Come with me to Japan: January musings.
Japanese art, why you're addicted to your phone, and things you should listen to.
The month has both flown and dragged. I feel like my family dog after a long walk - muddy, drenched, happy, flailing, about to conk out by the fire after eating too much.
quick sign up: I’d love to create space for us to move into February with open, engaged, intentional minds no matter the circumstances.
I always take time to review and reflect on my month at the end of each one, and plan for the next. I’m going to do this live on Zoom on Sunday afternoon for the first time ever! If you’d like to join me, it’s totally free, just prepare a cup of tea, have your calendar/ planner and camera roll handy and let’s go!
I’m writing this from Paddington Station, and at 5 p.m. on a Friday, it’s less ‘marmalade sandwiches and family fun’ and more ‘sweaty, stressed commuters collapsing’. I do have a seat reserved, so I’m bracing myself to awkwardly ask someone to move - unless they’re elderly or have a baby. A baby with an adult. Anyway, I’m going home. Home-Home. Because I am a sort-of adult and have ‘home’ and ‘home-home’, places that feel like ‘home’ and places where I feel ‘at home.’ I’m very lucky. I know that. ‘Home-home’ is where my parents are, and it’s also where literally nothing else is because they live in the middle of a field. So, I’m off. Cheers.
About a month ago, Phoebe (me, in past tense) had the brilliant and slightly mad idea of re-running The Artist’s Way book club as well as The Listening Path (the next book for all in the Julia Cameron cult to read). It’s going swimmingly, and it keeps me on track with practicing what I preach about caring for and nurturing our creative health. Bravo.
I’ve had some real bombshell-mic-drop-moments this month, and a friend commented that I was ‘laughably robust.’ I blame morning pages. They are the backbone of my resilience. As are artist dates.
Let’s talk about:
artist dates.
Last week I took myself on a Japanese-themed afternoon, and you may have seen my little vlog on Instagram (anyone else just abandoned TikTok entirely this year??). Thank you for watching until the end… if you did, if you didn’t, I’ll give you a second chance.
On the agenda was:
Solar charging in the park with a Japanese novel (welcomingly, if illegally, interrupted by an hour-long phone call with my mother).
Two art exhibitions: Japanese Art History à la Takashi Murakami at Gagosian Gallery and Looks Delicious! at Japan House.
Sushi.
Japanese soufflé pancakes.
The concept of the artist date comes from The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. In the book, Julia emphasises artist dates as a vital way to nurture creativity and keep your inner artist inspired. An artist date is a weekly solo outing (hence why talking to my mum was illegal) completely guilt-free and just for you – it’s all about exploration, playfulness, and curiousity. It’s about feeding your creative soul with things that delight or intrigue you. Creativity thrives when it’s fed, and artist dates replenish our creative reserves. They encourage us to explore, play, and enjoy life without pressure to produce or achieve. It could be buying fresh flowers for your desk, having a hot chocolate in a sunny corner of the house, or a full-blown day out. The key is to go alone, which is sooooo hard for a raging extrovert like me, but if I can do it, so can you. This is time to reconnect with yourself and let your imagination wander. Make it a non-negotiable part of your schedule. Consistency is key to building a creative habit. Or any habit for that matter. Over time, this simple ritual really does become a source of fresh ideas, hidden passions, and renewed energy. It can break through creative blocks and make your practice feel lighter and more expansive. It might feel indulgent or unnecessary at first, but that’s the point - your creativity needs and deserves this kind of care.
Convinced?
Let’s talk about:
Japanese Art History à la Takashi Murakami at Gagosian, Mayfair.
