Artsmonkey Blog

Who is Seth Godin? Apparently, and that word is laced with good old British cynicism he is ‘legend’ (sneer here) among the ‘marketing’ elite publishing best selling books and revered ‘copy’ all over the world. Possibly. I don’t know him from Adam (as the saying goes) but I do know GL Hoffman, at least in the online sense I do and clever GL invited Seth to close a month of ‘sharing the podium’ on What Would Dad Say dot com without resorting to blackmail, threats or bribery. Usually at this point you’d hear me yawn ‘so what’, but some of my work recently has been working with people attempting to get a foot in the door of the creative industries here in the UK at the most challenging time you could imagine and ‘WWDS’, as I’ve come to fondly know it, has been a source of sound advice and inspiration, especially during ‘share the podium’. So I felt I owed it to GL to at least read what this Seth bloke had to say.

I may have to eat my hat (perish the thought – I’ve done this before and unwashed knitted products are very hard to swallow) Seth has some really very simple, very wise, very salient advice for those of you looking for work, or new direction or a change. It really is well worth the read here’s the link http://www.whatwoulddadsay.com and here’s a taster of what you can expect when the article goes live midday March 31st -(US time)

“DON’T TRY TO GET A JOB

Don’t you dare.” Seth Godin, March 2009.

As a dog owner I was also particularly drawn to his suggestion that I could start a ‘dog –poop shovelling business’ – is there art in this somewhere I find myself wondering?

Anyway don’t take my word for it, read it for yourself. In fact, don’t stop there, fish around for a bit, find Dave Sniadak’s Vlog on being a creative worker in a non-creative environment, enjoy and take comfort in the fact that other people know what it’s like. You can also read my guest article on Sunscreen and DNA if you really have to but if you don’t have time just play the ‘Wear Sunscreen’ song embedded at the top of the article – I won’t hold it against you, I’ll be somewhere humming along with you in spirit (Baz Luhrmann is the Man).

Simple, plain speaking advice that’s what we need, no frills, no false hopes, good old common sense with just a dash of something ‘special’ as ex theatre-designer Mary Robson might say. Just remember, you saw it here first. And should you already be ‘living’ the Seth Godin maxim then well done you. I know one or two that are and they currently ride the reccession very comfortably because every day is a new challenge to relish and conquer, because they are reaping the fruits of their labours and enjoying the labour as much as the fruitfulness. So maybe, just maybe, this Seth bloke really does know what he’s talking about.

But… you might like to read this response before you make your mind up http://blueskyresumes.com/blog/seth-godin-wrong/comment-page-1/#comment-1037 oh and then this http://corcodilos.com/blog/456/create-your-own-job

Via twitter I came across seamstress @Kokeshi_me and her wonderful blog on Japanese Culture ‘Dancing on Temple Tops’ http://www.wabei-mono.com/blog/ featuring her vintage Kimono’s http://wabei-mono.com/kimono/

And a quick re-visit: back in 2008 I came across ‘Own It’ http://www.own-it.org/ a website run by the London College of Communication and University of the Arts London Own-it offers free intellectual property advice for creative businesses. As their site says “Within your business or your practice, you’ve probably created a wealth of in-house ideas, designs, music, writing, images – in short, ‘intellectual property’ - which can make you extra money, as long as you give it the proper legal protection. Own-it will show you how.”  They run great free seminars for creatives, producers, artists, directors, musicians, et al.There is a growth industry in ‘stealing’ people’s work, or as I heard it described recently ‘harvesting’ the wealth of creative work available and in the public domain on the internet. Sites such as Flickr and Facebook, are scoured by design, marketing and ad companies for images or as a free resource for ideas that they used to pay artists and designers a fee for. So before you post that photo make sure you really understand IP and what a creative commons agreement is, or keep it private.  Blog articles can be re-used as someone else’s work elsewhere on the net etc. Cynical I know, but worth considering how and what you post on the net. Here’s another site that offers advice if you find your work has been ‘borrowed’ by someone check out Calvin Lee’s advice on his blog site http://www.mayhemstudios.com/blog/2008/02/on-line-copyright-infringement.html

Finally I keep mentioning Twitter, but you may not know what twitter is – it’s a social networking site where you post updates of your activity or links to other sites, interesting articles etc. in no more than 140 letters. You can comment on other’s posts and advertise your latest blog or upload of pictures to Flickr or ‘tweet’ about events. It’s a little thin on UK creatives so if you’re an Artist and want to give it a try read this info guide first by Jewellery designer Nicola Tallmadge ttp://www.squidoo.com/ArtistTwitterGuide

Are you e-proficient? Or does your son, daughter, niece, nephew etc. understand the world wide web far better than you?

