Outspoken...

It's always been a dream, being a writer of sorts, my mum and sister can vouch for the many hours I used to spend sat at a typewriter, (showing my age now!) putting my imagination down on paper.

It's been said that everyone has a book in them, and as lovely as that idea is, time isn't always there to actually sit down in the same way I did at the age of ten. So when we started writing this blog, it brought back the more journalistic side of me, and the quick, sound bytes have been a good way to get thoughts, and opinions down. Nothing too long was the key, as no one seems to have any kind of extended attention span anymore...who have I lost already?!

So when the opportunity came up a few months ago to become one of the regular feature writers for Creative Boom, how could I possibly turn it down. 

My first published article went on-line today, titled University/Life, and the plan is to write about the issues facing creative graduates, not only the impact universities have on finding a job, the new tuition fee system effects on applications, but also real experiences from recent graduates as they cope with internships, and how they maintain creative motivation on a day-to-day basis...

If you have any issues you would like us to highlight, and submit to Creative Boom, (and if we're really really good, be featured on The Guardian website too), them we would love to hear from you.

Open/Closed...

On a cold and snowy Friday evening we found ourselves weaving through a myriad of warehouses in Bermondsey. Not our neck of the woods as a rule, but we were making the exception for the one night only pop-up exhibition 'Open/Closed' from art collective Art School Disco.  

We posted about the recent graduates a few weeks ago, and have been following their progress, collectively and individually ever since, so we had to make the trip down and put a few faces, to the on-line names.  

On show was work by all six members of Art School Disco including Ben Phe, Katie Allen, Johnny Ace and Mary Roe. The warehouse setting certainly helped set the scene and added a few dramatic shadowy corners in which to view the work. 

We are already big fans of Ben Phe , having featured his own work a few months back in the post, Just Super Cool, but it was a real treat to see his intricate illustrations on glass up close.  

Katie Allen also had a small collection of illustrative and mix-media pieces, and we couldn't resist buying one of her hand-made postcards. 

What's great about these collaborative showcases is the real sense of creative spirit and coming together. You could literally feel the hard work that everyone had put into the exhibition, and the passion that continually challenges and surprises us as viewers, and appreciators.  

It shouldn't always be about the slick, curated and sometimes clinical exhibitions that see hundreds of people flocking through the doors, for us, it's about the talent, the enduring passion, and playfulness that should be celebrated from some of the UK's up-and-coming new designers...it was definitely worth getting a bit lost and cold for! 

More Tea Vicar...

We mentioned a couple of weeks ago a few new additions to our shop were on the way, and our first new arrival is from graduate jewellery designer Roisin Connolly.

We are really excited to be working with Roisin and representing her work, as we've been fans since we posted about her work back in August in, A Personal Journey, where Roisin's technique of acid-etching gold and silver with photographic images, really caught our eye.

We have a couple of her acid-etched creations, as well as her adorable tea-inspired silver earrings. What's more comforting than a good cuppa and a slice of cake, that combination never fails...

...Click on SHOP to see Roisin's pieces, as well as all our other graduate work available to buy...