Sense: Creative Arts Issue

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The Creative Arts Issue | 1 Cover design by Hannah Brien Back cover design by Abbie Carragher


Meet the Creative Hearts Abbie Carragher

Natalie Webster

Julia Moore

Hannah Brien

Imogen Chawner

EDITORIAL Welcome to the first edition of Sense: The Creative Arts Issue, This issue is a collaborative project whereby students of Visual Communication Design at the University of Newcastle, worked in groups to design, write, interview, photograph and create illustrations to produce their own magazine. This is what we have come up with... If you live in our fair city of Newcastle and are creatively inclined, than this magazine is for you! In this Creative Arts Issue, we explore the art galleries that ‘Newy’ has to offer; discover the prospective demise of one of our beloved music venues; gaze at the photographic beauty of our wondrous beaches through the eyes of the photographer; meet with a local mix-media artist; endeavor on a creative writing journey; and to keep those creative vibes flowin’, we offer you a little DIY delight. A big thank you to the many creatives that have supported us and allowed us to work with and share your amazing work. Love to all! x

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Contents 05 Galleries of Newcastle

Take the tour and explore what our local city has to offer.

11 Sandra Kaija Oost

Meet our local mix media artist, Sandra, through an interesting interview and insight into her latest creative endeavors.

17 Wherefore Art Thou

Cambo? Live music venue, The Cambridge, on the chopping block?

20 Bar Beach and Beyond

Artist profile with Alan Chawner.

26 Creative Writing

Experiences and ‘how to’ with Natalie Webster.

34 DIY Design

Make and Create with Julia Moore.

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“If you never show your work people will never know your talent ” RACHEL MAES

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Galleries of

Newcastle WORDS & ILLUSTRATIONS BY ABBIE CARRAGHER

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N

ewcastle Art Gallery

1 Laman Street

Newcastle’s first purpose built building. Situated in the heart of Newcastle overlooking Civic Park is the cream of the crop, Newcastle Art Gallery. Hosting a variety of exhibitions and events throughout the year the gallery is on trend with what Newcastle represents as a city. “The Gallery aims to develop and present high quality exhibitions, public programs and events that connect to diverse audiences locally and nationally, fostering a passion and curiosity for the visual arts.” ‘The city has also produced its share of artists. William Dobell, John Olsen, William Rose, Tom Gleghorn, Ross Morrow and John Molvig were all born and bred in Newcastle. While artists including John Passmore, Royston Harpur, Stanislaus Rapotec, Matthew Perceval, Shay Docking, and Margaret Olley have been drawn to exhibit at Newcastle Art Gallery. 6 | Sense

Current Exhibitions: PAINTING MEMORY: From The Collection 28 October 2017 - 28 January 2018 Free Exhibition MONTAGES: The Full Cut 1999 - 2015 - Tracey Moffatt and Gary Hillberg 2 September - 5 November 2017 Free Exhibition MAZIE KAREN TURNER: Between dream and earth 2 September - 5 November 2017 Free Exhibition Opening Hours: 10am - 5pm Tues - Sun


T

he Lock Up

90 Hunter Street

Bringing old and new together. In 2014 The Lock-Up relaunched as a multi-disciplinary contemporary arts space and an inner city hub for creative thinking. A historical work environment and that provides community engagement opportunities for contemporary artists working across a broad range of disciplines. “Through curated artistic and public programming, The Lock-Up aims to stimulate and challenge audiences and to promote current, cross platform, experimental and diverse practice from local, national and international artists.� Opening Hours: 10am - 4pm Tues - Sat 11am - 3pm Sun

W

attspace Gallery

20 Auckland Street

The students gallery.

In 2015, Watt Space opened at its new premises on the Ground Floor, Northumberland House, cnr King and Auckland Street, opposite University House. Offering students the ability to extend their professional practice into the realms of exhibiting their work for the wider university community and public. The gallery encourages experimentation, and gives future fine artists a space that celebrates new work and enables their art. Its a visual feast of what is trending in the realm of art and politics relevant in the Newcastle setting. Opening hours: 11am - 5pm Wed - Sun

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BONUS GALLERY:

M

aitland Regional Gallery

230 High St, Maitland

A place of activity, interest and culture.

