trees are people too

To watch the whole process is mesmerising. Inspiration in motion.

I am sure many of you can relate. That sinking feeling when you are confronted by a (seemingly expansive) white page and literally limitless creative parameter, and are left with absolutely nothing.

There is no shortage of excuses. Too busy, too tired, too drunk. But what I should really be doing is writing an open letter of apology to you, blog, and getting on with getting on.

But sometimes, I just feel exactly like this:

And so begins my quest to find the ultimate cure to writer’s block. Or painter’s. Or musician’s. Or tax accountant’s. Or whomever, really. I have this strange suspicion that this quest may be more successful than the time I tried to eat only sushi for an entire week as a social experiment (for the good of the people, we had to know). Or the time I tried to ride a friends bike up the trunk of a tree to test the suspension. Both good and noble quests, but possibly less pragmatic than this.

And so I have called this ailment ‘creative constipation’, and the quest ‘the search for a literary laxative’. Has a  nice ring to it, don’t you think? In a discussion the other day I mused that the way I confronted writer’s block was just to get writing. Do, don’t think. Write and write until a scrap of something useful comes out. But perhaps this is less strategic than I thought. After all, surely first you need to think of something to write about before you can deal with the inability to write about it? (:sigh: I should have been a philosopher).

And so I begin my epic quest as always, seeking inspiration, answers and guidance online. This week we’ll start with items that have inspired others to write, and in the next episode we’ll move on to actual tactics. As you can see, excitement doesn’t necessarily equal motivation.

So, what’s been good? Luscious tune by the always incredible helios, remixed by stray, from the glorious Med School Records.

Some new art on my wall by Josh Keyes.

Visuals that make for misty eyes from Don’t touch my moleskin (and a lovely new blog design, also. Check it out.)

Less misty eyed, but certainly entertaining, is the new Tim and Eric short film, Father and Son.

Hell, I even tried chat roulette, but (as Jon Stewart demonstrates) this turned out to be a less rewarding than anticipated.

So much good stuff, it’s hard to not be inspired. And I feel a renewed lust for creativity now that I have discovered my new purpose. To work out how to be creative. Or something like that. It’s going to be my most rewarding quest yet. I can just feel it.

Tune in for the next episode, Actually embarking on a quest one has decided to embark on. And in the meantime, I’ll leave you with this to ponder.

It’s kinda like the red and blue pill from the Matrix movies, but with doors. And kittens.

Yes, that’s right. Another year, another uncompromising fountain of inspiration to be spewed forth from this blog, which I promise to dedicate my full attention too. You’ll be pleased to know I have been thinking long and hard about all manner of thrilling, captivating content that might just…could maybe….perhaps would save….oh wait, what was I saying?

Oh yes, welcome back, dear media consumer, confederate spy or simply bored punter. And my sincere apologies to all two of you, my avid readers, for the lack of updates. You know how December is. It starts off with an innocuous drink and before you know it you find yourself waking up from a drunken haze to the dulcet yelps of children in the local park, discovering you are securely wedged under the see-saw wearing rabbit ears and no shoes and smelling mysteriously like talcum powder. Or is that just me?

But we’re getting back into the swing of it. Enjoyed a lovely xmas break before some idiot decided we all had to go back to work (I mean really, who does that?) And here we are. Second week into the second decade of the new century with all of our hopes, dreams and potential alcoholism stretching as far into the future as one can see. General consensus is that 2010 will be a good year, but I have concluded that this is simply the reason we all get so hammered again and again at each and every new years – so we can trick ourselves into believing this completely ludicrious notion.

For me it will be a busy year, and so I have only set resolutions I can keep – try to drink more, diminish my work life balance and spend more money on useless consumerist crap. As you can probably imagine, I feel quite positive about these resolutions, and so thought I would start the year on a peppy (but gentle) list of current favourite things. I hope you like them too.

Favourite artist of the month (and very possibly the year) is Moki, discovered in the fabulous The Upset

Favourite example of ridiculously apt timing and misfortune (you don’t want to laugh, but you do, don’t you?)

Favourite January sound (old now, but still achingly good)

sound

Favourite new toys, the Doppelgangers (Yes, they stack. Yes, that’s all they do.)

Favourite interior design recreations of some of my most poignant childhood fairytales, the Moomins (by the lovely Maria Yasko)

And one of many favourite items found on one of my new favourite blogs, found magazine.

A nice collection of dreams, beauty and ridiculousness with which to start the year. So many good things do I have to share. And on that note, I hope to be writing here much more, spreading joy and jubilation to readers near and far. You better accept that as your apology, cause it’s the best you’re going to get.

Oh, how I wish I could have made this. :sigh:

Simply delightful.

