My Creative Everyday

Lately I've been reading more, needing some down time. Sometimes though, you put the book away, or in this case, close the ebook and pause. It bothered me, a chapter and idea, and instead of pondering it, I needed an instant answer. So, AI gave it to me: It is completely fair to disagree with that breakdown. In fact, you are historically and conceptually correct to question it. The "80/20 rule" (the Pareto Principle) is a Western business efficiency concept. Mixing it with Ikigai is a modern, Westernized interpretation rather than a part of the original Japanese philosophy. Here is a breakdown of why separating the two makes a lot of sense, along with the tradeoffs of how people try to combine them. ## The Core Conflict * Traditional Ikigai: Focuses on your "reason for being." It is about a life of purpose, daily ritual, and finding joy in small things. It does not look at percentages or productivity. * The 80/20 Rule: Focuses on efficiency. It states that 80% o...

  The London Marathon is special, but no one predicted that they would break records in 2026. It officially broke the Guinness World Records title for the largest number of finishers in a marathon with 59,830 runners crossing the Finish Line. It was a sunny day which turned cooler in the late afternoon which brought on the happy vibes for locals, family, pets and friends supporting the participants at the 21 mile mark of the 26.2 miles.  From the superheroes in costumes, on wheels or in regular running gear, we got smiles, victory signs and thumbs up for the camera. There was love from partners and parents which warmed our hearts.  Just a few of those in costume included were:  Adam Winkworth for Age UK dressed as a Giant Blue Telephone,  Horsham charity director at Hope and Homes for Children with a giant teddy bear on his back, Pete Garratt. Jam the T. rex, a 2-metre tall, 4-metre long, 25kg dinosaur with the support of Sam Bryan, Joe Parsonage, Tom Brie ...

This morning I found myself needing a cat photography fix on Instagram because I was feeling drained. I've planned a photography walk this week as I definitely need it.  As I stare down the barrel of Monday afternoon,  I turned to AI to help me with improving my routine, as it's been a busy few months of work, and I needed some guidance.  First I outlined my situation and my concerns. It was insightful in its advice and I'm interested to see how my week might be more productive or how AI might make a difference to finding balance.  I'd already been thinking about the advice in section 6 over the weekend, and I'm liking having it set out for me.  The second response AI gave was after I agreed for it to sketch a plan for me.  So I'm adding the schedule advice from the second prompt into my calendar and setting myself soft alarms to keep me on track.  Hopefully this will be a positive experiment this week.  Prompt 1 advice -  It makes sense that...

Instinctively we want to hibernate in winter, and our activities change - with more reading, writing, cooking, television, music and cosy nights in.  We're fending off endless coughs and colds by consuming smoothies and soups.  A few tasty treats I've been making are: Chicken & sweet corn soup, Spring rolls, Bread & banana pudding, Peanut butter & banana pudding, Adzuki red beans, Duck pate, Portugese duck rice, Garlic and chive crusts, Fig with salt n pepper squid, Slow cooked duck, and  Banana and nutella spring rolls.  GIlmour Girls is my happy place and I'm mixing it up with American Horror Story and Mad Men . My fascination with Gilmour Girls, which I'm not rewatching has even resulted in a long blog post about it.  I've just finishing reading Crazy Rich Asians which has made me think more about identity, memories and history. I've also dipped into some of Hilary Mantel's short stories and am half way through Butter .  Accepting the wea...

Carole King re-recorded "Where You Lead, I Will Follow" with her daughter Louise Goffin for the Gilmour Girls in 2000. I watched the entire series, feeling the familiarity of her timeless ballad, you've got a friend, without knowing it was Carole King, or that she cameod as the music store owner.  I watched the pop culture phenomenon for the first time over Christmas, aware that it had been a sensation, but never drawn to the show even until several episodes into Season 1.  The Cast  At first I was intrigued, because it had Melissa McCarthy, before she was in Bridesmaids. The grandmother looked familiar and I discovered she was Jennifer Grey's mum in Dirty Dancing.  After awhile Rory Gilmore, the daughter, looked like someone I'd seen and found out Alexis Bledel was Emily in The Handmaid's Tale.  Aside from the cast regulars, the litany of guest appearances and recurring characters featured many stars: Jon Hamn from Mad Men popped up, as did Billy...

