Creative Journeys

Wherever we are in the world, we’re never far from creativity. Whether that’s art, music, craft, fashion or literature, location as creative inspiration makes for intriguing reading beyond simple travelogues. The personal journeys of others can inspire our own in myriad ways, whether it motivates us to book a trip or join a class or just share our own tales of place, heritage and imagination. With a whole world of inspiration to choose from, the only issue we had with Creative Journeys was deciding what to leave out. What is clear from the features contained within these pages is that the world wide web has shifted the creative landscape. Physical travel used to be the only way to experience new sights and sounds, but now culture from the other side…

SIAN MEADES Sian is a lifestyle writer and editor, studying for an MA in modern and contemporary literature. Turn to page 40 to read her thoughts on souvenirs. KATE O’SULLIVAN Kate is a writer and photographer who lives in Edinburgh, near the sea. Find her feature on making, heritage and home on page 80. HANNAH VETTESE Hannah is a music journalist, with a love of ’60s girl groups, pop and soul. Turn to page 58 to read how music helps her discover the world. NIKI GROOM Illustrator Niki works with high-profile clients and illustrates live at events. Find out more about her travels and creative inspirations on page 142. HELEN MARTIN Writer and founder of indie lifestyle magazine Lionheart, Helen interviews Sidonie Warren of Papersmiths over on page 132. GEMMA…

For Jenni Sparks, her post-university ambition was simple: to work as an illustrator, get paid to draw things and to live in London. Little did she know the three would come together in one project that would change her life. “I thought it would take me at least five years after graduation to get to be full-time freelance, but because of a stroke of luck I was there after six months!” Jenni explains. “When I left university, I kept a little book where I wrote down some of the things that I wanted to achieve. I had some other aspirations such as making things to sell such as T-shirts and I also made a dream list of clients to work with. This really helped me to envision the future and…

Creating a sphere from a flat piece of paper is tricky – you have to cut, bend, fold or crumple the paper. The reverse is also true: you can’t flatten an orange peel without splitting it, or an eggshell without destroying it. So how easy is it to accurately represent the globe on a flat piece of paper? If you painted all the landmasses of the world onto a spherical lightbulb, the shadows cast would be a projection – a world-map projection, which is a way of visualising a three-dimensional curve in two dimensions. But, just as the setting sun gives you an elongated shadow, the angle of the light creates distortions. All map projections are flawed in some way when compared to seeing the world on a globe. You…

Tina Bernstein is on a mission to improve the way we think about modern life. As the brains behind Mapology Guides, she says the aim of her ‘illustrated maps for life’s journeys’ is to help people get from A to B in their self-help endeavours. And her voyage begins from a place of experience. “I spent many years in psychotherapy, where I was always handed black-and-white notes,” Tina says, explaining the origin of her Mapology Guides. “I read loads of self-help books, too, but I missed colour! After that, I knew my overriding passion would be to share my hard-earned knowledge in self-development and mental health. And being a designer and colour-lover, using beautiful illustration to enhance the self-help writing was somehow inevitable.” Creativity has been a part of Tina’s…

What led you to publish Mapology Guides and who are they aimed at? I launched Mapology Guides when I turned 50. I wanted them to be the Ladybird books for the 21st century_ –guides on all kinds of subjects, but initially about self-help and wellbeing. The guides are designed for people who are interested in creativity, personal development, mental health and wellbeing. If you appreciate beautiful illustrations, thoughtful creative writing and self-help topics then you’ll love these guides. They are typically sold to individuals, teachers, psychotherapists, designers, school psychologists, coaches, and so on. How do you begin the creative process? I keep plenty of sketchbooks with notes, drawings and cut-outs, and if I see something interesting I’ll snap a photo using my iPhone. These seemingly random actions have often proved…