i was asked by catherine aka wolf eyebrows to contribute a Ten Things feature to Joburg based design & communications company nicework’s monthly nice magazine. “Each issue we pick the brain of an interesting person to list ten things that they like, enjoy, appreciate or get inspired by.” the latest issue has just been released and it looks GREAT! be sure to read it here (it’s also available for download.) my friend jessica’s list is also in there.
i had way too much fun making this collage by the way. it’s also pretty funny looking at all my things together because this is basically how my life looks to me… a lot of rainbow colours, in hindsight. mmm.
- South Africa. This poster was designed by Daddy Buy Me A Pony (now The President), a company that had a huge influence on my entire graphic design class in university. It has been hanging on my wall ever since, and is a constant reminder of how much I love our country & local design.
- Fashion. As frivolous as it is, I can’t deny that fashion makes me happy. My sister-in-law has a collection of old Vogues that I intend on stealing some day. Some of them are in German… but who reads the articles anyway?
- Music. There are many things in life that confuse me. How a telephone works, for example. Music fits into that category. Or rather – the talent that goes into making a piece of music. It’s basically magic as far as I’m concerned. Magic that fills my ear drums every single day, because I can’t imagine working without it or driving in my car without it or dancing without it (that would be weird.)
- Drawing. Drawing was my main activity from the minute I could pick up a crayon. After school was spent drawing, not doing homework. Or drawing on my homework. I have been neglecting it lately though, so I have all my art stuff laid out on my desk to encourage me to pick those pens up again.
- Craft. One of my best friends used to hand make these bangles in her free time, and people loved them so much that she started selling them and couldn’t keep up with demand. They really represent how a small idea & a bit of ingenuity can take off – as long as you are willing to put the work in. I admire people that make things with their hands.
- The Past. I’m a sentimental kinda gal and find myself consistently rifling through old photo archives online. The Life magazine archives hosted by Google is an endless source of joy in this regard. I don’t own many issues myself, so the fact that I can browse the magazine as far back as 1936 really gets me.
- Film Photography. My parents bought me this sixties era Nikkormat FTn camera with a complete set of Nikon lenses when I was in my first year of university. The most beautiful photographs I have taken have been with this baby. The fact that I learned how to develop my own images in a dark room really boosted my appreciation for the art of film. The light meter broke on a trip to Italy, so I bought this hand held one from an old Italian dude in an even older camera shop.
- Colour. Trying to explain why colour inspires me would be like trying to explain why my body needs oxygen. Actually no, it’s a pretty simple explanation why my body needs oxygen… this is terrible analogy. I can’t live without colour, much like my body can’t survive without oxygen? There it is.
- Period dramas. I shouldn’t call them period dramas, because for the most part they aren’t dramas to me. If anything they are bundles of pleasure and delight in celluloid format. If I had to pick one genre to watch for the rest of my life it would have to be period films. I’m also grateful for the fact that brilliant filmmakers keep churning out these gems, because re-reading Pride & Prejudice isn’t as fun as re-watching it over and over.
- Pictures. 99% of my time on the Internet is spent looking at pictures, which is the only reason why my blog exists.