I took this photo at one of the local playgrounds that I like to take my son to. Not very far away from where these rocks are is a slide, numerous swings and other playground bits and pieces.
The playground itself is located in a wildlife park, and there are lots of small trees and bushes to wander through and explore if the swings are not your thing. My little boy likes to run through them, often faster than I am able to keep up with and emerge in different bits of the playground.
These rocks are on the edge of one the open areas, and are large enough to sit on. They are also smooth to the touch, probably because many small people have scrambled over them through time.
I was sitting on the largest of these rocks quite recently, watching my son rush about in the sunshine when he turned and ran towards me. When he stopped just in front of me he pointed at the rock I was sitting on and said ‘Mummy sitting on the moon.’
The freedom with which my toddler thinks and associate ideas together to produce sometimes magical statements often catches me by suprise, and often gives me ideas for things I may have not arrived at on my own.
When was the last time you sat on the moon?
I’m not a huge fan of creative exercises, so it’s not my habit to tell people what to do with these prompts. There are lots of options – a scene, some flash fiction, a short story, an idea for a short film or a physical piece of art. If you do have a go with this one and would like to drop the result in the comments please do so. I would be very interested to see what people make of these so please do link to blog posts or comment below.
Thank you for reading. I also write, make art and films. You can read my short fantasy stories here on Simily. If you like these prompts and want to get a copy of a free short book of them I wrote, and to hear more about my writing projects please join my mailing list here. You can see my films at my YouTube channel here. You can see things with my designs on at my shop here. Could even treat yourself if you wanted to. Just saying. If buying art is not your thing, but you would like to support what you see I also have a Patreon Page.
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Earlier this year I finally pressed the ‘export’ button on a documentary film I had been making for over 7 years. I ended up working on the project on my own, in my spare time around a full time job, and later 2 house moves and a new baby.
It started out as a project that I did as part of a documentary film making course, which was a six month long part time course. I was meant to produce something that was fifteen minutes long and based only on filmed footage, but what I ended up producing, 7 years later stretches to just over an hour and has numerous animated sequences, which I also produced myself.
The finished film is very much a DIY affair, and is entirely self funded (although after paying for training and buying new equipment I estimate my spending on it to come in under £10,000).
It is the story of a man who was a journalist in Iraq at the beginning of the war in 2003, and who lost part of his leg to a landmine. My aim in the film was to tell the story of this event and his recovery from it.
I’ve entered it into a few festivals but have been knocked back from the bigger ones where I was probably competing against professional outfits. I’m still wiating to hear from some smaller ones, but I don’t really mind this, as entering the film into festivals weas more of a mark of completing the project for me than anything else. For those who know me actually finishing projects isn’t my strong point.
I’m pleased enough with the look, but having made it once there are things I would do differently now. There are definitely a lot of things I learned both about film making and my own creative process along the way.
Technical skills matter
One of the big frustrations I had with that original course is that the tutor spent far more time on ‘ideas development’ than she did on technical skills training. I think that ideas development is really important, and allowing space for that activity is definitely key to a successful project.
However, when I came to try to put some of my ideas into practice I found that I didn’t have the technical skills to do some of the things I wanted to do. Some of those things were quite basic editing techniques, and I needed to go off and pay for more training to really be able to start putting my ideas into practice
Equipment matters
Another problem I had with that orginal course was that the equipment they supplied was very big, clumbersome, and almost impossible to manage on my own. Most of the cameras were really designed for use on sets or bigger productions, not for the DIY documentarian.
I think they intended for groups of students to team up while making their films, but this didn’t work so well on a part time course as we all had different schedules and commitments. The impact this had on me was to make me feel that documentary film making would be inaccessible to me, and to lose courage. But over time I learned this was not the case.
Later I invested in a small digital DSLR camera that records really nice interview footage, a pair of radio mics and some other small bits and pieces. All of this equipement fits in a bag that I can take on the bus with me if I need to.
There are draw backs, in that the DSLR doesn’t like to record footage while it is moving (although it does a nice job with capturing things if it is locked off on a tripod), so I’ll have to supplement my kit at some point with a go pro or a camcorder.
But the lesson here was that with a bit of research I was able to find some kit that worked for me.
Being ‘slow’ is baked into my process
I was reading an article by Dad on the Spectrum the other day on Medium about how people who are neurodiverse take more time to do things. I left a comment about how I used to think I was ‘slow’, but now I know that I just think differently. I think in the comment this ‘slow’ came across as a negative thing, and it probably was at some point in the past.
Now I see that my process of circling through projects and giving each one a rest to breathe for periods of time is probably just part of my process. It certainly slows down my progress, but I think the end results are better so I’m learning to embrace ‘slow’.
I like to make things hard for myself
One of the decisions I made early on was to animate a number of sections in the film. I learned that using film footage is a lot quicker and easier, although maybe less satisfying.
