The Jotter - issue 39
“Taking a wrong turn allows you to see landscapes you wouldn't otherwise have seen.”
Rick Rubin
Hello,
Since the last Jotter, my mother sadly died. She had been ill with dementia for a number of years.
Mum was intelligent (a rare female chemistry graduate in 1950 and an engaging letter writer), an active member of the community (managing Beeston Citizens Advice Bureau from 1974 - 82 and President of the National Council of Women branch in Nottingham), and a loving daughter, wife, mother, grandmother and friend.
She encouraged us to do the things we loved, stand up for what we believed in and be actively involved in our communities.
Looking through photos of mum there is one constant. Her warm, open and infectious smile. How can you not respond in kind?
That’s quite a legacy.
Onwards
Andrew
01, Book.
‘The Creative Act: A Way of Being’ by music reducer, Rick Rubin, is a series of brief essays on the creative process. Bound in a minimally designed cover, the book encourages you to ponder and make notes.
“The ability to look deeply is the root of creativity. To see past the ordinary and mundane and get to what might otherwise be invisible.”
02, Buildings.
Thomas Heatherwick is on a mission against the “blandemic” of boring buildings. I don’t agree with all he says on this BBC Radio 4 programme (I like some boring buildings), but he has some thought provoking views.
It ties in nicely with the brilliant Age of Average article by Alex Murrell (previously mentioned in Jotter Issue 33).
03, Music
Thank you Ritka for sending me this article about why one of the most inspiring people on this planet, Mr Brian Eno, sculpts sound.
“… our strengths as a species come from our ability to co-operate — in space and time. We pass information and ideas across the globe to each other and down through time…”
Brian Eno
04, Fashion.
40 photos that changed fashion is a fascinating trip down memory lane and beyond.
Included is this 1962 photoshoot which broke all the rules… “Shrimpton, a home counties girl, and Bailey, from London’s East End, rebelled by shunning hair and makeup, and embracing a raw street reportage aesthetic.”
05, Thinking.
A thoughtful article on why new technology has never delivered a shorter working week (and never will).
“… technology is never used to save time. It’s used to speed up production and consumption in order to expand the system.”
Mum underlined similar points in her well-thumbed copy of ‘Small is Beautiful’ which she read 50 years ago.
Photo by Trent Parke
06, Phubbing.
Thank you to Neil Coxon for sharing this article about the irksome habit of friends phubbing. I don’t think he was sending it to me in an accusatory way…
07, Declutter.
What’s more, if we used our digital devices less we would reduce carbon emissions.
It’s one of the reasons why I design websites in which you can find the information you want as quickly and easily as possible.
08, Photography
Craig Mod has a way of writing and photographing which appeals. His carefully designed hand bound book, Things Become Other Things, is about celebrating grace while walking in Japan. It’s available for pre-order now.
09, Work.
It’s been a pleasure working with the George at Woolley to design their new website and take photos of their restaurant and rooms. You may accuse me of bias, but their food is delicious - the Baileys flavoured custard which accompanies the sticky toffee pudding is genius.
I would have showed you another website but we aren’t launching this week. The client wrote:
“As to publishing it - this may well sound odd but could you pull the trigger on Monday morning? I have a visceral hatred of Black Friday weekend!”
Quite right.
Thank you for reading the November Jotter. The next issue will grace your inbox a week early, on Friday 22nd December at 11am. In the meantime, I hope you have a jolly time leading up to Christmas.
Onwards
Andrew
“When burdened by the feeling that there are too many photographs in the world, I ask myself if there are too many flowers.”