There’s no doubt we’ve moved much closer to a ‘big brother’ state and one of the biggest watcher’s of our activities is the internet. It’s also one of the most popular leisure and work tools since the bicycle was invented. We bank online, we shop online, we socialise, we share work, listen to music, educate ourselves… there’s an ever expanding list.  I was asked to run a drama session with the Brownies this month on e-safety and I came across Tim’s Blog. Tim is a youth worker who is asking some very pertinent questions about social media, because no matter how much we worry about our young people being safe when ‘online’ there is no denying that they thrive on the flexible, creative nature of social media. The whole point of social media is it’s self-regulation and lack of rules imposed by an authority – the masses vote with their feet. 

In youth arts young people, can make a film, write a song, record it overlay it as a soundtrack and upload the whole shebang on the internet in a very short space of time. They can grab photo’s and content from their work and market their project to friends and strangers alike in a scarily efficient way –sometimes capturing the imagination and interest of thousands of people as evidenced by you-tube and face-book campaigns. Is it time for an e-safety test? (like cycling proficiency) i.e. before you get on it you have to be aware of how to use it safely; protect yourself, respect others (there is an alarming incidence of e-bullying). Taking the computer away might be a little like bolting the stable door – it’s an exciting world and I do mean ‘world’ it is addictive and equally it’s useful. Do read Tim’s blog and do check out these sites below if you have any concerns about e-safety. The most useful piece of advice given to me by Artist and blogger Dan Thompson was “don’t do something just because the computer or a website tells you to, you’re in charge not the computer” - ‘check before you click’. 

Internet safety websites giving information to parents and young people http://www.bbc.co.uk/chatguide/parents/index.shtml 

An easy-to-understand site with a common sense guide to using chat rooms for the whole family.

http://www.iwf.org.uk The only organisation in the

 http://www.safety.ngfl.gov.uk   Advice for schools on internet safety from the Department for Education and Skills. 

http://www.childnet-int.org/ Childnet International : Key safety issues and how best to discuss internet safety with children. 

http://www.getnetwise.org/  Challenge yourself and learn how your children can use the internet safely. http://familyinternet.about.com/cs/internetsafety1/a/safety01.htm 

About: internet safety. Take the tutorial for internet safety. US site with level-headed information for parents.

http://www.besafeonline.org/English/safer_use_of_services_on_the_internet.htm 

This site has been developed to make adults more aware of how to use the internet safely, so they can encourage safe behaviour online among children and young people. http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/ 

A safety site with resouces and activities for families and teachers including some interactive games. http://www.safer-internet.net/ 

A European site with information about the campaigns and activities on making the internet a safer place for all. http://www.keepyourkidssafe.com/ 

Product reports and information about what software you need to have installed on your computer.  http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents  The Home Office working with industry experts to keep parents informed.

I have decided that 2009, well some of it anyway, should be given over to admiring/lauding the work of creative people out there in the social media universe who’ve got something to sing about. Why virtual rather than real? Because I spent three months researching ‘Social media and the Arts’ and where else am I going to let rip some of the fruits of all that labour?

2008 ended with a memorable moment when GL Hoffman, author of the ‘What Would Dad Say?’ Blog site, took a leap of faith and emailed me a pdf of his forthcoming book ‘Dig Your Job’ Keep it or Find a New One. It’s a “not so serious career handbook” written by an astute entrepreneur and Chairman of www.JobDig.com for the US market, with the wisdom and insight of one who really does know what he’s talking about. So if you’re a student/graduate, unemployed, a dissatisfied freelancer or disenchanted with your current work status quo then this could be money well spent http://blogs.jobdig.com/wwds/dig-your-job/ you can download a pdf for approx. £5 or buy a paperback version from www.lulu.com for £8.69 https://www.lulu.com/commerce/index.php?fBuyContent=4947573 or you can purchase a Kindle (Amazon) edition for somewhere between the two. It doesn’t matter what your career path is, there really is something for everyone in ‘Dig your Job’. G.L. Is even offering free copies to Libraries – which makes him a social entrpreneur as well as businessman.

