MaAtt Haig's latest novel, The Humans, is a simple yet moving story that will have you weeping at the beauty and futility of it all.
As a visual artist, I find great inspiration in the varied disciplines of creativity. When I was first introduced to the renowned cellist Jacqueline du Pré, my soul was electrified by her virtuosity and sensitivity.
Catching the Comet's Tail features author Rosie Fiore. Her second novel, Wonder Women, is a brilliantly observed, multi-layered story about three women at a crossroads in their lives. Through her engaging, realistic cast of characters, Fiore tackles important issues such as motherhood, marriage, female friendship and ambition.
One only needs to look around the world at the terrible situation for many girls and women to realise that feminism is still necessary and vital. But even once females have better living conditions and more rights, feminism still has a role to play as women try to shape careers. Several recent news stories have made it clear that women are way behind when it comes to careers in the arts.
There are a plethora of lists citing the most innovative companies in the world published by some notable names in media. It does not matter that all differ in their membership; the debate of who is in and shouldn't be and who is missing but should be in is not important. What is important is that there are common principles of innovation to learn from and that can be drawn from the companies that are expertly surfing ahead on the wave of creativity.
This week, I spoke to Swedish contemporary artist Ylva Kunze during her first London show, Artist in Residence. Her canvases, informed by the woods and lakes of her childhood in Småland, are deeply affecting, filled with kinetic fervour.
As theatres struggle to make ends meet, scientists reveal why supporting your local playhouse may do more than just boost the books.
The first rule of Art Club is that there are no real rules - you can make or create whatever you can - the only limit is imagination. No one is required to produce anything particular - last time I asked them to make a specific thing I got told by one seven year old that 'this is art club not school'.
Welcome to Catching the Comet's Tail, a series of interviews with writers, artists and musicians discussing creativity and their creative process. To launch the series, I am delighted to welcome English author Elizabeth Fremantle.
In an effort to get out of the house and away from the blood vessel popping effort to keep my mouth shut, I recently went to hear the wunderkind of modern education speak at Portcullis House. In case you are old and backward like me, his name is Salman Khan.
Artist, Paint out your Hurts and you will be Healed.
*Alexandra Kamins [2009] studied for a PhD in Veterinary Science with the support of a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. Picture credit: Danilo Rizzuti a...
All of this hype and the dynamic nature of the media industry means that it attracts thousands of creative minds each year. In fact, the UK's creative industries are a real success story; they employ around 1.5million people and according to the official stats, generate £70,000 every minute for the UK economy.
At the end of the day you're head can mess you up sometimes, constantly planning and making fall back plans for your fall back plans. When it comes to making decisions for yourself, you can never go wrong listening to your heart.
Shakespeare famously wrote, "To thine own self, be true." But when your words and actions are met with negativity, you may feel your spirit sinking down. How can we learn to withstand the withering blows of doubt, both from ourselves and from others?
Distraction from our own inner processes is one way in which online technology can be seen to be inimical to creativity. For the sake of creativity perhaps we need to slow down and stay off-line from time to time.
Art possesses a limitless field of possibility within creation through the total freedom of choice
I am a mere four years into my journey as a photographer and just over two years into my journey as a professional photographer. In that time my style and aesthetic has developed. I have moved on and I can see my work becoming more my own. I am still learning and I hope I always will be.
Great Art is born for the benefit of all Humanity from the Universal Spirit of Love
I'm not sure who got more of knocking in recent years - our young people or our media industry - both are low on the public's esteem-list, and, as so often, the negative noise about a few is masking the positive achievements of the many.
The Welsh poet Susan Richardson was teaching a course on 'Intrepid Women Travellers' at Cardiff University when a reference to a Norse woman named Gudrid piqued her curiosity.
To young artists first picking up their pencils and paintbrushes, the idea of creating can seem so daunting. For every ounce of enthusiasm you carry, there creeps a shadow of uncertainty - and with so many masters before you, gazing down from hallowed museum walls, you may be tempted to not bother, to quit before you start!
One of the advantages of working in creative businesses is that, on the whole, decision-making is based on creative talent and strength of argument rather than rank or pay grade.
Breuer-Weil's pessimistic take on the Suburb, and the world beyond, looms large in many of his gargantuan works, and will strike a chord with anyone disturbed by the precarious nature of modern life and the self-centred attitudes of those at the helm of both national and supra-national institutions.
Challenging the status quo, be that in the business, leadership and management arena, or in any other for that matter, requires an alternative approach - and the skill of being brave enough to go for it.
