with musicians like ‘
Lady Gaga’ to create haute couture garments, and have been heavily published in the world-wide press. From humble beginnings (living in a tent due to pennilessness), they now both live in Berlin and collaborate with the local community to make their wares. They find inspiration through “creative accidents.”
Brilliant.
Unfortunately I didn’t make it to the second day – however I got my ‘quota’ of inspiration from the stories I heard, aplenty.
Looking forward to the 11th year!
Is There Fire In Your Belly?
Vintage Is My Achilles’ Heel
There is something about the ‘aesthetics’ of vintage things – whether it is (motor) scooters, tea trolleys, vinyl, burlesque-influenced wigs, tailored clothing, or quirky mirrors.
Filming today (in one of my favourite locations) was inspiringly eclectic, with majestic backdrops – from bookshelves crammed with romantic novels to kitsch furniture, dainty crockery, and dismembered mannequins.
People like Bettie Page, Marilyn Monroe and Dita Von Teese – all radiate femininity and glamour.
Buying ‘vintage’ from all over the world – is definitely dreamy.
Great cars too.
Writer’s Advice
Reading and writing are two of my favourite things. People like George Orwell, Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolf, Mark Twain, Anton Chekhov, Zadie Smith: stimulate my thought process and give me inspiration.
“Protect the time and space in which you write. Keep everybody away from it, even the people who are most important to you.” – Zadie Smith
“Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very:’ your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.” – Mark Twain
“My own experience is that once a story has been written, one has to cross out the beginning and the end. It is there that we authors do most of our lying.” – Anton Chekhov
“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” – Sylvia Plath
“If you do not tell the truth about yourself you cannot tell it about other people.” – Virginia Woolf
“Don’t be a writer; be writing.” – William Faulkner
Language is my oxygen.
LOVE
Discover
The last few days I have become increasingly fascinated with Pinterest. I created a few boards some months ago, and revisited my virtual pin board or scrapbook, earlier this week. So far, my boards include books, thoughts, ideas, wishes, likes, charlatan clinic, social media, theatre, art, film, fashion, inspiration, celebrity and costume! So what is this all about? From what I can ascertain, it is all about you, and what makes you happy. I am sold. Searching for everything that I enjoy, and collecting virtual images, footage and text from everyone to anything. Inspirational.
Inspiration
Rain. People. Silence is sublime. Walking down the street, to see a frail woman struggle with her umbrella, a child screaming uncontrollably, and the mother trying to make sense of what she should do. I know what that feels like. A couple hold hands, there is this aroma of aioli, coffee and bacon wafting from a local cafe. The library does not have the book I want, so request it. Urban existence can be so loud, the noise can be deafening at times. Indulging in books is luxurious, especially the biographical kind. I have watched certain films in the last day, titles like ‘restless’ and ‘The Deep Blue Sea’ featuring great actors like Rachel Weisz, for research purposes. ‘Love’ is something everyone should experience, at least once in their life. I mean that ‘butterfly’ sensation that you get, when you ache for the other half of you, nothing else compares. What inspires you?
Travel
The prospect of getting on a plane and going some place else, fills me with anticipation, without the humdrum. Dealing with people constantly bashing your seat, as they go to the amenities, small children crying due to earache and regular turbulence, only adds to the experience of air travel. Seriously, I endure it, just to taste different (gastronomic) cuisine, speak another language, or maybe ride a bicycle? Living out of your comfort zone is something important to me and maybe to you also, for growth and inspiration. Travel changes perception and outlook, so going to the ‘Eiffel Tower’, ‘Taj Mahal’ or the ‘Giza Pyramid’ is guaranteed to be mind altering, that’s a given. Once you catch the travel-bug, it never leaves you alone. That’s a good thing. Marrakech is next on my hotlist!
melissafergusson 