This blog of artsy adventures has been quiet for a while now, as I’ve been busy setting up home in Melbourne, Australia. I’ve circled the city a few times in the past, but this year my travels have brought me to live in the magical land of Oz. The multitude of cool and crazy creative … Continue reading »
In Scotland, winter nights are long and dark, and we celebrate Short Story Day on the shortest day: December 21st (or the 20th, it varies on the whim of the solar system.) In Africa, they also celebrate the beauty and precision of the shortest tales on the shortest day, which this year falls tomorrow: June … Continue reading »
Writers of Cape Town! I know you’re out there. And you, publishers. Illustrators and animators, librarians and book artists, graphic novelists, journalists, producers and editors – I want to meet you all, you wonderful, book-loving bunch. So let’s meet up for a drink, shall we? Created as a networking night in a pub, surrounded by wine … Continue reading »
I recently went along to the Capetonian chapter of Creative Mornings, a fresh and straightforward international network described as “a monthly breakfast lecture series for creative types.” As well as a coffee and the largest muffin I’ve ever seen, your free ticket gets you the opportunity to natter with other creative folk and listen to … Continue reading »
At a rooftop bar off Cape Town’s Long Street, I met some of South Africa’s bright young things, attending the monthly Together market of creative goods. Cape Town does markets really well: from foodie hangouts like City Bowl on Hope St to the vintage pop-ups of the hipsters at You, Me & Everyone We Know … Continue reading »
This weekend, I met Ted in person for the first time. I’ve seen Ted online plenty of times, and each meeting has left me full of ideas, but we’ve never actually been in the same room at the same time. Now, I’ve had a whole day with Ted – or at least, with TEDx – … Continue reading »
Cape Town’s Design Indaba is an enormous celebration of creative talent, centred on the annual Conference and Expo at the end of February, but with projects that reach out to international partners across the year. It’s hard to know where to start, looking at all the components to the Design Indaba (DI) brand: it took … Continue reading »
There is a huge array of creative activity going on here in the visually arresting city of Cape Town, with a wealth of artists, designers, writers, arts festivals and craft markets. It feels like I’m visiting a city at the early stages of a cultural explosion, linked in part to big ideas like Design Indaba … Continue reading »
I’ve made some great new colleagues in the creative world thanks to my involvement in COMMON Pitch: South Africa. From the mentors who spoke at our preparatory workshops to the fantastic and dedicated entrepreneurs, I learned a lot from all involved. The project was much more than a single evening: it was a goldmine of … Continue reading »
