Episode 114 'The Writer, the Workshop and the Portfolio'
It seems particularly strange to come back to my blog after months of writing for other projects; writing that has fundamentally been in the same style as my blog. Therein lies a kind of paradox, where my blog has been applied to other ventures like the fictional novel and script writing (I am currently doing) and it could become a little overwhelming. Is the blog taking over everything? Perhaps, but that's just my style. And fortunately, I haven't gotten sick of it yet!
It is the end of 2024. I am heeding the temptation to write a review of the year, because that means thinking about everything again (and I don't particularly want to do that). But there have been highlights and positives that I can build upon and go forth into the new year, possibly with a little more focus and less of a self conscious, self destructive mindset. My creativity has flourished from the good and bad times, which gives me strength and purpose. This was something I lacked recently, but after returning from Annecy I knew that needed to change.
I do feel genuinely creative at the moment, more so with my writing. Inspiration has been found in so many different places. Whether it's showing a French guy around the apartment (as a potential new tenant) and hearing how he left his job to write a novel, or my continuing battle against AI with all of its regurgitated, mindless and sterile 'creative' input. However, now is not the time to talk about AI - it has already found an unwelcoming place in the art zeitgeist and I'll be damned if I give it more screentime. I was recently bested by chatGBT as it generated a poem in seconds that rivalled the one I spent weeks and weeks on, so I am currently very bitter with AI. But most of my inspiration has come from life experiences, through love and loss, and how I navigate through it all. This has been such a drive for me and for, essentially, the protagonist of the novel I am writing. Poor sod will have to suffer all my channelled thoughts and emotions!
I have met more and more people who have found the confidence to leave their jobs and pursue that special something; a passion project, hobby, script, film or a even completely different lifestyle. This is always very encouraging to hear, because no matter how motivated you are with a project that you are leading, there will forever be doubts. So with more reassurance, comes more drive.
The novel that I am writing has gradually taken shape over the past several months. The structure has been drafted, carefully outlining the story with a chapter breakdown and character profiles. There is so much research that one needs to do before embarking on writing a novel, but everything is feeling very natural to me. I have been writing and telling stories since I was a child. I used to staple folded A4 sheets together, create an illustrious front cover and begin writing about the dinosaurs that lived at the bottom of the garden. As I grew up, the influences did too, tackling topics that I couldn't quite articulate when I was at school. I was labelled a nerd (in the days when it was considered a flaw); I was bullied, had only a handful of friends, frequently ate lunch alone in a classroom and the very idea of having a girlfriend was as alien as, well, a bloody alien.
So I wrote. And this became my escapism (something which still echoes with me now).
I would often portray myself as the main character, the protagonist or hero, and create a story or adventure that involved a post apocalyptic scenario. Not because I saw myself as particularly heroic, but simply as someone who wanted to do the right thing. It also centred around the school (whether it had been destroyed or attacked) which, now that I think about it, certainly reflects my feelings about such a place. I wanted to see it in ruin.
The story telling soon became a more visual endeavour for me as I attended university, and studied animation. But I missed the writing. I knew in my heart that I still had stories to tell. I have scripted many ideas for short animated films or sketches, but the true yearning was for the written word. And thus, in 2010 (I believe) the blog was born. My appetite was sated for the time being.
I had not intended to divulge into the history of why I love to write. But this is the beauty of writing a blog; if I don't keep my head, there is no knowing where I might get swept off to (yes, Bilbo as an influencer there). However, when writing a novel there are still certain disciplines that I need to adhere to, hopefully taking my whimsical and meandering blog posts to the next level. My apocalyptic landscape at the moment is based on the most recent experiences, that being of love and what the f**k does it all mean? I won't reveal too much, but I think the concept is quite interesting; balancing deep emotional turmoil with comedic charm and sarcasm (because that's how best to deal with hypothetical heartbreak, right?).