Current Exhibitions:

A bit further from the seaside, but well worth the commute. Only 30 minutes west from Newcastle, Maitland Regional Art Gallery is now one of the most active and exhibition vibrant regional galleries in NSW.

Lionel’s Place | Lionel Lindsay from the MRAG Collection 8th April 2017 - 8th April 2018

MRAG is a multi-disciplinary space that contains exhibiting rooms, workshops, a renowned cafe and gift shop, dedicated to providing a well rounded cultural experience into the arts for the general public to admire. MRAG offers in total, eleven exhibition spaces in three distinct wings across two levels of the art gallery.

Alison McDonald | Wanton, Wild & Unimagined 9th September 2017 - 3rd December 2017

Hosting almost 500 events a year, and provides the community a creative platform that enriches the cultural scene of Maitland. They host a number of artist talks, activities for youngins’ to seniors and educators or lovers of art, it has something for everyone.

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Fiona Foley HHH | from the MRAG Collection 29th July 2017 - 3rd December 2017

Otherworldly: a sensory experience of art | Bliss Cavanagh 16th September 2017 - 19th November 2017 Passchendaele: photography and the moving image in battle 14th October 2017 - 28th January 2018 Opening Hours: 10am - 5pm Tues - Sun


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“A work of art is a world in itself reflecting senses and emotions of the artist ’s world “ HANS HOFMANN

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Sandra Oost is a mixed media artist who creates colourful, joyful paintings using acrylic paint, collage and spray paint from her home studio in Newcastle. INTERVIEW BY HANNAH BRIEN // ARTWORK BY SANDRA OOST

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MEET THE ARTIST

Photography by Lee Illfield

Today with speak with local Newcastle artist, Sandra Kaija Oost, and explore in greater detail her inspiration and creative process behind her vibrant creations.

Tell us a bit about yourself, what is your background and how has it lead you to be where you are today?

How would you describe your artistic style? Has it changed over time?

After high school I went to uni and got my bachelor of fine arts majoring in printmedia. I really didn’t know what I wanted to do but I’ve always loved art. After this I still didn’t know what I wanted to do so I ended up going to study design and illustration at Enmore TAFE as that seemed like the sensible choice. After this I worked as a freelance graphic designer and illustrator for a while until I started my own greeting card business wholesaling to shops throughout Australia. I did this for a few years until I had my daughter and I folded the business to look after her. Now that she’s older I am concentrating on my own artistic interests and I’m enjoying painting full time and working one on one with clients.

My printmaking and illustration background has definitely influenced my style. I have always been drawn to naive, quirky, colourful art that doesn’t take itself too seriously! Painting however is quite new to me so that has certainly changed my style as I used to work predominantly digitally. Now my work is much looser and I enjoy the happy accidents that come with paint.

How do you want people to feel when they look at your work? Happy, calm, hopeful, joyful, peaceful.

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Tell us a little about your creative process. Usually I begin a painting very loosely and intuitively with covering the canvas in colour and just having fun making a mess. Then I might add some collage elements and from there I really let the painting tell me what it wants to be! I will often paint the white space next and let the underpainting become the focus in the form of simple shapes.