I stumbled across two writers this year and last, both very different, whose work has inspired me. Mark C. Hewitt aka MCH was running a ‘Funding your Madness course’ with The South last November and we managed to tease out of him stories of some of his inspiring ‘word-related’ projects that he dreams up himself, before approaching potential partners to work with him . This year, I’m hoping his project with BBC South comes off, as I’m looking forward to seeing Salisbury Cathedral covered in other people’s words but he’s also Artistic Director of a live literature production company ‘Lewes Live Lit’ so look out for ‘Dementia Diaries’ at this years Eastbourne Festival in April http://www.mchblank.co.uk/

@Sniffyjenkins aka Justine Kilkerr started following me on Twitter  and has been making me smile, laugh and howl with glee ever since. She’s about to publish her first book ‘Advice for Strays’ with Jonathon Cape . If you’re an aspiring writer or creative then read her blog http://amihumanyet.co.uk/ it is an honest and open retrospective and do, definitely look out for her book, if it’s anything like her tweets it will be a sound investment.

Facebook friend Doug Macfarlane; Film geek/maker/actor/director and monthly ‘guest’ on Sky TV News, has had a full-on year and he’s just messaged to say he’s off to the Sundance Film festival where he will interview/grill celebrities and film folk for the delectation of UKFilm Network suscribers. Doug is waiting on the release of his first film ‘Making it in Hollywood’, is a founding member of ’shooting people’ and also runs  the UKTheatre network, his dynamism, grit and determination sometimes exhaust me but Doug is a great example of hard work and dedication paying back dividends.

So these are the people currently at the top of my creative iceberg, I should also mention recent twitter friend, @Mikebreed. Mike is a copywriter/aspiring film writer based in Dorking (Reed Words Ltd. - LOL!) and it was his website http://www.reedwords.co.uk/reedwordsblog/reedmiscellany/misc.html that made me think about who I admire and what it is about their work that inspires me. I was both entertained and informed by his blog article on Puccini’s and their marketing campaign I can see why he does what he does.

Oh, alright then, just one more. Do you remember the Tanker’ ‘Ice Prince’ that left a swathe of the Souths coast covered in five thousand tons of timber. Well Worthing does and this year artist Dan Thompson aka @artistsmakers is narrating a workshop to mark the first anniversary of the ‘Ice Prince’ disaster, hence Jan 24^th sees Worthing’s one day ‘Ice Prince Festival’

I first came across ‘Larkrise to Candleford’ when my mother got a part as the feisty field worker Lizzy in a community production at the local arts centre. It was in the early eighties and directed by Steve Addison a fore-runner of a community education director and was produced as a ‘promenade production’* featuring local people either volunteering at the Arts Centre or keen amateur theatre folk who had responded to an ‘Ad’ for an open audition in the local paper. The Arts Centre, which was little more than a de-consecrated church that had been stripped of its pews and altar etc. and lights hung from a single scaffold frame in the centre, made an evocative setting. It was magical; the story, the production, the cast, the whole thing.

Years later, I discovered an uncle kept a framed copy of a national review in their loo, such was their delight to discover a pre-production publicity shot of the whole cast, including my mother dressed in rural ‘labourer’ garb sporting scythes and ancient farming implements. I went away, read all the books by Flora Thompson I could get my hands on and bribed my mate Ian who had also been in it and was destined for RADA to take me on a field trip in his Ford Cortina to the flat, but rich, earthy plains of Oxfordshire – the setting for the stories Larkrise and Candleford. We walked from Juniper Hill after reading the tombstones in the churchyard to Fringford, the inspiration for Candleford and the memories stay with me (despite the fact that Ian was also teaching me photography and I took dozens of black and white photos which I learnt how to develop myself and subsequently have lost somewhere, somehow). And all this is why I would have been reluctant to watch any TV production, wary of having the warm happiness of memory spoilt by miscasting or poor production values and unsympathetic scripting. As it was, I came across the first episode by chance and was mesmerised, not at first even realising, I was watching part of the Larkrise to Candleford story. I haven’t missed an episode since. Great cast, a visual feast and wonderful adaptation. I particularly enjoyed the ‘ghost’ episode, haunting and beautifully gentle – a rare achievement for a TV production – well done Team Larkrise – excellent effort. More please.

*where the audience and actors mingle, moving round the performance space.

Starting a new year with so much uncertainty also brings with it a possibility of excitement, the thrill of the unknown as well as the fear of it.

