Neglect Part 2

It's been a while since i've felt so absent and distracted from this bit of space. I've been knuckling down to some serious work over the past seven days, and haven't felt inspired by much else really, not enough to share on here anyway. I'm working on re-designing Flux magazine, my last project of 2nd year. I really want to go all out for it which explains my absence from the blogging world. One of my tutors is the art director for the magazine, and he's offered work experience on the design of the real magazine as reward to the best few who do well in this project. As fantastic as that would be, it's not what's driving me to put so much effort in. I think what is, is the fact that after the 12th May i will be without constant projects until the end of September, and i already know i'll get bored, so i'm making the most of this one while i have it.

For your info, the articles in the issue i'm redesigning are on;

Pina Bausch
Federico Fellini
Antoni Tapies
Ann Demeulemeester
Philip Glass
So i'm currently spending most of my time researching them, writing articles and working on possible design routes and themes to tie the magazine together. Fun times.

Letters

I would love to pay another visit to R.S.V.P in Berlin to stock up on writing paper

I had the luxury of a bit of a day off this weekend. Sunday was spent plodding through ideas for my new project (more on that to follow shortly) which was done at such a leisurely pace it didn't seem taxing. I also had a 40 minute cat nap in a sunny spot, and i wrote a letter. Letter writing is one of my favourite things. I love the whole process of thinking up what to say, the beautiful stationery, trying to keep writing neatly and in straight lines, and then the couple of days of anticipation while your note gets carried across the county, or world. I think letters are becoming a bit of a lost art what with email and texts (which i do use constantly). For a while, maybe over the summer, i would love to pick out some lovely stationery with matching envelopes, and perhaps a new pen, and spend days writing letters. I love  receiving them too, do you ever try and guess who a letter's from just from the handwritten address on the envelope? I do. I wish i had more spare time to enjoy writing a good letter, they're not really something you can rush. I think that's what i quite like about them, they force you to slow down.
 

Manchester Literature Festival

This year it's running from the 14th to the 25th of October, and is bringing some fairly major names to the city. The idea of having the actual authors read bits of their work to you is something i look forward to with a childlike sort of excitement. I'm thinking of getting a ticket for the 25th to see Monique Roffey, author of one of my all-time favourite books 'Sun Dog' (read it, i dare you not to feel inspired). Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy are also on the list of who i'd like to see, if only to gain some closure after studying their work to death for my English GCSE and A Level exams. Hopefully the dates won't clash too badly with my new 2nd year timetable, otherwise i might have to suddenly develop a nasty bout of flu for those afternoons.

See who's on. 

Back to Blog

It's been about 2 weeks since i've sat down and blogged as usual, it feels like much longer. The number of times i've wished at the end of the day i've had a laptop with the whiff of on internet connection to write about the exciting things that have happened. Since there's been too much going on to catch up properly, i'm going to post the top five photos from each place i've been so you get an idea of the best bits. I'm in great danger of getting the post-holiday blues, so will be tirelessly trying to get excited about things at home...that or booking a last minute escape route to somewhere like Berlin (next on my list).

A Pressing Matter

The journal i have been working on for the last few weeks is to be handed in on the 7th June. Naturally being unable to plan ahead, i booked a trip to Glasgow for a few days the week before hand in. I am spending nearly every waking hour this week rushing to get it written, designed, printed and bound, so there isn't much time to stop and chat. I took these photos in the letterpress studio at uni this morning, they're to go in the journal but i thought i'd post them as well.

Rubbish Theory

I realise there's been a bit of a gap in posts, and i doubt you'll be left feeling satisfied after this but beggers can't be choosers. My life is currently being consumed by the following books. They're helping me write my essay which is due in on the 22nd (when normal blogging will return).

Not the nicest of topics but i'm actually really enjoying the reading, especially 'Purity and Danger', Douglas writes in a fairly light hearted way despite addressing some serious topics. Excuse the lack of enthusiastic blogging but i've just got to get this essay out of the way and then i'm all yours. Enjoy the rest of your week.

The Town Mouse & The Country Mouse

Did you ever read that story as a child? I went to a lecture this morning about the importance of place, and the identity you associate with certain places. I’ve spent time living in both city and countryside, and in more recent times I’ve done a lot of running between the two. On my bus ride home today I began to think about which I would choose to settle down in, which I prefer. What I realised though is that one tends to cancel out the other, they’re such different extremes. After spending a couple of weeks in the busy city, where one can hop on a bus at any time of day or night and do anything, I often find myself needing to escape to a quieter place. I’m lucky in that my parents live in the suburbs surrounded by endless greenery and it’s only a 45 minute journey away, so every once in a while I can run away there and feel I have a bit of space to slow down and take a minute to breathe.

What interests me though is that during the summer when I move out of my university halls and move back to my parent’s house, it doesn’t take more than a month of being in such a quiet, empty space that I begin to crave the excitement of the city. The countryside, despite being a huge open space confines me, I feel I have less freedom. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to decide where to settle, I like to be able to uproot myself and change my surroundings, so in a way I don’t feel I can connect to one particular place. What about you? Are you a town mouse or a country mouse?