You might not recognise his name, but you’ve probably seen his iconic smiling flowers, colourful skulls, or the Louis Vuitton collaborations that started in 2002 (there’s a major one live right now with Zendaya as the face). Born in Tokyo in 1962, Takashi Murakami is a contemporary artist known for blending traditional Japanese art with anime, manga, and pop culture. As the founder of the "Superflat" movement, he merges the flatness of Edo-period woodblocks with vibrant, cartoon-like imagery, using his work to critique and embrace consumerism. His fame skyrocketed with his 2002 Louis Vuitton collaboration, leading to partnerships with Supreme, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, and Billie Eilish. Murakami’s art tackles themes like cultural identity, post-war Japanese history, and the mix of high and low culture, all while delivering playful, provocative visuals. This show is a spectacle - an ambitious remix of ancient Japanese art with modern aesthetics, politics, and Murakami’s branding. It’s glossy, shiny, and a little bit cheeky. Butttt, it’s hard to know what to take seriously. There’s no explanatory text situating the pieces as reinterpretations of Japanese masterpieces (like Ogata Kōrin’s peacocks or Kyoto landscapes), which admittedly leaves it feeling a bit hollow.
Don’t get me wrong - it’s fun! The enormous Edo-era-inspired works felt like Where’s Wally on steroids, and I appreciated the scale and energy. But it didn’t change my life. Knowing Murakami runs a factory-like studio, the pieces can feel a bit too polished, almost processed. There’s another layer to this I hadn’t fully considered until I had a conversation with a brilliant artist (a friend and coaching client). He recognised that while he has the creative vision, he doesn’t have the specific skills to direct a team of assistants to execute the work at the required level. His point was that delegating tasks is not just about passing off work - it’s about understanding that these assistants are integral to bringing his vision to life, and their technical skills often exceed his own in many areas. It’s a great example of how artmaking can create valuable, meaningful work that benefits everyone involved, and made me expand my thinking regarding the factory production. Anyway. I liked it! I LIKED IT OK!
It’s open until 8th March. I liked the gold. I liked the rainbow flowers with smiley faces. I want to go to Japan.
I hopped on the best invention of this century for contemporary Londoners - the Lime bike - and rocketed down the southern side of Hyde Park, gloriously happy, filming my little happy face and declaring Hyde Park “GAWJJJUSSSS.” It is. J’adore. I saw roller-skating children, dogs, and humans being humans soaking up the low winter sun.
Japan House is a brilliant place, and hilariously, I was wandering around for ages on the ground floor thinking, “Ooo, this is nice, but a little smaller than I thought it would be,” only to realize the actual exhibition was in the basement. Anyway, I followed the sign, and it was so much fun. The exhibition is about the uniquely Japanese phenomenon of 食品サンプル shokuhin sampuru - incredibly realistic food replicas displayed in front of restaurants across Japan. It’s a rare opportunity to see these skilfully made models up close, exploring the history, materials, processes, and future of the craft. (I enjoyed particularly the paint bottles labelled things like, ‘shrimp’ and ‘potato’). Each of Japan’s 47 prefectures is represented with a food replica commissioned from the world-leading Iwasaki Group. You could even create your own bento box with fake food, but halfway through I bottled it and just complimented some girls on theirs, snapped a photo like it was mine, and scurried off – the queue forming behind me was overwhelming!!! This is open until 16 February 2025, I would really recommend, but eat right before/ have plans for straight after or you’ll be drooling with hunger.
I walked with my back to the sunset all the way back into Soho (classic), and my headphones died, so I enjoyed the sounds of the city and my own breath (enjoyed is a strong word for that) before being sucked into Ladurée to pick up macarons, which I think are utterly decadent and extraordinary. And then it was time.
Time for the pièce de résistance.
The UK’s original Japanese souffle pancakes. Yes, you heard that right. Light and jiggly deliciousness. FuwaFuwa means “fluffy” in Japanese and boy were they fluffy. Like clouds. I had the premium original with honeycomb butter, maple syrup, and whipped vanilla cream. Urgh. Enough said. And in fact, I had them the following day because my boyfriend couldn’t believe he has missed out on and so I sacrificed myself and had two portions with him including a bluberry and yuzu cheesecake one!! I am so generous.