“...It ’s best to stay true to yourself and just keep working and getting better at what you do. “ What’s your studio like? Messy! I am the messiest person I know. I never make time to tidy up because I’d much rather use the time painting! In summer I use my garage but during the colder months I actually work in the lounge room as it’s warmer and also I like to work and have my family near me and not be locked away in the garage! Is there a running theme to the work you create, or do you just make whatever comes to mind? I love painting florals and I love patterns so those two things always show up in my art. I love beautiful art and decoration. What kinds of ideas and things are you working on at the moment? I am trying to bring more calm and allow more space in my work as I tend to want to fill up every available space in an artwork and it can become too busy. I am definitely not a minimalist but I’d like to find more visual balance in my work between calm and busy. What advice would you give other artists starting out? Don’t worry about what other artists are doing, everyone is on their own path. These days there is so much access to everybody else’s art via Instagram and Facebook etc that you can get a bit lost and end up following fashions but it’s best to stay true to yourself and just keep working and getting better at what you do. What other artists do you love and how have they inspired the work you create? Too many to name! Barbara Hanrahan for her bold linework and naive style, Flora Bowley for her approach to artmaking and Rebecca Cool for her strong consistent style. What would you be doing if you weren’t making art? Graphic Design! Where can we see more of your work? www.sandrakaijaoost.com.au https://www.facebook.com/sandrakaijaoost https://www.instagram.com/sandrakaijaoost

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GALLERY

Photography by Lee Illfield

Top left: Blue Birds, 2017 91 x 91cm Mix media painting on gallery wrapped canvas

Top right: Letting Go, 2017 91 x 91cm Mix media painting on gallery wrapped canvas

Bottom left: Mulberry Tea and Rose, 2017 91 x 91cm Mix media painting on gallery wrapped canvas

Bottom right: Spring, 2017 101 x 101cm Mix media painting on gallery wrapped canvas

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GALLERY

Artworks by Sandra Oost

Top left: Flower Pudding, 2017 91 x 91cm Mix media painting on gallery wrapped canvas

Top right: Poppies, 2017 101 x 101cm Mix media painting on gallery wrapped canvas

Bottom left: Strawberry Picnic, 2017 91 x 91cm Mix media painting on gallery wrapped canvas

Bottom right: Mother and Daughter, 2017 101 x 101cm Mix media painting on gallery wrapped canvas

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One of Newcastle’s most beloved music venues, the Cambridge Hotel, is now up for sale. WORDS AND ILLUSTRATION BY IMOGEN CHAWNER

Cambo’s current owners have put it the venue on the market after 25 years, and unfortunately the current owners are putting the hotel up for sale, shopping the venue to developers with a plan for a 153 high-rise apartment building. The views would be fantastic, so you could imagine this is probably what will happen. Local musos up in arms about the fact that our town’s most prominent live music venue could potentially be on the chopping block. It’s not all bad news, though, because the hotel’s current operators say they want to keep the venue up-and-running as a live music space. They still have six years remaining on the lease and have no intentions of going anywhere anytime soon. “We have been in discussions with the current and potential new owners of The Cambo to do everything we can to keep Newcastle’s most iconic live music venue true to its name. “It is clear to us that Newcastle loves live music, or any music for that matter. We love music too, and have no intention of shutting this party down.”

The Cambridge Hotel has hosted some huge gigs in its time, including sets from the likes of Blink-182, Silverchair and Childish Gambino. It also hosted Pnau’s surprise reunion show earlier this year. One things to be sure though, one noise complaint by the residents of this new complex and the whole thing is shut down. This means Newcastle will soon be without a mid-sized venue, leaving a huge gap in the national touring circuit.

The hotel’s co-owner, John Palmieri, believes the iconic pub could become part of the new apartment development, which could see apartments built above the venue. We’re not sure how well this would work in terms of possible noise complaints, though.“We’re hoping the developer that ultimately acquires it will see fit to make sure they maintain a hotel within the complex,” Palmieri told Fairfax. “I’m pretty confident that will happen. There would be nothing to replace it in terms of what it can offer.”

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Live at the foreshore

This That Wharf life

Cambridge Hotel

Newcastle markets

48 Watt st

Maccas feed

Civic playhouse

King Edward park

Town Hall

Civic Park Conservatorium

Darby St

Surf House

Bar Beach

NEWCASTLE LIVE JAMS 7 OCT: KILLING HEIDI cambridge 7 OCT: THE OWLS cambridge 12 OCT: SARAH MCLEOD 48 watt st 24 OCT: WOW FEST Civic Playhouse 1 NOV: Jerome live at 5 Sawyers 4 NOV: THIS THAT foreshore EVERY SUNDAY WHARF LIFE queens wharf hotel EVERY 1ST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH : Newcastle markets hunter st 5 NOV Live at the foreshore

