My Creative Everyday

Everyday lives of extraordinary people - an interview with Maggie Dallas by Ellie M. Blake  “What a time to be alive!” Maggie Dallas says, as she starts off our interview by telling me the college world series, an annual baseball tournament held in June in Nebraska, is on and it’s busy everywhere. “Plus everyone is freaking out about market rates,” she adds.   I love her energy. You never know what someone will be like, and meeting them for the first time, those first impressions speak volumes.  In our 40-minute zoom interview, Maggie Dallas and I discussed combat photography in the military, explored creativity, talked about real estate and our experiences of social media. We also spoke about connecting with people and the pressure to be successful.  The Military It’s hard to imagine what it must have been like for her, just out of high school, in the military as a combat photographer, spending time in a little studio attached to the navy, but also in a foreign...

It was a Friday. If you didn’t know any better, you might think it was just a normal Friday. As usual I was at home, with my timetable carefully organised so I never had to teach on Fridays. Tilly and Scotty, our two Schnauzers, were playing in the garden. Scotty was on the lookout for anybody he could bark at, while Tilly was lounging in the shade. The golden dewdrops (the purple flowers in the photo) were still in bloom. It was only the end of March afterall, and the days are still warm here in South Africa that time of the year. But that was the day when everything changed. It was 27 March 2020 – the first day of the level 5 lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic. We were restricted to our homes except for essential shopping. And nobody yet knew how bad the pandemic would get or how long it would last. Suddenly the garden was our whole world as far as physical exploration went. On that first day of lockdown, when I took the photo of our two sweet Schnauzers, I knew I had to sha...

A legend, icon and one of my idols - Olivia Newton-John was humble, warm and successful.  Though she was born in the UK, I think of her as a Melbourne girl, like me, spending her formative young years in suburbia but dreaming of overseas adventures.  She paved the way for Shania Twain and Taylor Swift -  ONJ country music - ABC news . Her campaigning and impact on cancer survivors too make her one of the more remarkable women -  People Remember ONJ Such was my excitement as a child, when I heard an ad that Grease was going to be on tv, that I jumped and my wobbly tooth fell out. I've always loved leather, may be because of Grease. Perhaps it's also why I adore dresses and being a bit Sandra Dee.  Summer days, drifting away, we fell in love with her, and now she's been taken away, suddenly, sadly, our Sandy.  Olivia Newton-John, she will be so missed.

Social media has become a major player in our lives. The creativity adds to my writing in wonderful ways. Here are some of this weeks posts worth highlighting: Questions and Point of Views I learnt about Solomon's paradox from @sobergirlsociety's carousel . Perhaps that's what I enjoy about writing - it is the chance to explore my problems through another lense. Meanwhile, George Styles asks: "What is humanity's longest consistent habit?" The responses were largely around human nature but also it stirs up other ideas. I liked this one : "It's fascinating to me (tangent, I know, sorry) for how long humans have wished and pursued to express themselves and share their story and figure out new ways to express and share, from ancient cave paintings to myriads of detailed typefaces and intercultural pictograms." @shelbyn_23's viral thread  is a thought that has often troubled me.  "Am I the only one that sees a problem with working 8-9 hours ...

2022 has been ridiculously busy which has been overwhelming and I felt I needed a new way to manage my time. In fact, I posted about it on Instagram and ended up asking how others coped in my first poll, one of the cool features the social media platform provides. My IG friends were so helpful, offering support, empathy and kindness.  I took on new projects this year, which involved a change in my schedule. My evenings were swallowed up by this big black vortex and my days became longer.  I'm grateful for all of the new opportunities and the chance to learn more. However, I've realised consistently pushing myself beyond 150% is a horrendous habit. I want to be happy and find a healthy balance. Family and friends are important. They help me keep my head above water.  Nature and creativity nourish me too. They played a part in formulating a new system for myself, as well as reframing my mind in a positive and productive way. I'll share more about this in my blog and social...

On a wet Friday May morning in London, it seems fitting to be writing about Kazuo Ishiguro's 'Come rain or come shine,' which I read this week. When I attended the Faber Academy, many years ago, Ishiguro was one of the special guests. It was a small class and I remember asking him a question, the precise wording of which I can't remember. What struck me about his response, was that it reminded me he was just like most other people. He had dreams, fears and hopes.  The short story captures some of that feeling, but dramatises it in a page turner. In this 80 page book, Ishiguro packs in multiple new problems for the main character and there are moments of humour, particularly around an old muddy boot. He sets these up like the master story teller that he is, amidst the scatterings of secrets,lies and misunderstandings.  The beginning of the story took me back to my own formative years at University - the friendships, the longing and the expectation life would bring us ama...

A few weeks ago, I blogged about how I started an April daily dance challenge .  The reason I started the dance challenge was a  calendar from Action for Happiness .  These were some of the other songs I danced to. 11. ABCDEFU - Gayle 12. Mamma Mia - Maneskin 13. Like a G6 - Far East Movement 14. Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran 15. Celebration - Kylie Minogue After April ended, I planned on stopping my morning dancing. I was inspired by a good friend who mentioned someone she knows who goes dancing every night. That used to me, though not quite every night, but lots of dancing was involved. I've always enjoyed it and I figure one song a day is not much of a chore. Actually I look forward to it and makes my mornings more fun. What you need to do your own daily dance challenge: 5 minutes a day A small space to dance - I use my living room Music - I pick a song on spotify but youtube, radio, cd, record player or whatever floats your boat works too It's super simple. A monthly chall...