Everyone needs tips for social media and most people struggle, even if they've thousands of likes, follows and comments.  I say this whilst we're in the heart of the Christmas period, which can feel overwhelming. It's magical with decorated trees and festive excitement filled with catch ups.  Then there's technology, namely this morning a post draft disappearing, 30 minutes lost and you decide you can't face rewriting it!  I see why those new to social media struggle. Even when you've been doing it for as long as I have, and you love it mostly, you still have days where you think, I just don't have time for this.  Remember,  1. it's not always like this, 2. some platforms are better than others, &  3. the days the tide flows in a certain direction, stop swimming against it!  With any task, there's bits you enjoy and others, not so much. If you focus just on the negative, eg all the blood, sweat and tears, you'd never get to the end when it al...

The dilemma of persevering with a book as a writer or reader struck me this week. As a writer on more than 50,000 words into a novel, I'm too invested to give up on it. So though I'm excited about a new idea for a novel, I find myself attempting to hang in there.  However, as a reader, I have two new books 30 pages in, and I'm tempted to abandon both.  The first is a recent best seller full of hype. The premise intersted me, but the style and tone is do cold that I am repelled from becoming absorbed by the story. It doesn't feel right for me in the throngs of December and Christmas.  The second is a historical drama from a vest selling and well regarded author. I've read one of her books, a long time ago. I'm bored, simply not engaging with the content and style.  Book 1 is 400 pages long. Book 2 is 600 pages. Perhaps it's the length, or I'm daunted by the task of completing them.  Sometimes it takes a while to get into a book, for me to find a rhythm an...

What has writing this book taught you?  So much. First of all, how people like my writing and want to read my stories, so it felt important to start putting them out into the world. It’s taught me to trust my instincts in terms of the plot, not to plan at the outset and let the story take me where it needs to go. It’s taught me I’m comfortable writing in this genre. The writing flows naturally for me in this genre and it offers me the freedom to explore what truly fascinates me about humans, relationships and the world. There’s opportunity for me to utilise all those little observations I’ve soaked up over a lifetime. How have you grown as a writer compared to ten years ago?  Ten years ago, I was busy writing plays. I’d just written and co-produced a 4-part WW1 musical and was researching a full-length play about a historical figure. I was taking my writing seriously and was having success with playwriting but I still felt somewhat frustrated because I’ve always wanted to writ...

With announcements that And Just Like That , the love-hate Sex n The City return to TV, limping to an end, I'm not surprised. I watched some of the first season on a longhaul flight back to Australia, and the online lacklustre for it over the years reflects my impressions of those episodes I saw.  Was it ever going to work without Kim Cattrall?  I've just finished watching How I Met Your Father , and whilst it took a little while for me and the actors to settle in, it is a show I wish had continued beyond it's two seasons because Kim Cattrall and Hillary Duff were such a joy.  The main character is an aspiring photographer, which resonated with me and the last few years where I've experimented with my camera, carrying it around instead of a notebook and pen.  Leighton Meister was in it too which was a cool surprise. The episodes where cast from HIMYM featured were massive stand outs.  Spoiler also - Aidan from Sex n The City (John Corbett) is in HIMYF!!! Reflect...

"They struggled as caterpillars," I said yesterday. I was handing out butterfly stickers in a creative writing course I ran yesterday.  Unexpectedly there was lots of much needed lovely laughter throughout the day. Since we started these classes, I've noticed how we transform from the beginning of class to the end. Students are happier, and it's wonderful to be a part of that. I really appreciate the feedback, how they feel I've been so kind and also learnt about the craft.  Bringing people into the world of the power of words, the beauty in imagination and the joy of creation! They could all be heroes, time travellers and monster slayers. Anything was possible at the start of the day. I saw magic. What we made, individually and collectively was such fun. It's amazing.  Last year, the last time I ran a class, I felt like a healer and understood what it might be like for doctors.  London is bursting with creativity. That's one of the many things I love abou...

