We’re taking a short break…

We’re taking a short break from blogging – we both have creative projects on the go that need our full attention, so stay tuned for exciting things to come! Thanks for reading, we’ll see you back here soon.

In the meantime, here’s a recap of some of our favourite posts:

On science and creativity…

• How does music affect our creativity?
• The science of daydreaming
• A surprising way to boost your creativity

On writing…

• How to be a better writer – 5 blogs for writers
• Copywriting tips: how to write about white paper
• 20 words you’ll want to say out

On marketing…

• Have you got your elevator pitch ready?
• Market yourself – tips for networking
• A marketer’s bag of tricks

Some reading lists…

• Looking for a good book to read next?
• Top 10 dystopian fiction books (Kimberly)
• Top 10 dystopian fiction books (Caitlin)

Some reviews…

• Salman Rushdie at the Melbourne Writers Festival
• Elizabeth Gilbert for the Wheeler Centre
• Lior and Hannah Kent talk books and music
• Mid-Century Modern: exhibition at NGV Ian Potter Centre

On art…

• 3 artists working in imagined space
• Book art
• Paper art influenced by science

On design…

• Great book cover designs and designers
• 3 design trends I’m loving
• Changing fashions in book cover design
• Top ten fonts

On people…

• Creative entrepreneurs: Moleskine founder Maria Sebregondi
• Working creatives: meet designer Clint Sutherland
• Inspiring woman: Dorothea Lange

 

 

Copywriting tips – How to write about white paper

Many writers make money ‘writing copy’ – that is, writing advertising and promotional materials, sometimes even instructions. And you can end up writing about anything and everything.

As you might expect, some things are easier to write about that others. Some copy writes itself, especially if you are familiar with a product.

But some is a challenge.

I found myself facing this challenge when I literally had to write about BLANK white paper.

At first, I was somewhat panicked…and then I followed these steps and, voila, several paragraphs of copy on white paper. You could follow the same steps if you’re ever facing a copywriting challenge, which you may face even if you’re NOT a writer, because you may have to write about your OWN product or brand.

1. Understand the brand.

The brand – whether your brand or someone else’s – provides the context for telling the story of the products. Researching the brand, determining what they stand for and what they’re known for, gives you a place to start. It gives you the right sort of language to use. You’ll speak differently about a mass produced brand, for example, that you will about a hand-made brand.

2. Consider what’s different about the product in front of you.

Even things that look or seem the same have subtle differences if you look for them. Luckily the blank white paper I was writing about was gorgeous paper. It’s thick, textured, heavy weight – really tactile. It had a cute cover and a special binding – all differentiating factors.

3. Think about how and why someone might use the product.

This is placing yourself in the situation of the potential ‘target market’. The paper I was writing about is something you’d use to send a letter. Or sketch a piece of art. It was ‘special’ paper, or paper for people who really admire special stationery.

4. Understand the technical aspects.

For many products, there are specs and these specs will be important to some buyers. Paper has specs, so I was also able use those.

5. Evoke a feeling.

This paper that I was writing about is purchased online. So people can’t experience it for themselves. I needed to evoke the same feeling that they might experience were they to pick up this paper, touch it, imagine using it.

6. Finally….Don’t forget SEO

A lot of copy is used online. And online is driven by “search engine optimisation” – that is, the word the average consumer – and thus Google – will use to search for a product. When writing about the paper I needed to remember to use terms that I know people search by – designer stationery, for example.

Fancy a seaside trip? Top five sunken cities

Sirens and superstition. Voyages into the deep. Mythical or just undiscovered? Sunken cities are as fascinating if they are real or exist only in legend. Preserved in a watery shroud, they offer tantalising hints to historic events. Those yet to prove their existence become a beacon of unknown, a tempting treasure for explorers and storytellers alike. Here are my top five mythical sunken cities.

5. Atlantis: You can’t possibly have a list of sunken cities without including Atlantis. Such a huge myth that has lasted for eons that it’s no wonder it’s hard to let go of. Written about by Plato as a vision of a utopian island; and widely believed to have sprung to life from his imagination. But there is an argument that he was inspired by older texts and that it may well have existed many years before, wiped out by a volcano or earthquake/tsunami before Plato’s linage was conceived.