I don’t regret choosing this path, but it was time consuming, labour intensive, and slowed down the whole process even more as I needed to do more training, and learn how to use a different set of software. Still I am glad that I did this as it enriched the experience of making my film.
If after all of that you would like to view the finished film you can see it here.
Thank you for reading. I also write, make art and films. You can read my short fantasy stories here on Simily. If you are interested in the process of creativity and want to get a copy of my free short book of creative prompts, and to hear more about my writing projects please join my mailing list here. You can see my films at my YouTube channel here. You can see things with my designs on at my shop here. Could even treat yourself if you wanted to. Just saying. If buying art is not your thing, but you would like to support what you see I also have a Patreon page here.
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In last week’s post I wrote about a Thank-you Note I had spotted on the floor outside of one of our local small supermarkets. This week I had to go into Central London to be in the office for my day job, and I saw this little note on the pavement.
It’s folded up so I don’t know what it says (and I did not unfold it), making this note far more mysterious. It could be all sorts of things, like a set of important points that someone had compiled while revising for an important exam, or a shopping list.
Old school pen and paper is still reassuringly difficult to access from a distance. Most of the time you actually have to get your hands on a piece of paper to read it’s contents, or be sitting very close by. So it could contain important secrets that someone did not want easily stolen.
Maybe it is a love note. The star like patterns on the edge of the page suggest it could be from someone’s personal grimoire detailing an important spell.
The way the note is folded makes me think that at some point someone was clutching it tightly, so it is particularly mysterious that it ended up on the pavement on a sunny morning.
What do you think is in the note? Who wrote it? How did they come to drop it on the pavement?
I’m not a huge fan of creative exercises, so it’s not my habit to tell people what to do with these prompts. There are lots of options – a scene, some flash fiction, a short story, an idea for a short film or a physical piece of art. If you do have a go with this one and would like to drop the result in the comments please do so. I would be very interested to see what people make of these so please do link to blog posts or comment below.
Thank you for reading. I also write, make art and films. You can read my short fantasy stories here on Simily. If you like these prompts and want to get a copy of a free short book of them I wrote, and to hear more about my writing projects please join my mailing list here. You can see my films at my YouTube channel here. You can see things with my designs on at my shop here. Could even treat yourself if you wanted to. Just saying. If buying art is not your thing, but you would like to support what you see I also have a Patreon Page.
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Like my work but none of the above options appeal? You could consider a one off donation instead. I would really appreciate it.
I saw this small lump of happiness when I was darting out of one of our local shops. It was laying on the pavement just at the threshold, just a little to the left if the automatic doors and the blast of the air conditioning. As I stopped to take a photograph, the security guard wandered over to see what I was doing.
I’m not sure how suspicious I looked, crouching in the doorway of the shop trying to take a photo of the floor with my phone while balancing a bag of bananas, but it probably isn’t normal behaviour. The two of us spent a few moments looking at this little note together, remarking on how sweet it was, which in itself was nice because we’ve never had cause to talk before.
I don’t know who made the note, who Angela is, or indeed who her mother may be. I don’t think it matters, that this little note exists tells us that someone made this little token of thanks, or of love, with there own hands for somebody else. That can be inspiring for all of us.
I’m not sure if this little note will prompt a story for anyone, or if it will simply function to spread a little simple joy on the internet, which can be a squalid place sometimes.
Why may someone make a note like this?
Who might it be for?
I’m not a huge fan of creative exercises, so it’s not my habit to tell people what to do with these prompts. There are lots of options – a scene, some flash fiction, a short story, an idea for a short film or a physical piece of art. If you do have a go with this one and would like to drop the result in the comments please do so. I would be very interested to see what people make of these so please do link to blog posts or comment below.
Thank you for reading. I also write, make art and films. You can read my short fantasy stories here on Simily. If you like these prompts and want to get a copy of a free short book of them I wrote, and to hear more about my writing projects please join my mailing list here. You can see my films at my YouTube channel here. You can see things with my designs on at my shop here. Could even treat yourself if you wanted to. Just saying. If buying art is not your thing, but you would like to support what you see I also have a Patreon Page.
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Like my work but none of the above options appeal? You could consider a one off donation instead. I would really appreciate it.
I was walking back from the park with my son a few weeks ago when I saw this motorbike hidden under a tree. The path we like to take is not paved and is quite wild this time of year. It follows the curve of the railway line which runs through the area, and I like to walk my son down there as he likes to see the trams that run on those rails. The spot itself is quite secluded.
He was the first one to point out the ‘motobike’, which was quickly followed by a request for a ride, causing him not inconsiderable disappointment when I had to refuse him.
The way the bike was concealed within the low lying branches of a tree, and the way there is damage to parts of it suggests to me that who ever stashed it there may not have had the best of intentions.
