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My hot take on vision boards, and why we all should pay attention to mushrooms 🍄

Hello and happy Friday! Whether this week has dragged or flown, you’re almost at the weekend, well done. In the usual Friday style, keep reading for my recap, review and recs.

Coming up:

• The shocking stance Labour has on knife crime, and what do Keir Starmer’s speech notes actually look like.

• will.i.am’s words of wisdom for creatives which echo my own militant beliefs

• Your vision board is useless unless…

• Why you should pay more attention to mushrooms

• How to increase creativity without doing drugs

• The exhibitions on my radar this weekend

The Recap:

The last seven days have seen me host an artist Q&A where we discussed meditation through process, and making paints out of rocks and chalk, and also attend a Labour Party drinks reception where they announced their stance on knife crime (spoiler alert: they’re against it.)

(ps. Keir Starmer has his speeches typed on A4 with double-row spaces, and I’d guess the font is size 20, pass it on).

This aptly encapsulates the duality of my life right now, although as mentioned last week, my foot in the youth justice world is still wearing the shoe of a creative.

The common thread this week has been strategy, as I prepared the content for my upcoming workshops (only 1 space left for the online one on Monday btw) and worked with the team at SHiFT to cast a long-term vision for branding and comms, and some big public projects.

Once again, the wordsmith will.i.am appeared at the perfect moment:

(full interview here, essential listening for creatives)

Hot take: a great vision board is useless without underpinning it with strategy. Putting ideas out into the universe is useless unless you can reverse engineer those goals and create a step-by-step of how to achieve them. And by the way, if those steps can all be done in less than a month, you have permission to expand that vision. Dream bigger.

For my self-indulgence, here is a peek at my vision board, and you better believe there’s strategy behind it all.

The Review:

The Undertones of Being. A duo show by artists Mimi Zouch and Lisa Price.

Exploring the rhythmic simplicities of the natural world with a limited black-and-white palette, Price and Zouch presented an exhibition aiming to prompt introspection and dialogue on the impact of modern societal and environmental issues. Price was driven by her understanding that, “inviting moments of stillness into our lives is integral, especially in a tech-heavy, fast-paced world. Reflecting and immersing ourselves in nature is vital for mental health.” For Zouch, the exhibition was about, “finding calmness in the reliable cycles of the earth and the moon is a juxtaposition to the chaos of the modern world. I hope viewers experience moments of tranquillity in this collection.”

The collection of works, a combination of large-scale pieces and smaller works, oscillated between the mark-making of Price and the paper-cutting of Zouch, each referencing natural patterns and shapes (the horizon, fanned gills of funghi). Price grounds up rocks and chalk from areas of natural beauty with personal significance and mixes them into paints, the geography permeating the canvas.

After spending time in the gallery, and with the artists, I then enjoyed the opportunity to host a walkthrough and Q&A. I left with two questions of my own, for myself:

1. Where in my life do I lean into the power of repetition to create spaces of calm?

Both artists use repetitive movements and techniques in their artwork, creating a deliberate rhythm that infuses the space with a sense of stillness and tranquillity. This intentional use of repetition serves as a visual meditation for viewers who spend time with the works.

As someone obsessive about routine in daily life, this artistic approach resonates with my philosophy. The idea of reducing decision fatigue aligns with my belief that a somewhat structured and repetitive lifestyle can enhance both creativity and productivity. By incorporating repetitive elements into their art, the artists not only evoke a serene ambience but also reinforce the notion that the deliberate, repetitive patterns in both art and life can contribute to a sense of calm, mental clarity, and a conducive environment for fostering creativity and productivity.

2. How often do I ground myself in nature? And is it enough?

At least an hour of my exercise every day is outside, so I spend a lot of time in the great parks of London BUT my headphones are in, and often I'm more focused on watching other people/ dogs than allowing myself to soak up nature.

Unlike me, artists Price and Zouch actively seek inspiration from daily walks, noticing and pondering things like fungi, patterns, and cloud formations. Taking inspiration from their approach, I should occasionally unplug during outdoor activities, allowing myself to observe and appreciate the natural world around me. Mindful engagement with nature could both add a new dimension to my outdoor time and potentially inspire me in unexpected ways. Noted. Lesson learnt.

We know nature is important for our bodies and brains (“We found evidence for associations between nature exposure and improved cognitive function, brain activity, blood pressure, mental health, physical activity, and sleep”*) but what about our creativity?

This study highlights the positive impact of nature on fostering creativity. It emphasizes that exposure to natural environments enhances curiosity, idea generation, and flexible thinking. Nature is especially beneficial in the early stages of the creative process, namely the Preparation and Incubation phases. The study recommends providing access to diverse natural environments to support creative professionals in their work.

Where do you get your nature fix? And where does it show up in your creative practice? Is it in the early stages, do you even make time for those early stages? 👀

The good news is that spending more time outside will get easier and easier as we creep towards Spring. Time to enhance our flexible thinking.

*Jimenez MP, DeVille NV, Elliott EG, Schiff JE, Wilt GE, Hart JE, James P. Associations between Nature Exposure and Health: A Review of the Evidence. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021

The Recs:

Reading 📖

This Twitter/X thread: How to increase creativity without doing drugs.

Margaret Atwood, Burning Questions (Review in The Guardian here, see the book here) This is a hefty book of essays, and I’m reading one or two a day. I’m particularly enjoying her wit and cutting remarks woven amidst the wisdom.

This review of the first major retrospective of the Belgian painter Jan Van Imschoot by Jörg Heiser.

Listening to 🎶

The author Laura Elkin on the Great Women Artists podcast

Actress Jennifer Garner discussing hidden potential on ReThinking podcast

Creative Director of Selfridges and former senior editor at Vogue, Laura Weir on Executive Realness

This playlist. It does what it says on the tin. Funky bops. 🪩

Art-ing 🖼️

Can you imagine this week I have been to just one exhibition?! That’s all about to change. Here are some of the exhibitions I’m planning to see over the weekend, so if you’re in London take them as your recs and if you’re not… I’ll give you the lowdown back here next week and over on my Instagram.

Lee Simmonds, ‘Kaleidoscopes’ at Kristin Hjellegjerde (London Bridge)

Group show, ‘The Blush Upon her Cheek’ at Studio West (Holland Park)

Group show, Strangers in the Night at Somers Gallery (Euston)

Group show, Haunted Garden at The Artist Room (Soho)

As always, I use Art Rabbit to find most exhibitions… so do have a look in your area!

and just like that…we’ve made it to the end.

Thanks for spending your time with me today! I’d love to know what you think about any/ all of the above so do comment or DM me.

And I hope you’ll stick around, or at least lurk around, for what’s to come. Make sure to subscribe so that I drop into your inbox like magic ✨

Have a lovely day, Phoebe 🌻