4. Vineta: A mythical city supposed to be submerged in the Baltic Sea, off the southern coast. As many of these legends go, it was the general naughtiness of the inhabitants that lead to the sea rising up and swallowing the city. It is said that it reappears at times to act as a warning for future revellers – misbehave at your peril!

3. Mu: Not quite a city, more a whole lost continent. Mu is the legendary Motherland of all society – believed to be written about by the ancient Mayans, referencing it as their homeland that was destroyed and sunk after a cataclysmic event. Augustus Le Plongeon (1825–1908), a traveller and writer, was the first to popularise the ‘Mu’ myth, claiming he had translated the ancient Mayan writings that told of this even more ancient continent. Where is it? Buried in either the deep blue of the sea or our collective imaginations.

2. Kitezh: A Russian sunken city, thought to be lying at the bottom of Lake Svetloyar. The legend goes that on the impending invasion of the Mongols in the 13th century, rather than fortifying their city, the citizens of Kitezh prayed instead for their redemption. The Mongols, seeing the city unguarded, moved to attack, only to be astounded by water shooting up around them. Before their eyes, the city was submerged into the lake and away from capture. It is said that only those who are ‘pure of heart and soul’ will find their way to Kitezh, and when the the lake is calm you can hear the bells chiming and people singing in the city below.

1. Ys: Another mythical city that succumbed to its own depravity. Ys is said to be of the coast of Brittany, built below sea level and surrounded by a dike to keep it from flooding. It was given by King Gradlon to his daughter Dahut, who then turned the city into the capital orgy destination in the land. She apparently enjoyed not just wild sex with many men, but also beheading them afterwards. The city wall had a great gate, with the only key held by the King.

The legend goes that one of Dahut’s lovers convinced her to steal the key from her father and give it to him. The lover was in fact the devil, and he opened the gate, flooding the city. Dahut was turned into a mermaid and the city was lost. It is said that when Paris falls, Ys will rise again.

So next time you’re thinking of jetting a character off into a mythical city, why not pack them a wetsuit and dive into a sunken city?

Looking for more lists? Here’s our top ten favourite fonts and our top five creative writing ideas.

Friday words and pictures

Here’s a little selection of pictures and words to brighten your Friday. Happy almost weekend!

There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.
This traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of toll;
How frugal is the chariot
That bears a human soul!

Emily Dickinson

Spring rain
leaking through the roof
dripping from the wasps’ nest.

Matsuo Basho

When I go up through the mowing field,
The headless aftermath,
Smooth-laid like thatch with the heavy dew,
Half closes the garden path.

And when I come to the garden ground,
The whir of sober birds
Up from the tangle of withered weeds
Is sadder than any words

A tree beside the wall stands bare,
But a leaf that lingered brown,
Disturbed, I doubt not, by my thought,
Comes softly rattling down.

I end not far from my going forth
By picking the faded blue
Of the last remaining aster flower
To carry again to you.

Robert Frost

Here’s some more poetry and pictures: a little about Haiku, some found poetry and inspired by vintage styling.

Why I think it’s worth getting up early

I’m one of those people that many find annoying, or just plain strange. I’m a morning person. I love an early morning. I am fully energised and do my best work at the beginning of the day.

In winter, being a morning person is a bit more challenging. It’s not only cold, but it is just so dark!

I’m training for a 50km walk (in November) though, so if I need to get in 10km the best time for me to do this is the morning, when the rest of the world is still waking up. And I’m always rewarded by the pristine view of the world you get at that time. When the world wakes up, the colours are deeper, the light is softer and the day is still full of potential.

So if you’re the sort of person who has a deep and meaningful relationship with the snooze button, I’d encourage you to push through and get out into the day.

Here are a few recent golden moments captured at the best part of the day.

 

Inspired by… Venice

A bit of eye-candy today. I love Venice. It’s the chaos; beautiful, disorientating, charming chaos.

‘Memory’s images, once they are fixed in words, are erased,’ Polo said. ‘Perhaps I am afraid of losing Venice all at once, if I speak of it, or perhaps, speaking of other cities, I have already lost it, little by little.’
― Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities

Here are some pictures for your pleasure.

Want some more travel inspiration? Here’s a post on Mexico, on Florence and a photo essay on skulls.

 

All about texture

On a rainy Melbourne day I found myself pouring through some old pictures and discovered these textures. Lots of grey, but with some loud colour to break it up. Enjoy!