Hello World and Happy Sunday!
This week has been all about trying to stay creative amongst major distraction. I started the week determined to do a digital detox (defined really as avoiding leisure YouTube, streaming Netflix, Prime, Disney+, listening to podcasts, checking my phone first thing). TLDR: I FAILED. Monday was great and I truly relished in the headspace that came from taking my morning walk without earphones. Tuesday, less great but enjoyed the peace of silent bus rides. And from Wednesday onwards I was back to scrolling through YouTube shorts first thing in the morning, playing solitaire instead of reading and binge-watching 6 episodes of YOU on Netflix.
I was working on my other craft mid-week which I felt I made positive traction in; however, it took a lot of energy away from writing. So, one of the things I need to learn is how to recuperate my energy so that I’m not taken out for the rest of the week. The constant shifting of my schedule didn’t really help either. Trying to learn multiple crafts at once can be a little (a lot) overwhelming.
But by the end of the week, I managed to get back a little momentum, flow, and inspiration. Spread the Word hosted the Deptford Literary Festival and I decided to take myself on a little artist date there. It had a wide range of talks, activities, and workshops available from Black British History walks created by Jody Burton to short plays inspired by a popular song and workshops hosted by Poetry London exploring writing about labour rights. The majority of their creative offerings were available for free. I found out about it super last minute so wasn’t able to book on to some of the workshops but had a great time attending talks on craft and fantasy writing with Leone Ross and Judith Brown and a conversation around the craft of Short Story writing presented by Fitzcarraldo Editions. I bought a bunch of books and a creative challenge to myself this week is to post a short story. A form I am so incredibly new too. But I suppose it is all about sharing my work. The only short stories I’ve written as an adult have been in Spanish and that was an exercise in practicing new vocab so it’ll be fascinating to see what arises in the coming week in English.
If you’ve got any inspirations from your week you’d like to share below or read/engaged with any of the influences I’ve written below, leave a comment and let me know.
Until next week,
Stay Curious!
Lx
–SUNDAY ROUND UP–
A few things I’ve found useful/inspiring this week
Consumption
Shows/Festivals
Deptford Literature Festival curated by Spread the Word
.
Podcasts
Read Like a Writer Episode 13: Leone Ross
Tryna be Somebody: ADHD, Anxiety, and fighting through stagnation with Star Puppy
.
Books
Chapter one of Matilda by Roald Dhal
The short story What He Is from Come Let Us Sing Anyway and other stories by Leone Ross
.
Music
ANTI (Deluxe) album by Rihanna
.
Film
Cinderella (1997) w. Whitney Houston and Brandy
.
Course
BBC Maestro Storytelling with Alan Moore
.
Studio LERIAL 
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