It feels like a good opener for a crime procedural, a mysterious motorbike, found it the woods.
Who do you think may have left it there?
What were they the ‘getaway’ driver for?
I’m not a huge fan of creative exercises, so it’s not my habit to tell people what to do with these prompts. There are lots of options – a scene, some flash fiction, a short story, an idea for a short film or a physical piece of art. If you do have a go with this one and would like to drop the result in the comments please do so. I would be very interested to see what people make of these so please do link to blog posts or comment below.
Thank you for reading. I also write, make art and films. You can read my short fantasy stories here on Simily. If you like these prompts and want to get a copy of a free short book of them I wrote, and to hear more about my writing projects please join my mailing list here. You can see my films at my YouTube channel here. You can see things with my designs on at my shop here. Could even treat yourself if you wanted to. Just saying. If buying art is not your thing, but you would like to support what you see I also have a Patreon Page.
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Like my work but none of the above options appeal? You could consider a one off donation instead. I would really appreciate it.
I spied these beads the other morning while walking my son to the nursery. It was a bright hot day and sunshine glinting off the bright blue caught my eye. The beads were nestled in a collection of old leaves on the edge of a playground, and they seemed to me to be the kind of find I would have been very happy with as a child, making me think of treasure.
Some of the great stories and movies that I liked as a child started off as a hunt for treasure, and I still have a particular fondness for the Goonies. Most of the Indiana Jone’s stories involved the pursuit of some kind of treasure, for a range of different reasons. I think the pursuit of treasure can be a great device to use in a story, as it can reveal many facets of a character or a group of characters personalities.
What might a good treasure be?
Why does a character need or want it?
Greed?
Money worries?
It’s significance as an occult object?
I’m not a huge fan of creative exercises, so it’s not my habit to tell people what to do with these prompts. There are lots of options – a scene, some flash fiction, a short story, an idea for a short film or a physical piece of art. If you do have a go with this one and would like to drop the result in the comments please do so. I would be very interested to see what people make of these so please do link to blog posts or comment below.
Thank you for reading. I also write, make art and films. You can read my short fantasy stories here on Simily. If you like these prompts and want to get a copy of a free short book of them I wrote, and to hear more about my writing projects please join my mailing list here. You can see my films at my YouTube channel here. You can see things with my designs on at my shop here. Could even treat yourself if you wanted to. Just saying. If buying art is not your thing, but you would like to support what you see I also have a Patreon Page.
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Like my work but none of the above options appeal? You could consider a one off donation instead. I would really appreciate it.
I took this photograph in a small town in the Cotswolds in the UK. The sign sits high up on a wall that lines one side of a small road that provides an escape from the main high street. The entrance is enclosed on both sides and above by squat old buildings made from Cotswold stone, and the alleyway winds away from the shops through a mysterious series of corridors until you find yourself at the back of the town in the car park.
In the UK many of the street names in old towns and villages had quite literal names. There are a lot of Station Roads that now, or used to, lead to train stations. When I saw this sign I could not imagine how it got it’s name and some google adventures later I still do not know.
The local area used to be famous for it’s cloth trade, and there were many woollen mills in the district from as far back as the thirteenth century. I couldn’t find confirmation that this particular Rope Walk relates to that activity, although the connection seems sensible.
How do you think Rope Walk got its name?
What kind of mysterious things may have happened there?
I’m not a huge fan of creative exercises, so it’s not my habit to tell people what to do with these prompts. There are lots of options – a scene, some flash fiction, a short story, an idea for a short film or a physical piece of art. If you do have a go with this one and would like to drop the result in the comments please do so. I would be very interested to see what people make of these so please do link to blog posts or comment below.
Thank you for reading. I also write, make art and films. You can read my short fantasy stories here on Simily. If you like these prompts and want to get a copy of a free short book of them I wrote, and to hear more about my writing projects please join my mailing list here. You can see my films at my YouTube channel here. You can see things with my designs on at my shop here. Could even treat yourself if you wanted to. Just saying. If buying art is not your thing, but you would like to support what you see I also have a Patreon Page.
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Like my work but none of the above options appeal? You could consider a one off donation instead. I would really appreciate it.
A few weeks ago I left my house to pop to the shop and found that someone had dropped a pack of playing cards all over the pavement down our road. I stopped to take a few photos of some of the cards where they lay, as I always think there’s something a bit mysterious about a solitary playing card, maybe because they have been used in so many murder mystery and super hero films.
As I was doing this I realised that there was a particular card that I wanted to find, and then set about looking for the queen of hearts. I eventually found her loitering by the wheel of a parked car in the middle of the road.