I know 2009 will involve a wedding, travel across the South East of England again including some forays back to Kent where I ’saw in’ the New Year and I’m certainly going to make an effort to get back to Folkestone where we stopped off before returning home and Begbury Forest and the very glamourous Tenterden with it’s avenue of trees festooned with twinkling christmas lights (yes, I know they’ll be gone soon but the memory will linger on). I also know that 2009 will see me changing my ways as I strive, much harder to keep in touch with nearly ‘lost’ friends who have proved much better than me at re-establishing communications and greatly enhanced my Christmas as a result. Good to know that although I can’t remember what day of the week it is, I still retain minute details of past teenage adventures and daring do’s, which I think is a good thing?

Otherwise it’s a case of “he who hath the steerage of my course, sail on…” except that of course, if I’ve learnt one thing in 2008 it’s that we’re masters of our own destiny, if only we have the courage and the drive, or the vision.

Roll on 2009, I’m ready (and so’s my hypnotherapist, my fitness instructor and my psychologist – I wish!)

Spent much of this December pulling myself away from my lap-top to ‘layer-up’ and venture forth for long walks in frost, fog and bright, ice-clear blue skies, bright red berries hanging from thorn-bush and muddied hedgerow over flown by micro-lights and gliders enjoying the glorious ‘flying’ weather that we’ve had down South. In truth I live on the edge of a City just fifteen minutes from civilisation; supermarkets, shops, bright lights etc. In past years, Christmas has meant the ‘lighting of a fire’ of necessity, because we only had economy seven heating when we moved in which meant the house was warm from 2am til 5am and freezing for the rest of the time and it never felt very ‘economical’ when the bill arrived.

This year, we accepted an invitation to a ‘Patch Party’ at the local pub (Army slang for ‘our patch’ or people in the neighbourhood). Had such a good time; cosy pub, good food and bonhomie. One of our new neighbours is hoping to make a film next year so the conversation was full of creative talk (is there anyone out there who hasn’t written a film script yet?). We drove there and back in the pouring rain, a torchlit walk along a snow carpeted footpath would have been a wonderful end to such an evening… and incredibly dangerous, with a locked five bar gate, two ploughed fields and two rickety stiles to negotiate.

Anyhow, back to reality and the swift onslaught of Christmas. I know that there are many plans from Worthing to Milton Keynes for some artistic treats over the Christmas season and on into the new year. Art centres, theatres, village halls, christmas markets, churches, city centres – everyone’s getting culturally creative and there’s a lot of unusual stuff on offer, much of it for free. No. I’m not going to do the leg work for you, google “what’s on”, check out your local free paper, parish newsletter, village hall notice board to see what’s going on near you.

From panto, to pub bands, concerts, to craft fairs, to semi-naked men peforming acrobatics somewhere near you, trust me, it’s out there. Brrrrrr – I have never walked past a street theatre performance so quickly as I did when inadvertently coming across these two A. very brave or B. very stupid, street performers recently. I know there’s a recession on so times are hard, but performing in G-strings on a cold winters day ? I think most of the people crowding round, were trying to A. shield young children from the sight or B. standing ready to administer coats and gluhvein when hypothermia set in.

What will I be doing? Oh I’ll be back at my lap-top working my way through http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/12/14/magazine/2008_IDEAS.html?ref=magazine a clever list published by the New York Times on the best and worst ideas to come out of 2008. Right now I’m off to google the Japanese invention ‘air-bags for the elderly’ I know a certain street theatre act for whom they might come in handy.

Well maybe I was a bit hasty about Panto, having just been to see Dick Whittington at Salisbury Playhouse directed by Hannah Chissick who, surely must have seen enough panto’s in her time to know what makes a good one. Perhaps not. A good cast let down by inconsistent direction and low budget.

I can’t believe that Tommy the cat didn’t even get a pair of silver trainers or some nice bling for the walk down, well not so much walk down as walk along. Times may be hard but many companies manage to produce a lot more for their money than this simple and at times confusing panto – Dick arrives in London wearing last years Robin Hood costume, Fairy Bow Bells only gets one costume the whole way through and when Tom the cat first came on I thought his wasn’t finished yet as one leg was cut off at the knee, and the other flapping about like cowboy chaps – but no, this was street stylie (allegedy). However, it didn’t stop Nyron Levy pulling some cool moves throughout. The plot was jumpy and it was hard to understand how come Alice Fitzwarren was so sure Dick hadn’t stolen her fathers ’stash’ of cash given they’d only just met. The overall design was gloomy perhaps subconsciously infected by recession blues and lacked sparkle despite valiant attempts by Stephen Matthews and Paul Caulfield as Sarah the Cook and Silly Billy although even Mr Matthews kicked off the jokes with - “it doesn’t get any better than this” luckily it did get better but it might be worth going elsewhere if like me, you’re a panto buff and whilst you might put up with a rusty old lamp with exciting potential you find it hard to stomach a half baked pudding with little chance of rising.