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“Photography is more than a medium for communication of ideas. It is a creative art ” ANSEL ADAMS

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BAR BEACH BEYOND THE SEA

ALLAN CHAWNER Photography by Allan Chawner

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“An exhaustive document of place, time and the unwitting company of gazing-out-tosea strangers.� - Allan Chawner

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ALLAN CHAWNER WORDS BY IMOGEN CHAWNER

Allan Chawner was born in 1949 in Lismore, New South Wales and currently lives in Newcastle, New South Wales. He is also my dad.

Fine art photography and the moving image are the basis of Allan Chawner’s artistic practice. His themes are based around notions of sense of place in portraiture and landscape. Over many years Chawner has consistently shown exhibitions of photographs and collaborated with writers or composers. He presents exhibitions internationally and has also developed links with small communities, exhibiting in venues outside mainstream art galleries. His work is a response to identity: both of the self and of communities. Chawner has lectured in visual arts since 1978 and currently holds the position of Conjoint Associate Professor of Fine Art at the University of Newcastle, New South Wales. Local Exhibition His exhibition ‘Bar Beach, Beyond the sea’, showcases his photographs of the famous Newcastle beach that he took over 5 years between 2001 to 2006. He shot more than 165 rolls of film and produced some 3,300 photographs of Bar Beach at all times of day, and in all conditions. Photographing from several different but specific perspectives (the pavilion post, the viewer platform, the picnic shelter), he fixed elements of the composition while the world moved on. In its entirety, the body of work represents an exhaustive document of place, time and the unwitting company (of gazing-out-to-sea strangers). Allan Chawner’s practice is to let the camera do the ‘seeing’ for him while he succumbs to the whole sensual and emotional experience of being there.

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Right: Photography by Allan Chawner


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“ Writing is the

painting of the voice “ VOLTAIRE

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‘

Creative Writing My experience with creative writing, short stories

WORDS BY NATALIE WEBSTER // COLLABORATIVE ILLUSTRATION BY NATALIE WEBSTER AND IMOGEN CHAWNER

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ABOUT ME: My name is Natalie Webster and I am an aspiring Author and Illustrator. I grew up in a small town called Tinonee, located in the Manning Valley. I was raised primarily by my father along with my older brother down the street from my grandparents farm. Tinonee has always been a quiet, convivial place and when I was younger, I enjoyed a lot of reading and writing. I have always wanted to publish my own children’s books, drawn to the idea that some day my stories can inspire and educate young children. I am currently in my first year of studying Visual Communication and Design at the University of Newcastle. With this course, I was required to select an elective each semester to guide me on my desired career path. In semester one, I selected a Drawing for Design elective, that allowed me to explore the process of character building. I was shown the different drawing styles and techniques which I could apply to my work. In semester two, I happily selected a Creative Writing elective which was offered through the English department. This subject has been a highlight to my year. I learnt how to compose engaging pieces, the rules of writing and was able to broaden my understanding of writing. The class primarily focuses on the power of short stories and I have provided a piece of my own work for you to enjoy. In this article, I will discuss how what I learnt this year has helped my writing practice. I will be going into some important things I have learnt and showing you how you could apply certain skills to your own work.

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Fuel your mind Reading

Goodreads

I was told that before you can write a story, it is important to read in order to broaden your imagination. It may be obvious to some, but it made sense to me because if you only ever read one genre of books, you are limiting your creative potential.