What made you decide to write your autobiography, and how did you decide which parts of your life to focus on? I ’ ve always loved writing and dreamt about writing a book, well at least for the past 20 years or so, but after quite a few bodged attempts to write a novel, I figured I should attempt to write about something I know about, so an autobiography, seemed the best bet. And the parts I focused on, well, honestly, there isn ’ t much I left out. But, of course, my acting career is woven in and out of the narrative. Was it difficult to relive certain moments while writing about your life? How did you manage emotionally challenging parts of your story? It was totally difficult to write about some things; I mean, I tend to bury the dark stuff in my life, so revisiting those moments (which were necessary) really hurt, you know, things like the losses of loved ones and my times of deep depression. I guess I have come to terms with the pain of those emotionally challenging experi...

Forever a student, wanting to grow, seeking, curious, exploring this thing we call life.  Since moving to London, I've done hundreds of classes. Learning is one of my favourite pass times. It's the experience of being with others too, togetherness.  I started tutoring high school students when I was at university. A very corporate world followed. Last year, I discovered a charity which helps students from disadvantaged backgrounds to get a place in a top university & so six months ago, I joined them and now tutor a 15-year old boy. His mock exams are over and I feel like we have come a long way. It has made me reflect on how much more support we need to give to young people despite being in an information age with the internet and a tonne of resources now readily available.  It's different working with adults. Earlier this year, I co-lead a 6-week Happiness Habits Course for another charity. It was somewhat magical even though we were online, because we had many momen...

Southwark Bandstand Did you know?  1. Heavy & bulky sliding box cameras were the standard design of the 1840s & early 1850s.  2. Captain Francis Fowke patented the 1st British camera to use concertina-pattern pleated bellows in 1856.  3. Invented for & used by the Royal Engineers, these cameras were advertised as the most portable & lightest in use. 4. Fowke was one of the most important British architects of the 19th century (The Royal Albert Hall, The Natural History Museum and the V&A), but his other inventions include a military fire engine, an improved umbrella & a portable bath.  5. The original bandstand in Southwark Park was one of a pair designed by Fowke in 1861, commissioned by the Royal Horticultural Society for gardens in South Kensington. 6. Bandstands provided a focal point in parks & the Victorians thought 'good music would free the mind of urban griminess & humanise the industrial landscape'. 7. In their heyday in the ...

Read the final Write On! magazine feature of a special three-part series on ChatGPT. In " The Future of Writing & AI ," I interviewed Dr Blay Whitby, who I approached after reading his book Artificial Intelligence: A Beginners Guide (2008). I love how our conversation even related the invention of electric guitars to technology and what lies ahead for us. 🎸 I was pretty excited to interview Dr Whitby since he's been writing about AI since 1984 and I'd read one of his books which gave me some really interesting insights into AI. Also, Dominic Jarkey, a senior R Programmer and data scientist, provides a fascinating perspective. I hadn't expected bird identification, cats and weather prediction to come up! 🐦🐈‍⬛️⛅️ So, with ChatGPT upon us, are we like butterflies flapping our wings, buffeted by wind, or caterpillars about to undergo an extraordinary metamorphosis from a chrysalis? 🦋 Or do you think AI is another bubble of the tech boom? Interestingly, it is c...

Read the second in a special three part feature on ChatGPT in Write On! magazine -   "Art, Literacy & The Singular Literary Genius" , which centres around Doctor Omar Kholeif, Egyptian-born curator of exhibitions across six continents, whose work includes commissioning award-winning art, authoring, co-authoring, or editing 41 books.  What can technology do for people in the creative field, but also what about our digital literacy? Are we constantly feeling like we have to keep up, and why are some people more open and interested in ChatGPT? A big thank you to Dr Kholeif for his time, sharing his story and wise. Internet_Art, published by Phaidon Press is gorgeous in hardback if you're looking for an art coffee-table book.  I continued to draw on  Catherine and Imo's observations and insights. The MFA  City University students are in their final year and both working on their first novels. Their interview helps tie all three parts of this series.  Also m...