I read this quote from author Alan Bennet, which gave me further inspiration when it comes to reading a wonderful piece of storytelling. I could only hope that one day this quote might apply to my writing, but even if I fall short, it has the aspiring notion for all budding authors.
“The best moments in reading are when you come across something — a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things — which you had thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out and taken yours.”
I wanted to include this quote in the novel that I'm writing - it would suit one of the characters very well. But alas, I fear that unless I reference Mr Bennet specifically, or even change up the words, that my book will be bound for plagiarism and not publishing. Let's keep things original, please!
The series of paintings above are from the collection 'Mystical Lands'.
I organised a series of workshops that popped up in different venues around Lisbon. These are group sessions where I teach watercolour techniques to beginners through a range of exercises. This has been very interesting and fun, but has yet to blossom into something consistent. But give it time - with a little more marketing and promotion I think the workshop could gain traction next year.
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| My lovely group of watercolour artists. |
The first workshop was accompanied by an exhibition featuring a collection of my most recent artwork. I felt very humbled to put everything on display, because I could finally step back and feel proud about my achievements. This is a rare appreciation I have for my work, but after opening up a little more this year it's clear that you cannot learn to love without loving yourself and what you do.
I really feel the motivation to continue with my writing. This current blog post has been a nice reminder of that, where I can type with no schedule or deadline. The novel will come, as I have been giving myself a much stricter course of action, but it is tremendously difficult to foresee when it will be ready for a proof-read. I appreciate all who commented on my previous post, responding with eagerness to read through the first draft. I shall bear you all in mind, my dear friends and family.
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The wonderful Niccolò Gioia and Tim Allen |
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| I finally met a dear hero of mine... |
In and amongst these ventures, I try to make time to attend the many film and animation events that Portugal hosts up and down the country. Up north near Porto there is Cinanima - an international animated film festival. This year I travelled up by train and was lucky enough to attain a weekend pass, giving me full access to all the competitions and film screenings (such as Flow, Percebes and Memoirs or a Snail). Ericeira and Torres Vedras each presented the Manifest and Bang Awards international animated film festivals, respectively. The Annecy film festival you already know about (see episode 112) and the Monstra festival held in Lisbon, back in March, was somewhat poignant and melancholy upon attending, to say the least. The films were beautiful, don't get me wrong. But I will simply revert back to my broken promise at the beginning of this post where I was 'heeding the temptation to write a review of the year, because that means thinking about everything again'. Hmmm, there's something a little narcissistic about quoting yourself from the same body of writing. But then again, I am writing a novel where the main character is a fictional depiction of myself. Swings and roundabouts, my dear readers, swings and roundabouts.
One final achievement I deem worthy of mentioning is the new and updated online portfolio that I cobbled together over the summer. I have had many attempts, over the years, using various platforms and websites, but I soon lose interest or patience with the design or template. However, with my newfound hardiness for deadlines and focus, I persevered to create a collection of my work and projects dating back to my early years at Yamination Studios. I was amazed at how many studios and productions I have actually been involved with over my career, and I enjoyed rifling through the archives to find photographs and videos to portray this. I still have many more to upload, but it's definitely another motivator for an artist upon reflection.
Online portfolio HERE
So there we go! Another year of rambles, misplaced merriment and codswallop. I suspect that there has been a fairly acceptable level of achievement over the past twelve months, with room for improvement as the countdown to the new year begins. Which is why I aim to give 2025 a bloody good rogering with my new-fangled creative flare. Flare that exists only when one can dance the line between light and dark. As Chancellor Palpatine once said to Anakin Skywalker; "if one is to understand a great mystery, one must study all its aspects, not just the dogmatic, narrow view of the Jedi! If you wish to become a complete and wise leader, you must embrace... a *larger* view of the Force."
I'm always happy if I can squeeze in a Star Wars quote in here somewhere, even if it wasn't quite the sentiment I was after.
Keep the dream alive (another quote, different franchise).
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