Recently, I have discovered an app called Goodreads. This is an app available on iphone and allows you to explore and track what you have read all at the touch of a button. Downloading this free app will transform your reading life and here is how:

Today, a lot of Authors are mixing genres to create stories that are more interesting and evidently, attract more readers. For example John Greens’ Paper Towns. Paper Towns is a young adult fiction novel. However, it entails mystery and romance. When I first started reading chapter books I was guilty of one-genre-syndrome. I was comfortable reading what I liked, but when it came to writing, my work lacked substance. The first chapterbook I read religiously, was Morris Gleitzman’s ‘Once’ series. If you haven’t read it, it is a powerful story about a young Jewish boy called Felix and his experience with the holocaust. I was inspired by what I had read which lead me to read ‘The Diary of Laura’s Twin’ by Kathy Kacer and ‘Two Brothers’ by Ben Elton - both Holocost remembrance stories. But when I tried to replicate what I had read, I was unable to make it past a few pages. When I got to an stage where I was ready to explore more genres, my Father gave me Emily Rodda’s ‘Three Doors’ trilogy. I then went onto ‘The Mortal Instruments’ series by Cassandra Clare which I have been reading over the last four years.

Have you ever walked into a store, picked up a book and the blurb just doesn’t really explain much? Or have you picked up a book and wondered if it’s really for you? Well, Goodreads has a feature that allows you to scan books on site and instantly provides you with information and reviews from ordinary people. The app also lets you explore and mark books you want to read so next time you walk into a store and forget what the title was, you can pull out your phone and find out. Another great feature is that Goodreads logs what books you have already read and suggests books for you.

I was suddenly able to break down the barrier and read more widely which has improved my writing immensely.

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My favourite feature is that the app lets you challenge yourself. The app lets you set yourself a reading goal of how may books you want to read that year and it logs your progress and lets you see how your friends are going.


Favourites A lot of people struggle to find the motivation to read. Understandably, reading isn’t for everyone. But I’ve found that in order to start a good book, you might want to make yourself a comfortable, quiet space to read. I find I do most of my reading at the end of the day, with a cup of tea. Reading can be relaxing, you just have to let it. Some personal favourites of mine, have been mentioned already in this article. Cassandra Clares’ ‘The Mortal Instruments’ is six book series focusing on a teenage girl, Clary Frey who’s world is turned upside down when her mother disappears. Its a brilliant story about angels, demons and the supernatural world. I cannot forget to mention, it also has a handsome male lead that everyone comes to love. This series has developed a prequel called ‘The Infernal Devices’ - set in the Victorian era and recently a sequel series called ‘The Dark Atifices.’ It is a lot of reading, but it won me over in the Fantasy genre.

Suggestions When I finish a good book I feel lost. It’s like I will never find another book to read but fear not, I have a solution! When I finished The Infernal Devices, I wanted more. So, I looked up the Author and what books they have read when looking for inspiration. I had then discovered books such as ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ and ‘Vathek.’ Which lead me to want to read more of the classic novels like ‘Jane Eyre’ and ‘Pride and Prejudice.’ I had mentioned Goodreads before but I cannot stress how handy this little app is. Goodreads offers suggestions for you which is a really handy thing when you aren’t too sure what you want next. In my Creative Writing Class, we were asked what we like to read. A lot of the class said crime fiction, so I feel obliged to recommend my favourite thriller/ mystery: Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith.

Photography by Renae Bishop

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Inspire In my Creative Writing class we are required to read the short stories allocated to that week. Most of the readings can be found in ‘The Art of the Tale’, edited by Daniel Halpern. There is always a lot of discussion about the reading but I selected two stories to show you. I felt these stories raised various views and opinions.

Seven Floors Dino Buzzatis

Greasy Lake T. Coraghessan Boyle

Published in 1966, the story follows a man called Giovanni Corte. Giovanni arrives at an unnamed sanatorium to be treated for an unnamed mental illness. The sanatoruim has seven floors, with the healthier patients placed at the upper floors and those are the most ill are at the bottom. The story then goes on to have a series of events that caused Giovanni to move down floors. Giovanni is assured he isn’t getting worse and his attitude remains positive throughout. This short story raised two main arguments that divided the class.

Thought to be set in the sixties, the story focuses on three nineteen year old men. The story mentions the family station wagon and how the men drive around and end up at Greasy Lake, where they drink and smoke. The story then leads on to a series of events that the men are not in control of.

