Weekly wisdom #12

In (one of) his neat book(s) on creativity, Steal Like An Artist, Austin Kleon cites his favourite cartoonist Lynda Barry: "In the digital age, don't forget to use your digits!" Yeah, our fingers taptaptap away all day on our various devices, but the actual physicality of using our hands and feeling things with all our senses needn't – mustn't – be neglected.

Unlike the 2D, static nature of screen-based doings, a hands-on approach quite literally engages the body (and brain) in a way more dynamic style. In turn, this analogue process gives birth to ideas, processes and results that – in my experience – simply don't crop up when I'm staring into a digital display. 

Don't get me wrong: tools 2.0 are enabling in all kindsa ways. It's the digital dependence that's inhibiting. And the two don't have to be mutually exclusive! Take this little online journal: when drafting up a post, all the idea generation and lettering gets done on paper. Then I digitise it, having sketched it all out IRL. I say this not to be all self-righteous, but because it's genuinely what keeps me clear-headed, cultivates creativity and prevents constant self-editing – which ain't what this space is all about. 

Issues that Matter: stand up for slow journalism

Indiegogo Campaign from Matter Magazine on Vimeo.

To me, switching off from my near entirely screen-oriented life with a good coffee and a good read is the ultimate kinda luxury. No doubt, I'm not the only one who cherishes those ever-rare moments of disconnected down time! 

Though the digitally dominated sphere has certainly had its negative ramifications for the print world, there's simultaneously - and happily, for me - been a refreshing resurgence in high quality, carefully curated creative publications. It's within this realm of top-notch, tangible reading material that Matter Magazine (founded by my achingly astute and straight up lovely friend Annie Fairchild) is firmly positioned. A first class amalgam of beautiful design, photography and academic essays, Matter is a creative crusader for slow journalism amidst our fast news culture. 

So: this is an unapologetic shout out to a very praiseworthy project that can only keep running with a little (monetary) lovin'. For its upcoming issue, 'A Lens Inverted - Essays on Great Britain,' Matter is raising funds via Indiegogo - with sweet perks for the benevolent backers. 

This is a different sorta post for me, and by no means paid promo. But I've seen firsthand the integrity, passion and damn hard work that goes on behind the scenes, and that sh*t deserves support. 

♥ CONTRIBUTE HERE ♥ 

Global EyeEm Adventure

Last weekend saw the online and offline worlds come together under the most utopian of circumstances, in the shape of the Global EyeEm Adventure. Indeed, on November 1st, the mobile photo app - which I’m sure you’ll recall me bigging up a bunch of times before - challenged their burgeoning band of followers to capture the most photogenic spots across the globe, meet-up style. Having been a keen advocate of EyeEm's vision since hitting upon the startup in Berlin this year, it was with open arms that I accepted their kind request to host the London leg of the worldwide event. 

Photography lovin' folk were beckoned to connect out of life 2.0 and meet a likeminded line-up of lovely people in our respective cities, from Tel Aviv, to New York, to Kuala Lumpur. Together, these relaxed independent affairs amounted to an impressive large-scale effort, with designated EyeEm albums offering an insight into the event's international engagement.  

For the London edition, I decided - after quite the deliberation -  upon the city's multifaceted East End. An obvious choice, ya might surmise, but there is so much more to the Shoreditch area than the hipster stereotype it's become synonymous with. As we determined during the course of my lil route (which lasted about 2.5 hours), the E1 ends are an absolute melting pot of characters, cultures and curiosities. And, within a somewhat limited timescale, I felt it an ideal patch to shoot a decent dose of diverse images; there's a pretty high concentration of marvels in a not-too-vast space. 

After convening outside the overground station, I gave my camera-bearing crew a petite briefing, and armed them with stickers to spread some EyeEm love on our travels. The group was made up of totally distinct characters, from all walks of life, bridged through a mutual appreciation of photography and a fancy to capture some of London's most photogenic facets. This diversity also lent a freshness to the end results, with identical scenarios captured in totally idiosyncratic styles. Throughout the afternoon, we grew to be an endearing unconventional family, content and creatively elevated in each other's company. See: the virtual and the real ain't so antithetical after all.  

*See also: 1 // 2 // 3*

Beach please

It's not so grim up north. While the post-Berlin blues are yet to dissipate (they won't), it would be pretty inaccurate to say I haven't also relished being back on native turf. After an all too fleeting London return, I headed north-east to catch up with the much missed Geordie fam and enter my final year of unay. First stop? Childhood playground and now Nanna's actual back garden, beautiful Whitburn beach. 

Excuse the cobbled-together nature of the little vlog above (not my finest), but I thought it would be nice to capture the spirit of our Sunday stroll in a more animated - albeit rather haphazard -  manner. Along with some more serene stills, naturally.

The 2014 EyeEm Festival & Awards

If there needed to be an affirmation of EyeEm's vanguard positioning in the digital photography revolution, then the past couple of days confirmed it, big time. Their eponymous festival, which spanned two inspiring days, was an absolute testament to a forward-looking business and thriving photo sharing community that's set to rapidly (and deservedly) evolve into something very significant indeed. 

The event, which additionally encompassed the 2014 EyeEm Awards, kicked off on Friday at Spree-situated industrial treasure, Alte Teppichfabrik. Berlin's converted carpet factory, with its expansive rugged walls and deep-set character, provided the perfect backdrop for the day's finely orchestrated line-up. Esteemed and inspirational speakers (think CEOs, CTOs, journalists, photographers, creative directors and more) from the likes of TIME Magazine, Getty Images, The Huffington Post, Gestalten, Etsy, The Photographers' Gallery and LCC - to name just a few - graced the stage with their wise words and learned insights, offering informed and perceptive viewpoints on the contemporary era of image proliferation and mass digitisation. 

Key issues and themes included, but were by no means limited to: the camera of the future, fragile formats, the changing notion of photographers, photography copyright and ethics, the vital issue of organisation and curation amid photo inundation,  the significance of collaboration, monetisation strategies, the changing dichotomy of culture makers/culture takers and the ever-increasing importance of visuals against a background of desktop to mobile transition. In short, a lot of food for thought. 

Friday culminated in the exhibition opening, which showcased the worthy winners and finalists of the 2014 EyeEm Awards. Spread over two floors, the display offered a tantalising taste of the emerging talent and capabilities in the digital and mobile photography realm. As I'm sure I've mentioned before, the inestimably precious nature of old school analogue and its associated creative craftsmanship is a territory I hold pretty dearly, and one that I'm not willing to give up entirely, but - and it's a big but - the sheer potential of the digital domain and the visual revolution is undeniable and very, very exciting.  The proof was there to see (in exceptionally high resolution).

Things became a bit more up close and personal on day two, which took place in EyeEm's shiny Kreuzberg HQ. Zooming in (pun intended) on the concerns and questions covered at Friday's summit, Saturday's 'Community Day' was made up of smaller scale workshops and discussions with industry-shaping professionals, as well as a healthy dose of totally unforced mingling with the lovely likeminded folk in attendance. In a largely online world, the importance of "real life", offline connection and communication cannot be underestimated, and the whole day (and night) epitomised a seamless amalgamation of both; proof that two worlds don't have to collide, but rather symbiotically liaise and raise one another. 

Remarkably and most importantly, the technical masterminds behind it all - the EyeEm crew and all four founders - operate on the most human level; an ethos of infectious, genuine passion and loyalty towards the root cause, each other and their burgeoning mobile photography community. It's a seminal time for photography; how incredibly encouraging that this inspiring, friendly bunch are at the forefront of it.