The Spanish Berry

Time flies and I want its wings! Another month has come and gone, so I’m back to share some of my favourite things from around the internet.

Since I’ve had a lot of time this month, the selection today is quite extensive. It includes a variety of podcasts, writing advice, insights into the creative business and diversity in art. Take a look and tell me about your favourites in the comments.

Podcasts:

April has been a bit of a podcast month. It’s a great way to learn while you do other things. Press play and have a listen while you’re getting jobs done around the house, it’s the best and most productive way to multitask. My favourites so far:

1. Say More by Olivia Gatwood and Melissa Lozada-Oliva. I have been following both these poets for quite a while now and enjoy their work very much. With a warning for strong language, I have enjoyed their honest conversations about life, poetry, politics, feminism and you name it. A special mention to Ep 46: The questions we hate, where they explore their creative process. I found their experience and insight a great motivation for my own work and I believe you will too.
2. Have you heard George’s podcast? I have only listened to an episode or two of this one so far. Despite what I said before, I believe it’s one that needs my full concentration, so I need to find quiet time rather than having it on in the background. Spotify describes it as: “The award-winning and critically-acclaimed podcast from George the Poet, delivers a fresh take on inner city life though a mix of storytelling, music and fiction.” It’s worth your time, check it out.

Writing inspiration:

April is National Poetry Month (in the US?) and with many countries in lockdown I have seen a burst of creativity, writing and art all over the internet. I haven’t written a load of poetry but I have been doing quite a bit of writing in its different forms. One article I enjoyed this month in helping improve this cretaive skill was about story shape.

1. Ever heard of Story shape? I hadn’t either, but when I was struggling to define my plot, this article helped me look at it from a different perspective.

WePresent: Unexpected stories about creativity.

If you’re a creative you have probably used WeTransfer to send large files. Ever since I discovered their content page, WePresent, I’ve been going back for more as often as I can. It is so good, I can’t recommend it enough. Here is a selection I’ve enjoyed this month.

1. Stuff the don’t tell you: The Gift of Feedback. As creatives, one thing we can’t escape is other people’s opinions of our work and they’re not always positive. This article takes a look at client feedback.
2. Career Myths. You don’t need to be an extrovert to be heard. As an introvert, I was interested to know what they had to say on the subject.
3. Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi. You’re expected to perform your identity. When identity, creativity and more than one country come up in, well, anything, you’ve got my interest. I loved the series Gymnasium highlighted here, since we have certain family links to gymnastics and the paintings are captivating.
4. Nadia Waheed. Society as a whole views women as a means to an end. Another great article with the added topics of feminism and body image.

Every time I read articles like these last ones I realise how white and western the stories I’m surrounded by often are. I love discovering new perspectives and artists from around the globe. And I’m trying to increase the diversity of the culture I consume.

Now, over to you! What have been some of your favourites this month? Do you have any recommendations? Leave me a comment, I’m always looking for new things to read, watch and/or listen to.