PLAYFULNESS + CURIOSITY Page 8 of 22

Global Talent Search Semi-Finalists announced – Did you make the top 50?

Posted on 2013-08-01 at 9:11 am.

It’s time to reveal the 50 Semi-Finalists in the 2013 Global Talent Search!

We were flooded with entries in response to the exciting brief set in association with Paperchase, inviting entrants to design a journal cover with a playground theme. Here is what Lilla had to say about reviewing the submissions, and undertaking the difficult task of making the selection…

“What’s it like to review submissions from over 1,500 participants from over 30 countries around the globe? I’ll tell you what it’s like: It’s exhilarating! I couldn’t wait to see what would turn up as a result of the assignment. For starters, I was astounded by the quality of work and the calibre of the artists. Work was submitted in every medium: paint, watercolor, Adobe Illustrator, even 3-D pieces! My goal was to seek out the best of the best, and by a very careful process of elimination, I was able to narrow down the selection to 122 images. From there I began an even more studied (and challenging!) examination, and then finally I brought in my crack team, Susan McCabe and Jennifer Nelson, for their savvy input as seasoned agents to help narrow the work down to this group of AMAZING 50 semi-finalists.

First and foremost, we looked for pieces that jumped out at us for their terrific color, strong composition, and overall uniqueness. (Those of you that took Make Art That Sells know about how important it is to have your piece read well as a postage stamp as well as full size!)

Was there something special about the piece? A quirkiness that enticed us to want more? Could we see our client base wanting to work with this artist? How about a clear embrace of the subject matter: playgrounds. (Pretty universally, the playground theme was well-executed.)

Was the style of the artist really apparent, in that we could immediately see a unique point of view? Was the technique masterful and polished? If we are to represent this artist and award them with a variety of top licenses, would they be able to knock them of the park? A strong, evolved style can do that. So that’s key.

Our sincere hope for those of you that were not selected for this particular competition is that you understand that in no way is that a reflection on your talent. There were clearly way more images than we could select. Going forward, you may wish to take my Make Art That Sells e-course to grow your talent even further (a new round of the course starts in October!). I did see how my June Make Art That Sells students were really well prepared for the Global Talent Search. Also, we truly hope you’ll consider re-entering the Global Talent Search next time. ‘Like’ our Facebook page to be sure to stay on top of announcements and news!”

With no further ado, let’s give a big round of applause to the Global Talent Search 50 Semi-Finalists! The full list has been unveiled on Lilla’s blog here.

Feel free to share your thoughts with us on Twitter (@lillarogers @DoWhatYouLoveXx #globaltalentsearch)

Thought for the Week (23)

Posted on 2013-07-29 at 8:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Allow yourself to take part in activities with others. You may just discover the person you have been sitting opposite or next to for a while has a lot more to offer. Life’s discoveries do not always have to be contemplated and planned.

Life according to Mr K – Love to Discover (3)

Posted on 2013-07-26 at 8:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Take a moment and ask yourself when you last tried something completely new. Last year I started learning Japanese, and realised it was the first brand new skill I had tried since I was about 14. The last 22 years had been about just developing skills I already had. Who knows what I may be good at? Who knows what any of us are good or bad at unless we try? And how do you know what you love if you have never tried it?

(more…)

Life According to Mr.K – Love to Discover (2)

Posted on 2013-07-12 at 8:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Nihon to Nihongo (On Japan and the Japanese language)

On arriving in Japan our first journey was to travel several hundred miles north from Tokyo on the overnight bus to Yamagata. My first discovery was that I was no longer a crazy student prepared to rough it to save a few quid, and the cheap option of the overnight bus was not proving a good decision! They are not designed for men in their 30s over 6 foot tall.

Yamagata is a prefecture located in the northerly Tōhoku region on Honshu Island. It borders the Miyagi region, which suffered a horrendous ordeal during the 2011 Asian Tsunami.

We arrived around 6am to be met by freezing temperatures and about a foot of snow. Had we packed right? My flip-flops and shorts were not providing much comfort at this point. Luckily we were welcomed in Yamagata by old friends, who quickly made us feel at home.

The reason we had journeyed North to Yamagata was to meet Kyoko and Adachi-san. They had been a couple that Beth had spent a year living with when she worked in Japan. (If she ever decides to write a book it will certainly blow your mind). Life’s accidental twists and turns can be both so brutal and beautiful. They are very close to this day more than 13 years later.

I remember Adachi-san telling me that his favourite part of the day was returning from work, opening a can of lager and watching the football. He was an avid Yamagata Montedio (J2 team) fan. I was discovering that life really wasn’t much different on the other side of the world!

