Book Review: The Book That Takes Its Time, An Unhurried Adventure in Mindfulness

Part workbook, part guide and part creative journal, The Book That Takes Its Time, An Unhurried Adventure in Mindfulness is a hardcover containing paper-based goodies, such as booklets, postcards and whimsical little notes you can write to yourself.  Written by Irene Smit and Astrid Van Der Hulst, the creative directors of cult creative magazine Flow, TheContinue reading “Book Review: The Book That Takes Its Time, An Unhurried Adventure in Mindfulness”

Every Picture Tells a Story: Nico in Paris 1960

This photograph was taken by Mark Shaw for LIFE Magazine in 1960. It features elegant couture, art and decadent modernist Parisian interiors. Nico is posing with a pair of dachshunds in the apartment of legendary Parisian interior designer Henry Samuel. Nico was a young model before she became famous. She went on to be theContinue reading “Every Picture Tells a Story: Nico in Paris 1960”

Creativity: How David Lynch finds his creative ideas

“Ideas are like fish: you don’t make the fish; you catch the fish.” The enigmatic film-maker David Lynch has no problem with capturing and exposing his weirdest and darkest ideas to film. In this short animation by The Atlantic, Lynch offers up nuggets of wisdom on creativity for film-makers, artists, writers and creators of allContinue reading “Creativity: How David Lynch finds his creative ideas”

Travel:Exploring early mediaeval churches in Eirann

I visited this crumbling relic, the largest and oldest remaining church in the Irish village of Glendalough in 2009. It was one of the largest known early Christian churches in Ireland. The church was originally dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul but ceased to be a cathedral in 1214. The large rectangular stones atContinue reading “Travel:Exploring early mediaeval churches in Eirann”

Travel Poetry: The Crackling Thunder of Frozen Lake Menteith

I wrote this poem in 2011 during a particularly bewitching snow-storm on Lake Menteith in Stirlingshire, Scotland. I had borrowed a pair of old, worn out and blunt ice-skates that were a size too small. And together with my friend, we set out to skate on the lake and also record the audio of theContinue reading “Travel Poetry: The Crackling Thunder of Frozen Lake Menteith”

History: Ancient specs as fascinating historical artefacts

In 2012 while working as a freelance copywriter, I did a series of articles for Direct Sight in the UK about the history of eye glasses. I only just remembered this one, it was incredibly fun to research and write and you can find the original here from 2012. I hope you enjoy it, fromContinue reading “History: Ancient specs as fascinating historical artefacts”

Travel:The Berlin Wall Redux: A punk lady of leisure 

In 2008 I lived in Berlin. It’s a vast adult playground of earthly delights, diversions and shiny, distracting baubles. Its maddeningly vibrant during the summer. It’s as though life is amplified to full volume and there is no dimmer switch. The sky sits very high up and the sun is beaming down with a warm,Continue reading “Travel:The Berlin Wall Redux: A punk lady of leisure “

Travel: A scooter swarm and the dance of life and death in Taiwan

Among the chaos and the streaming lights there are tiny rockets moving between buildings and jostling people out of the way as they walk into the street. In South Korea, Japan, Thailand and China these pocket rockets roam through the night, comandeered by a mixture of salarymen, young punks and mums with kids strapped toContinue reading “Travel: A scooter swarm and the dance of life and death in Taiwan”

Travel: The lost and hungry felines of Chefchaouen, Morocco

Seeing you sprawled on the ground in a doorway in Chefchaoen, Morocco, something broke inside of my heart. I found myself so immensely concerned for your safety. From your gaunt and shabby physique and milky, clouded eyes I worked out that you were severely malnourished. I attempted to pick you up gently but my MorocccanContinue reading “Travel: The lost and hungry felines of Chefchaouen, Morocco”

Book Review: The Domesticated Brain by Bruce Hood

This is a riveting read from one of the leading lights of modern psychology, Bruce Hood of the University of Bristol. The book’s main premise is that 20,000 years ago our brains were 10% larger than what they are today. And that the reason for this is primarily the influence of social practices, culture andContinue reading “Book Review: The Domesticated Brain by Bruce Hood”