Caught the penultimate performance of Oscar Wilde’s ‘Ideal Husband’ at Bath Theatre Royal. Another Peter Hall production sent about the country courtesy of Bill Kenright before being gently retired to make way for Panto season. We sat second row back in the stalls and what an amazing sight the whole thing was from there. The cast featured TV glory girls from the seventies and before; Carol Royle, Kate O’Mara, Fenella Fielding and it was quite something to witness these ladies close up, almost a show in itself. Their various styles of delivery all something to behold against their male counterparts more naturalistic, or in Robert Duncans case, more ‘music hall’ style. Comforting to see that big performances can still hold the audiences attention and hypnotically so in places – watching Fenella Fielding artfully fishing for her lines with a sweep of her gloved hand or inclination of her fantastically bewigged and hatted head was gripping.

The fact that commercial theatre makes money by wheeling out casts of TV favourites i.e. Tony Britton – remember ‘Father Dear Father?’ and then there’s Michael Praed (a sensitive Lord Chiltern) and Robert Duncan (charming, witty but miscast) surely means people are entertained by and therefore willing to pay to see classics performed by casts that seem to have been thrown together by virtue of the fact they will be recognised from the tele, to some extent or another. I know it’s unfair, they’ve usually got a bulky CV behind them but what a mixed bag when you see them altogether onstage.

I’m being churlish, I didn’t go for an acting masterclass and Oscar Wilde’s writing is brilliant when a light is shone on it. I’m grateful that apart from one or two lost lines the story was clear and the actors audible so I could appreciate Wilde’s wry and sharp observations of society. Bonus entertainment to see grande dames giving it their all, and to be able to sit and guess what the other members of the large cast who were all onstage at the beginning could possibly have been doing during the other two acts? It was good to see veteran rep actor Robert Aldous butlering away with aplomb right up to the fall of the curtain (or the coin, in this case) and I enjoyed James Dinsmore as the French Ambassador (I’m sure I’ll enjoy him for longer though when we see him in Jack & The Beanstalk at The Camberley Theatre later this year) and Isla Carter as a bouncy Miss Mabel (surely she is Harriet Walters daughter or niece?) although not perhaps her final wig (split ends – yuk! Must have been a long tour)

I know that the impracticalities of touring mean that ones belief must be suspended so as not to notice that Lord Chiltern and Lord Goring both have the same furniture and that the art of onstage letter writing has clearly been lost when a long note only takes up three lines on the page (picky old me, yes I know!) but when the average age of the performers means that delivery of lines is weighted and veering on ponderous there is unfortunately time to notice these things.

I’m torn, I missed the energy of pace and the sting of a more biting delivery and, if I’m honest more appropriate casting but I sort of enjoyed the whole spectacle of watching the older actors trumpet their foibles onstage. Never mind, it’s over now. What a unique experience, not my ideal theatre experience by any means– I had very strange dreams about Madame Tussauds and Carry On Films when I finally got to sleep that night. Roll on Panto.

And what started this train of thought?

Our government wants us to get out there and spend money to create a fiscal stimulus and calm the “potentially disastrous impact of the recession”. Let us be humble with our needs and our actions, let’s ensure that grand gestures are born of passion and tempered by wisdom and the obssessive, blundering behaviours that fuel our greed and selfishness are managed. Before we self-implode let’s look out for our neighbours, are they warm, will they be alone at Christmas? Do they need someone to listen to them? The man on the street begging may be surviving on a cocktail of drugs and alcohol but maybe a hot drink and a sandwich may remind him it’s not a ‘them and us’ situation and that now is the time to let in the professional support that’s out there. Does that make you recoil? It does me,  I’m rubbish at being a better person. Small steps, small acts of compassion, whatever it is, whatever you can offer. Hasn’t that got to be better than being a part of the world as represented by national news?

Steps slowly off soapbox… and falls over