Review: ‘Bono on Bono: Conversations with Michka Assayas’

Bono.

Amazing how one word - even a name - can have so much impact and register so deeply in your consciousness, isn’t it? There is probably hardly anybody who comes to this review and reads it that doesn’t have an inkling that this word, this name - Bono - means something. Read more

Embrace

I could envy garments
Those high quality threads
of fine spun cloth
that drape you, Read more

The Points of the Creative Artists’ Code: Thirteen - No one ever said you have to agree

In this thirteenth article discussing the points of the Code of a Creative Artist, NDK talks about the power of individual choice versus the sheep mentality when it comes to the direction your works of art take. - Joel Falconer, Editor-in-Chief

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‘Rats’ - Kozanotra Episode 2

Rats - hideous creatures. Scavengers that thrive off the wasteful and dysfunctional lifestyle of another species of scavengers. It could be argued that to be alive is to be a scavenger, and that in some twisted way, all life scavenges off all other life and this makes the world, the galaxy, the universe, continue to exist on each new tick of the clock. Read more

The Points of the Creative Artists’ Code: Twelve - Small groups change the world

In the twelfth installment of NDK Creative Artist’s Points of the Creative Artists’ Code series, we explore the importance of Creative Artists working together and collaborating to effect great change in society. - Joel Falconer, Editor-in-Chief

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The Images of the World

From NDK Creative Artist’s poetry collection Rhymes of Reason.

The Images of the World you see
Seem to be imaginary
But when you look around
They’re right there, in your town!

You sit and watch
You call it entertainment
I call it some kind of derangement
That I should give support to these
Makes me wonder if I have the same disease

But no, I don’t have that contagion
For I’ve a better class of imagination
Directed at creation
That’s the way you build
A better nation.

Review: ‘J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century’ by Tom Shippey

I’m influenced by good work, that’s it. If its good, it’s an influence.

There are several authors who stand out in our civilization, but none so recently or so much as J.R.R. Tolkien, author of the Lord of the Rings who has perhaps had as much influence on culture as any other arising from the 20th Century. The Hobbit and LotR were novels among others that my siblings and I consumed with great gusto. My sister and I still read fantasy, and now I’m writing my own. Read more

How many storylines should you have in a novel?

A gifted writer colleague setting out to write his first novel recently asked two questions: Read more

One Question To Ask Before You Start Something New

Artists like to start new projects all the time. New songs, new books, new paintings; and many of them never see the light of the day, not to mention completion.

It’s something we do to deal with the massive amounts of creativity we have bubbling away under the surface - so many avenues and directions we want to explore, but simply not enough time to explore them all in full.

Skellie recently wrote about five questions you should ask before you start new projects (though she’s talking about ‘projects’ in the wider sense, not just the arts) and it’s a very good reference. Everyone should ask these questions when they start a project.

But I had one question to add and I think you might find it helpful too.

That question is:

How will this help other people?

It’s not just a matter of asking will this help others, but how, and how much? Is it worth the effort to do this for the long term, or is it just to satisfy myself?

Self-interested projects that don’t help anyone don’t get off the ground. They either fizzle out before they become a reality (usually the best way for them to go) or they never pick up any interest from the public.

Asking this question determines a few key factors for you:

1. Can you sustain your own interest? If others are taking an interest in your work (because it helps them), it’s far more likely.
2. Is it worth the time from not just a business perspective, but an inherent value perspective - and hence, will it still be relevant and helpful in the future?
3. Can you make a living from it? You can usually only make a livable income when you’re really providing value and helping others, or you’re ripping them off.

And no true Creative Artist would want to rip anyone off.

Sometimes you’ll want to create things for selfish reasons (such as writing a song to vent emotionally), and that’s perfectly fine - and sometimes this can end up becoming helpful to others anyway.

But if you want to create classic, long-lasting works of art, or solid projects in general, it’s a question worth asking.

How to Escape Your Creative Rut - The Editor’s Desk

A few weeks ago, my wife, son and I moved into a new house. When my wife was shopping for some items we needed for the home, she bought a can opener. Read more