The First was that perhaps the main character was in an asylum and was moving down floors because of his insanity/illness. To reinforce this idea, students said Giovanni’s attitude moving down reflected his denial - a common feature associated with mental illness. The Second was that the main character was actually in a concentration camp in WW2. Students reinforced this idea with the evident symbolism. Giovanni’s attitude is also explained with this concept; for individuals that suffered in concentration camps were often unsure of where they were and what was going to happen to them.

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There is violence, action and panic as the story unfolds. This is a fantastic story so I will refrain from spoiling the ending. However, in class this story was labelled a story about coming of age. The events are the obstacle the men face in order to grow and change. But a student raised a very interesting point. Their view was that there are strong connections and symbolism to war. So perhaps the story was metaphorical for the effects of war. This argument is reinforced by the symbolism and how the events changed the characters. The student said that it reflected youths attitude to war and how serving their country was glorified. After the men endure the catastrophic events at Greasy Lake, reality sets in and they are left to face what they have done.


My Own Work Marbles by Natalie Webster

It was 2:15pm when Mum pulled into the Grocers car park. I was in my usual spot behind the passenger seat playing with the drawstring of my jumper when she turned around to me smiling. Dad would say my Mum has the most beautiful smile. I don’t understand how a smile could be beautiful. “Ready to go inside Lachlan?” she asked, repositioning her glasses. “Yes. I brought my bag of marbles from home,” I said. I don’t take the marbles out of the mesh bag. I like to move the marbles around with my fingers. I once held them for three weeks and two days before Mum forced me to stop and have a bath. That was fun. Mum and I entered the shop at 2:19pm.

I thought of prime numbers again. “29, 31, 37...” Unsuccessful. I decided to say them aloud and check the bread isle for Mum. I looked at everybody’s faces trying to find Mums lilac glasses and grey ponytail. I reached the crumpets but had to stop looking because the brightness of the shop lights made it hard to think. I stuffed the marbles in my jumper and clamped my hands over my ears. “43! 47!” I curled up into a ball on the floor. I knew people were staring at me. People always stared. I looked up and saw the man with the crooked security badge crouched beside me. He had a bald spot and his breath smelt like hot cheese.

The ding-dong sound of the doors made me giggle. I thought it was strange that people invented doors that made a noise. I once read the first doorbell was made of compressed air.

“Time to go Lachlan,” he said.

Mum held my hand leading me through the shop. I shuffled my marbles while she grabbed a basket and made her way to the fruit and vegetables. This was the worst part of shopping because people touch the food before putting it back or into their trolley. When I see people do this, I close my eyes and recite prime numbers in my head.

“He’s okay. Move!” It was Mum.

“2, 3, 5, 7, 11...” I opened one eye and saw we had made it to the pumpkins. “13, 17...” I opened my eyes because we stopped moving.

Mum made me feel better.

I was alone. I didn’t feel Mum let go of my hand but I felt my chest tighten. Mum said that feeling in our chest was called anxiety and when I start to feel it, I should do something to calm down.

“Sorry Dale. It’s my fault.”Mum said.

I felt his breath touch my face. I screamed and started banging my head against the lino.“71! 73!”

She placed her cardigan between my head and the floor. The security man helped Mum to her knees. She asked me where my marbles were and I gave them too her. She asked me what colours they were and what one was my favourite...

I sat up, taking my marbles from her. The security man helped Mum upright.

“It’s okay Mary but he is thirty now. What’s going to happen when you are unable to look after him?”

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How To Write Creatively

Writing.

Checklist.

Writing has always been a creative outlet for me while growing up. In my Creative Writing class, the teacher told me it is important to find out how we write. We are told to work with what suits us best as an individual.

I have created a basics checklist for you to follow when starting a story. There are a few simple rules that will help you create a cognitive story with substance.

This may be using notes of your phone, scribbling with a pen and paper or just on a computer. For me, I work best in a relaxed setting with a cup of tea, pen and paper. But sometimes, ideas come at the worst time, like when your driving or at 3am when your binging Netflix. When this happens, I put a few notes in my phone so I can remember it at a better time. I have come to appreciate the power of short stories immensely. A short story doesn’t have the time to prolonged character development. They must be condensed but not broad. Many of the short stories studied in class were open ended or finished with an unseen plot twist. But it’s not as easy as you think.