This card has a dual meaning for me in that it reminds me both of the irrational and powerful Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland (this is an affiliate link – if you buy this book using this link I’ll be sent a few pence as a referral fee), and of the more generic archetype of the beloved queen or princess in many fairy tales.
I’m particularly drawn to the idea of a character who may be able combine the two different forms of representation, the caring and kind exterior, that may be disrupted at times by actions and decisions that carry power, and that may be unpredictable and make little sense.
Can you imagine such a person?
Who would they be and where may you encounter them in a fictional world?
I’m not a huge fan of creative exercises, so it’s not my habit to tell people what to do with these prompts. There are lots of options – a scene, some flash fiction, a short story, an idea for a short film or a physical piece of art. If you do have a go with this one and would like to drop the result in the comments please do so. I would be very interested to see what people make of these so please do link to blog posts or comment below.
Thank you for reading. I also write, make art and films. You can read my short fantasy stories here on Simily. If you like these prompts and want to get a copy of a free short book of them I wrote, and to hear more about my writing projects please join my mailing list here. You can see my films at my YouTube channel here. You can see things with my designs on at my shop here. Could even treat yourself if you wanted to. Just saying. If buying art is not your thing, but you would like to support what you see I also have a Patreon Page.
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Like my work but none of the above options appeal? You could consider a one off donation instead. I would really appreciate it.
A few weeks ago my little family and I took a holiday by the seaside in the town of Worthing, East Sussex. While we were there I noticed quite a few little pieces of knitted art like this clock that we saw fixed to a lamp post. Most of them were fixed to various spots along the promenade at the sea front, which is a popular public space even when the air is cold, windy and flecked with rain.
I later found out that it was part of an art project called Time and Seasons by the local knitting group Make and Munch (for a nice article about the project read here). I really loved the quiet humour in these pieces, like the little mouse hanging on the pendulum.
It is inspiring to see people use slightly subversive artistic tactics in public spaces to prompt people to stop for a moment and maybe reflect on something important for a moment. Here the juxtaposition of the soft, ‘indoorsy’ feel of the knitting against the raw elements of the sea front caused me to stop and take a photograph, and to wonder what the piece was about.
Public spaces can often feel like they are corporate spaces, simply maintained and organised to sell people things that they probably don’t need. Art in these spaces can do the opposite, especially pieces that are as enigmatic as this one, they can invite people to spend time simply collectively looking and thinking and feeling. Sometimes they can induce a feeling of beloning, that these spaces may be ‘for us’ after all.
If you were able to reclaim a local public space with art, where would that be? What would the project look like?
I’m not a huge fan of creative exercises, so it’s not my habit to tell people what to do with these prompts. There are lots of options – a scene, some flash fiction, a short story, an idea for a short film or a physical piece of art. If you do have a go with this one and would like to drop the result in the comments please do so. I would be very interested to see what people make of these so please do link to blog posts or comment below.
Thank you for reading. I also write, make art and films. You can read my short fantasy stories here on Simily. If you like these prompts and want to get a copy of a free short book of them I wrote, and to hear more about my writing projects please join my mailing list here. You can see my films at my YouTube channel here. You can see things with my designs on at my shop here. Could even treat yourself if you wanted to. Just saying. If buying art is not your thing, but you would like to support what you see I also have a Patreon Page here.
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Like my work but none of the above options appeal? You could consider a one off donation instead. I would really appreciate it.
When I saw this bike in the mud of the Thames I immediately thought of the references made to Mother and Father Thames in The Rivers of London series of books by Ben Aaronovitch (this is an affiliate link – if you buy this book using this link I’ll be sent a few pence as a referral fee). I’ve been a fan of the series for a long time and these books are definitely an influence on my own work.
I took the photo while out on a day trip with my family, so it was taken a little hastily. It’s also a little fuzzy because I was hanging over a wall a bit, looking down from quite a height while the tide was low, but I’m pleased enough with the monochrome feel of the snap.
The city of London marks a site of settlement that goes back until at least the Roman times, and in Pre-Christian times it was common for people to make votive offerings (Wikipedia has a nice entry on this here) to the local deities of the land and the water. It’s likely that the river will have received many, many offerings over the years for the local spirits from people seeking luck or protection, or giving thanks for a piece of good fortune.
It makes me wonder, in a different time who may have made such a valuable offering and what did they want or need?
Would the local spirit have been enraged to receive the offer of a stolen bicycle, or entertained?
Thank you for reading. I also write, make art and films. You can read my short fantasy stories here on Simily. If you like these prompts and want to get a copy of a free short book of them I wrote, and to hear more about my writing projects please join my mailing list here. You can see my films at my YouTube channel here. You can see things with my designs on at my shop here. Could even treat yourself if you wanted to. Just saying. If buying art is not your thing, but you would like to support what you see you could buy me a KoFi, and I also have a Patreon Page.
The Magpie at Midnight 