The afternoon was pretty wonderful. It was tinged with some harder, achy feelings - knots in my stomach that I allowed myself to feel, then rewarded myself with treats. Life is so very nuanced. We can simultaneously be content, joyful, excited, delighted, pained, confused, angry, and exhausted. I’m grateful I get to experience all those things in the sun in Hyde Park, and I’m grateful to my morning pages for mopping up my spilled thoughts like an endlessly absorbent sponge, holding the weight so I don’t have to.
A few other things I’d love to acknowledge from the month:
I hired someone in my 9-5, after reviewing over 600 applications. It left me reflecting on both the use of AI to write CVs (bad) and the state of the job market (also bad).
I’ve had the absolute pleasure of onboarding a few new coaching clients to the collective. Working with such a variety of creatives is a great source of my energy. If you’re ever curious, you can find out more here, although due to my limited time and my real job being my priority I operate a waiting list.
I hosted a ‘rethinking productivity’ workshop with The Candid Club, and I think I’m going to offer it more widely. It was pretty brilliantly received - so thank you if you came. It was the culmination of about 6 months of research, and also about 10 years of figuring out what actually works. Still working it out. I’ll keep sharing. Let me know if you’re interested!
Of course, you can’t talk about productivity without discussing attention span, which leads you to screen time and technology addiction. Something is coming in that department, too. In the meantime, listen to this:
I’ve outdone myself with ‘friendship dates’, and ‘real’ dates and had so many brilliant, interesting, exciting conversations. I have loved ones who are creating albums, writing plays about Jane Seymour, advising politicians, reshaping media, looking after people in need, who cook great food, run in the dark with me, make me laugh until my tummy hurts, and who are just glorious. My phone screen time has averaged lower than ever, and my brain is so grateful. To all who have shared their thoughts, feelings, and ideas with me - thank you.
A few things I’ve been reading, watching, listening to:
I got 14 books for Christmas. So, onward we read.
Rouge by Mona Awad (I am not a fiction girlie typically, but I loved this dystopian critique of the anti-aging industry, especially after watching the Bryan Johnson documentary).
Women Living Deliciously by Florence Given (sometimes you just need to be shouted and sworn at by someone with pink hair who really f*cking cares about women expanding and not shrinking and blooming and taking up space!!)
More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa (magic)
This essay by
on why abortion is a men’s issue, I got the extended version over Pret soup for lunch and I adore her in person and online.Emma Chamberlain’s episode on what’s in and out for 2025 (because who doesn't need a little fashion, beauty, and pop culture relief?)
Psychology of Your 20s podcast about why healthy relationships seem boring and the impact of cortisol, (I'm very late to the party with this pod but I'm loving it, found her via Grace Bev and she’s a new fav).
Two Broke Chicks chatting about all things glow-up (Aussie accents, yes please)
Irene Agnobtaen’s down-to-earth storytelling about breaking into the fashion industry—funny, ambitious, and humble.
Elvis’s granddaughter talking about Michael Jackson as her stepdad and the complexities of grief (she's SO articulate, and I'm increasingly convinced fame is a curse).
Why optimism is about navigating challenges with hope, not just chasing ‘happiness’.
This song is on repeat. Those trumpets 🎺 🥹
On the TV front, I was late to the party but thoroughly enjoyed Daisy Jones and the Six. Still haven't watched the Bob Dylan film, but my harsh critic boyfriend says it's excellent - so looking forward to that!
What’s coming up:
I always take time to review and reflect on my month at the end of each one, and plan for the next.
I’m going to do this live on Zoom on Sunday afternoon for the first time ever! If you’d like to join me, it’s totally free, just prepare a cup of tea, have your calendar/ planner and camera roll handy and I’d love to create space for us to move into February with open, engaged, intentional minds no matter the circumstances.
And now, I’m off to join my 93-year-old grandma for a pub quiz (I didn’t have to battle for my seat on the train by the way #relief) - wish us luck (I’m pretty confident, obvs). Looking forward to 36hours in the fields, and then back into my lovely London in time for our monthly review and reset. See you there!
Well done for getting through January, and my musings. Here’s to lighter days and snowdrops in February. Bisous.
P x