Photography by Natalie Webster

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- Plot. A plot is the general road-map of what happens in the story. - Persona. This is who is telling the story. - Structure. The way things are revealed. This is the time frame of your story. For example opening a story at the end of the complication. - Setting. This is the place and environment of the story. Creating an atmosphere lets the reader visualise what they read. - Dialogue. Dialogue can reveal parts of the story and also build character. However, never include pointless dialogue. Everything your characters say should have relevance to the story. - Punctuation. Full stops, comma and paragraphing makes the story easy to read. Reading out loud help determine punctuation.


Character Building Writing a story often means you’ll need a character or characters. This is my favourite part of writing because I have the power to create what I want. Here are some key notes when character building...

Creating a 3D character.

Wattpad

A 3D character is one that is believable and constant with their traits. It is important to display traits and personality through their appearance. This can be done by describing their clothes, the way they walk, their voice and attitude. However, a trick to embed this into your story is to ‘show not tell.’ This is where you explain something without necessarily spoon feeding your audience. For example:

A suggestion I have for those who are interested in self publishing is Wattpad. Wattpad is a website that allows people to post and read others works. Wattpad gives out Watty awards throughout the year, all you have to do is submit. Its a great way to create a fan base that love to give feedback. And trust me, feedback is a great thing!

1. Mr Woods slammed the door of as he left the classroom because he was really angry at his students. 2. Mr Woods knotted his brow. Amy thought his head was about to burst with the way he clenched his fists. Instead, he stormed out the door of the classroom, letting it slam behind him. BANG.

End Note.

Elements that make a 3D character include: - Visual appearance. Stereotypes are a good place to start. However try to avoid being cliché. - A History. Having a background determines a characters behaviours and attitude. - Layers of Feelings. Personality traits can help the audience relate of predict characters behaviours. - Voice. Their attitude and way they speak makes them an individual. - Goals. A motivation or ambition that drives the story. - Relationships. Relations with other characters make situations real. - Flaws and Quirks. This gives personality to your character and makes them more realistic. - Morals. Closely associated with Layers of Feelings, Morals and perspective creates depth to your character. A character should not be exactly the same from the beginning to the end of the story.

I find it easier to keep a journal so I can remember all the information for a story. The journal isn’t a formal element, but it keeps me consistent and avoids plot holes. Some things the journal contains are drawing/ sketches of characters, story boards, family trees and a names list. Just remember, it’s your story so don’t be afraid to get creative. The rules and tricks I have mentioned apply throughout all styles of Creative Writing whether it be a novel, children’s book, poetry or short stories. I hope this article gave you a little inspiration to pick up a pen and paper (or phone) and get writing. If creative writing isn’t your cup of tea, I hope I gave you a little knowledge that you can take away.

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G

ot Spare Buttons?

Buttons appear to be one of the most insignificant things on earth yet play a vital role in our everyday life (that is, if we don’t want to be nude *wink wink* ). Whether it be your grandmas old button collection or a pack from spotlight, this recycled button bowl is cheap, pretty and darn easy to make.

What you will need...

- A balloon - At least 30 Buttons - Clear setting PVA glue - A paintbrush - A pin/scissors - A contain

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Now Follow These Simple Steps...

1.

Inflate balloon to a suit the size of your desired bowl. (The smaller the balloon the smaller the bowl etc). Then, smother the head of your balloon in PVA glue

3.

Once you have finished placing all the buttons on the balloon, allow the balloon to sit (put it in a roll of tape to hold) to allow glue to dry and concrete buttons.

2.

Start placing your buttons on the glue, making sure the face of the button is facing down on the balloon. Fill the whole head of the balloon with buttons. (Tip: Keep the buttons touching).

4.

Once rock solid, pop your balloon and peel it from your brand new bowl! Sandpaper any sharp edges down for a flush look.

DIY BY JULIA MOORE

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