Obviously as a creative myself I start the day (normally around 7 AM) gaining some inspiration from some of my favourites. I have a read of John Cooper Clarke’s poetry, (A must-read) then I inhale a bit of Ginsberg before praying to the Lou Reed and Bob Dylan poster that takes pride of place on my wall, hoping that I will have a productive day!
After enjoying my usual Blueberry and Banana Porridge with Chia Seeds sprinkled on top and an Oat Milk Latte on the side (for the aesthetic again of course, I hate the taste!) I head to campus blasting the likes of Freddie Mercury and Kirsty MacColl. It’s only a 15 minute walk into Uni but I normally head on in a good hour and a half before any lecture/seminar to get some work done.
This Morning, I worked on my Poetry Portfolio in the Henry Daysh Building, where I revised some of my Punk Poems on Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn. Then, I got the email I was dreading (ish) telling me that my seminar had been cancelled. But never fear, because the deadline for my essay on Victorian Sexual Expression is near!
So I wrote more about Sappho Sex in Victorian Literature and then headed to this week’s Student Media Afternoon. As TV Sub-Editor, I have the joy of standing behind a desk, selling the articles I’ve pitched on everything from The X Factor to Doctor Who to Balamory! I even picked up a few (including this one) for myself.
After this I headed to the Percy Building (my second home) and continued work on my Poetry Portfolio, writing more about Monroe and Hepburn before leaving Campus at around 4pm. I dumped my stuff in my room before re-praying to Dylan and Reed.
That evening, me and a friend were attending an event at the culture lab on campus to show support for our Newcastle university lecturer’s and supervisors who are in conversation with other creatives, some upcoming and some well established.
Today, it was personal favourite, poet, Professor. Sinéad Morrisey in conversation with Rory Carroll, who was discussing his book on the IRA and Thatcherism. It was a fascinating insight into Non-Fiction writing and his journalistic background.
It was at this point where I was all ‘creatived’ out. So naturally it was time to destress finally heading to the pub for a well deserved Rum & Coke…or five to round the day off in a nice and civilised manner.
Ps. See it’s not so bad being a creative after all (apart from when it comes to finding financial security.)
I usually wake up around 9 am after an insomnia-ravaged night. I start every morning with some yoga and stretches before having a shower, eating breakfast and picking an outfit, all while blasting some music that my housemates resent.
My walk to uni takes me about 30 minutes so I get into the studio for about 11 am where I will immediately have a coffee and probably a snack. I only have one lecture a week, so my days are usually completely mine to structure, which takes dedication and discipline. At the moment, I am working on some textile sculptures including a latex box that I welded and then sewed, so I drew some ideas about how to present it and how I could make a metal and plaster plinth.
Usually, I head to the Courier office to interview someone, edit the spread or just have a chat. Which breaks up my time in the studio and allows me to revisit my work with fresh eyes. Alternatively, I eat in the Art Cafe in the department, where everyone gathers from all year groups and you can chat to everyone about what they’re making which is always so much fun.
At 4.30 I had a crit with my studio tutor, which is where she comes to my space and we talk about the work that I’m doing. She offered me some ideas about presentation and my sculpture’s relationship with the viewer as they moved around it. Crit’s can be brutal though so you never really know what to expect, but today’s was very tame.
Then I walked home for a chill evening with my flatmates with a TV show or film on the sofa. We are currently watching the High Fidelity remake with Zöe Kravtiz.
Living in Newcastle, and Manchester for some weekends, most of my writing is born in my suburban home. Here, I work in my room which feels like an entry point for spiritual energy—tarot, religion, and American Gothic serve as heavy inspiration for my poems. I ruminate on ideas sitting in my garden. I listen to music to channel that emotion and alchemise it into words.
My poem "Penelope to Odysseus" appearing in Aôthen Magazine was inspired by a series of Notes app entries from February to June; most of my work comes to me in fragments, conjuring to form an emphatically heavy-hitting whole. I do not eat whilst writing since it disturbs the flow I have when writing.
Developmentally, I am often in the same mental space so I have to revisit older works and offer new perspectives. I have a book-length project forthcoming with a popular press, so I spent an evening reworking the Penelope poem that I wrote in July to be more biting to reflect the change in the person I am.
And whilst I love to check my emails, I don’t do social media anymore. It’s overstimulating and I’ve finally learned to recognise what affects the nature of my headspace. The same goes for my writing, regardless of what people feel about it - my own opinion towards the document in front of me is what matters. It starts and stops there.
I had a lay-in until 9 am to ensure I did not burn out at lunchtime. I poured myself a bowl of curiously cinnamon cereal and then walked to Zee’s coffee shop to get a chai latte, racking up my loyalty card stamps. I caught the bus into town for my 10 am lecture for my magazine module. This lecture was on conventional design elements for the front cover of magazines.
After the lecture, I had a gap until my magazine group meeting, so I went to Luther’s to do some reading in preparation for my Youth Identity and Contemporary Culture seminar for the day after. Then, I met my magazine group where we discussed feature article ideas for our project.
In the afternoon, I had a meeting with the South Asian Society, where we discussed the tasks that needed to be completed for the upcoming Diwali mela. We wanted to make video content, so I popped over to the Hatch and checked out some equipment.
I didn’t have anything else on for the day, so I headed home, tripod and camera in hand, ready to continue my productive streak. But first, I needed to make dinner. Once I had eaten, I started working on articles for my magazine internship, as well as drafting this one! I submitted an internship article and packed my bag to go to the library.
After a 30-minute walk to the library, I sat down to start planning a literature review for my dissertation. I felt tired by this point, so I only stayed for 2 hours. Finally, I walked home and played some video games before going to bed.