I’m not a huge fan of Tom Waits, but even his dulcet gravel tones are endearing as the soundtrack to this awesome animation by Fluorescent Hill. Thanks ANY. I have been busy working, but have been lamenting getting creative (some work-in-progress to come, but I have to display it at the work exhibition this week, so can’t reveal it til then). Still, I am adopting a new mantra for summer:

Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

After an epic cycling adventure on the weekend (with epic = horribly unfit and adventure = getting lost), on Sunday I came down with a lovely case of something nasty. As a result, I have spent some time on the internet looking for self-help remedies. I am all for self diagnosis (aided by the internet, thank you very much), except that to my dismay I discovered that my symptoms meant I had contracted strep throat, pneumonia, depression and TB, not to mention swine flu and bipolar. I am sure to die. But  in my quest for the antidote, I stumbled upon some help – and these beautiful pieces.

Beautiful design combined with minimal bullshit and pretense is what I love best, and so this made me feel slightly better. These guys have it all. A crisp and ergonomic website, appealing ethics and ideology, and gorgeous, tactile packaging that makes me wish that advertising was more integrated with the appearance of the final product. Simply browsing the website improved my health no end. Yes, the content may be a little cad (witty, dry product banter is getting hard to sustain). And yes, it probably won’t change the world like some other things I have seen this week. But it made me feel happy, even for just a moment.

After all, sometimes even superman loses his super, and needs a little help.

Oh ever so busy. Busy at work, busy at play, busy on bikes and busy drinking booze. Yes, some things never change. But winter is so fabulously frantic that it is nearly half over, and soon it will be spring again and time for parks, sun, wine, cheese and grassy rashes.

Work has been absorbing and exhausting, not just because they threw us an end of year party (aka we-found-some-left-over-funds-at-the-end-of-the-financial-year party) complete with kegs of cocktails, but also because of the buzz that is the Cannes Lions, the importance of which would have eluded me just over a year ago, but now has some significant relevance (or so I’m told) due to my new choice of career. While the majority seems to be industry-indulging bollocks, occasional gems are worth their weight in…uh…gold lions. Such as this spot from Tribal DDB Amsterdam.

(much better quality here).

Winning awards seems to be quite important to our agency, despite some views to the contrary and our seeming inability to do so (this year, at least). But it also serves as a valid excuse to take the time to seek out and peruse the most innovative and fabulous work from around the world. Images that disarm you, media placement to delight you and innovation that leaves you breathless (not to mention petrified).

But in the end, it is still far away from the commercial and capitalist world that the most wonderful art is occurring; incredible music, magical imagery (below, and courtesy of Mark Sartain), and fabulously pertinent writing.

It is digital expeditions that make discovery all of these treasures possible, not TV or press or radio. I am enchanted without being sold ideas, persuaded without being told what I need. And sometimes, just by chance, you stumble upon something that is all sorts of wonderful.

What a fabulous concept and website this is from a digital agency that has just come to my attention, based in Sweden and known as Daddy.

Combining a beautifully designed website with all the things that are exciting about digital: interaction, discovery, accessibility, reach, integration, strategy and conversation… not to mention the inclusion of some of my favourite things – small trees and big words.

I am a little slow on the uptake (I missed the experiment, afterall) but needed to give props for such beautiful work. These are the kind of ideas and executions I want to be working with… Why must all the good things come from Sweden??

I am not sure such an accomplished digital agency exists here in Australia, but I am searching for it. Meanwhile we will continue to tinker with overworked web developers and under resourced digital strategy departments… sigh.

Big props to crackunit for bringing this lovely job to my attention. And for his unrelenting advocacy of the importance of digital. It feels good.

Following on from the theme of Advertising 101, another humorous analogy of what is now my everyday life. :sigh:

With thanks to a fine new blog I have discovered, Insights and Ideas which is written by a young man named Tim who lives locally and whom I hope to meet some day.

Perhaps everything would be alright if I just had one of these:

Although it seems to be missing the actual time display, which brings its functionality into question. I guess it wouldn’t really matter. You’d be so busy transforming you would lose all sense of time anyway. Courtesy of the ever inspiring Toxel.

The japanese are the best purveyors of quirkiness. And frustration. I bought a birthday present for madcaow, but it wasn’t until we got it home that we realised you had to assemble it yourself… And thus, our friday night was made. Felt rav tbh. I think we did ok, for a first attempt. (No bloggers were harmed in the making of this series).

The production line had it all – disgruntled and embattled workers, harsh employment conditions and even some bloodshed. I am surprised there wasn’t calls for a union to be formed (must have been the ready supply of wine), but to our astonishment the final product somewhat resembled that which appeared on the box. It was a short moment of great pride. And then we found this:

Yes. It is true. Thank you for raising the bar, little brown bird’s dreams. I bow down to your felty goodness. (In our defense, she is from Singapore, which is closer to Japan than here). I feel there may be more inspired felty treats to come…

I have struggled a little this week, and so I went trawling the internet for some inspiration. Unfortunately I found some…

An inspiring place to work…

An inspiring piece of work… (although not unlike a hallucinogenic experience I had once, which makes it also somewhat alarming)

An inspiring diatribe on why you must keep creating….

And an inspirational artform (thankyou to the beautiful Sophie)…

I am trying to keep these in mind, and my inspiration alive, in this first week of dreary winter in melbourne… more to come.