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Back to Work
January 25, 2012
We’ve been home a few days now but have somehow managed to maintain a blissed-out state of mind that comes from total relaxation. Bella of course was in her element, playing in the creek.
So, it’s 2012 and we’ve got a HUGE year coming up. I’ve been putting the final touches to two very important books that’ll be launched in February and March.
Journey: Experiences with Breast Cancer has taken nearly two years to put together and we’re very proud of how it has evolved. We’ll be launching that on Saturday 25 February in Eltham.
And our other book? Who is a Cheeky Monkey? will be launched early March and of course it has cheeky illustrations by Kev Howlett. Stay tuned for more info for that too.
And so another year …
December 29, 2011On Christmas Day, after spending a great time with family, we decided to head home early because of the weather. I imagined arriving home to a floating bedroom. But the drive home was more exciting and was very much like out of an apocalyptic movie (but without the Zombie’s! said my youngest son).
Of course, the writer in me has stored all that information away. As we continued driving home (a ten minute drive took forty five because of flooding) I imagined what we would do if this really was a catastrophe. And then, when we arrived home to soggy carpet, I decided that we own too much crap and I have resolved to declutter my life.
Is that a New Year resolution? Well, yes, it’s part of my resolution. Top of my list is to write more, as it is EVERY single year. But in this coming year, 2012 (there’s something about the number that elicits calmness over me) I do resolve to write more and to play more.
What will you promise for YOURSELF?
Happy New Year to all and may 2012 (The National Year of Reading) be one of great adventure.
The Key to Creativity
November 26, 2011Did anyone out there read the article about Google this morning in the Age? What an extraordinary phenomena is Google. But the information that really resonates with me, in that article, is the fact that staff at Google are allocated 20% of their time to work on their own projects. So in reality, Google are letting people play. This play time created what we now know as gmail. This relates to something I was talking about a few posts back about restocking the well.
To be creative, you really do need to play, go out and talk to people, be adventurous. That’s why artists, writers, musicians say they are ‘working’ when they’re lying on the couch, sitting in cafes people watching or perusing galleries. So for EVERYONE, no matter what industry you’re in, the key to being creative is to play.
So give yourself permission to do just that. Be silly, playful, waste some time. You’ll be amazed at what you’ll discover about yourself, how you’ll solve some incessant problem and guess what? You’ll enjoy doing it.
The Power of Books
November 9, 2011In the these changing times it’s a fact that books are going to become fewer. But I think that books are going to become very special. Specialised in fact.
Words take on a life of their own once printed and having the tactile object in my hand is very important. I think that’s why I have gravitated to all things publishing. I love the whole process of taking a manuscript and transforming it into a book.
Once upon a time, publishing was more like secret-mens-business. Men ran the company and it felt like some private club that only the prestigious could enter. Welcome the digital age and Hey Presto! publishing really is so easy. And if anyone asks me how to do it, I’m more than happy to share what I know.
In the meantime, Busybird is growing from strength to strength as a boutique publisher and we’re happy to help anyone become a published author whether they’re a budding novelist, a business owner, a poet or a family historian. There are so many great books yet to be made and YOU the creator can have total control over the whole process when creating your own custom published book.
And if you really want to be at the forefront of the digital age, why not make your book an ebook?
Restocking the Well
October 20, 2011
We MUST trust the universe. Lately there have been many opportunities for us to take on more work and because there’s always the fear that if we say ‘No’ it will dry up, we continually say ‘Yes’. Problem with that is that there is the danger of only ever doing work and not taking time out to play.
So, over the last few weeks, all we’ve been doing is work. It’s gotten to the point where I feel like my creative self has disappeared. The well has dried up. All of a sudden I sit down to write a simple blurb for a website and there’s nothing forming in the cotton wool of my brain.
Maybe it was the beautiful spring weather, or maybe my spirit just declared war but yesterday I took the dog for a walk and for the rest of the day did what I felt like doing. Well, within reason. I still had to feed kids, do a bit of washing. Other than that, Kev and I went to the bookshop for inspiration, then a local gallery, the light factory, and the Tea House for tea and scones.
Now the well has been replenished. And guess what? The work was still waiting for me when I got back to the computer and I managed to write something half decent.