For me, most importantly they were Beth’s friends, great hosts and I could not have asked for a better start to my new adventure. Oh, and they spoke good eigo (English) as well, which helped. Today I am honoured to call them my friends too.

But then things started to get a whole lot trickier when we left the comfort of their home and headed out into the big wide world in Kyoto…

….Arriving in Kyoto

“The beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we do not understand.” – Frank Herbert

For those of you who have never been to Japan, I cannot recommend a more beautiful or diverse place. It is a wonderful experience. However, it isn’t without its fear factor, mainly the language. I was not expecting the impact being essentially illiterate would have on me.

I am ashamed to say that in the first couple of weeks in Kyoto I wanted to find the quickest exit out (but couldn’t read the signs…) I was completely overwhelmed by road signs, menus, instructions and advice in a language so different to our Roman alphabet that it could be left by an alien race.

I could not believe how dependent I became on Beth. A new start was all well and good but I felt like a child again, unable to fend for myself, and I did not like it. I could not wait for school to begin so I could start to get to grips with the language.

We arrived in Kyoto and settled into our new apartment quickly. It didn’t take long to furnish our 12 square metres. A small rice cooker, two bowls and some chopsticks, done!

I had two weeks to get accustomed to my new surroundings before school was to start. Right then. What was I going to do now I have all this free time? I sat for minutes in front of Google thinking what should I type in and then I suddenly realized that I should get up and go outside! Why did I think I was going to find my answers generated by a search engine? What was I thinking? I don’t even like computers that much.

I soon discovered all the simple pleasures that Kyoto had to offer and there were plenty. Bike riding through the temples (in fact cycling anywhere), exploring weird and wonderful places, exercising by the river, reading, cafes and restaurants, onigiris (rice balls stuffed with things like tuna and wrapped in seaweed), Starbuck’s caramel frappucinos (a new one for me) and most importantly loads of free time!

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust

One of the beauties of Kyoto was getting under its skin and understanding Japanese life (which can take time). Kyoto was a maze of streets consisting of houses, restaurants, shops and cafes.

Peeking behind the norens offers a world of discovery as you find small family businesses tucked away in wooden buildings selling everything from calligraphy brushes to kimonos to pots and pans.

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” – Plato

One particular Friday afternoon will always stay in my mind. School had just finished, the heavens had opened and the rain was cascading down the busy rooves. I took off my trainers, placed them in my bag and set off home on my bike, barefoot. Within seconds I was soaked. The ride lasted approximately 20 minutes. I loved every single moment of it.

I felt cool, alive, young and free. At the few places along the route where I had to stop for traffic lights, feeling the warm tarmac under my bare feet was very relaxing and such a unique feeling.

We can’t feel like this all the time but we have to give our lives the opportunity to present such experiences. It was Kyoto in all of her majesty. The rain felt purifying as if it was washing away every care and worry I may have had. I spent the whole journey just laughing out loud all on my own. I felt like a ten year old playing outside. Priceless!

When was the last time you discovered your inner child?

Today just do something just for fun. You might enjoy it, and perhaps find out something new about yourself!

Until next time…

Mr K

Discovering new places… Paris

Posted on 2013-07-09 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

There is nothing like a bit of travel to shake it all up, blow out the cobwebs and reinspire you. Sometimes – even when you are doing what you love – you get caught up in the details of making things happen, and the days can sometimes start to merge into one another. Heading out to discover news things, people, places, food and adventures, with your phone off and your exploring hat on can be brilliant.

It was my fourth trip to Paris but the first time I have actually seen the Eiffel Tower up close – wow, what a triumph of engineering. It is so strong but beautiful

And so to Paris… we just spent a long weekend in the French capital – feel so fortunate that is is just over an hour away by plane – and after four days of walking, croissants, practicing bad French and chats in romantic cafes we feel refreshed and ready to roll! I thought you’d like to see a few pics from the windy lanes and dreamy architecture we discovered along the way…

Doesn’t this guy look like he is about to burst into song?!

The most enormous millefeuille I have ever seen

How about you? Have you taken yourself on a little discovery adventure recently? Where did you go? What did you discover? We’d love to hear about it!

Thought for the Week (20)

Posted on 2013-07-08 at 8:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

The discovery that it is Okay to make mistakes is an enlightening moment that will allow you to break free. The world will keep turning and the sun will keep rising. Some mistakes even end up with better results than the original planned event!

What do you think?

The Art of Discovery

Posted on 2013-07-01 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

The more you learn, the more you realise you don’t know, and I think the same goes for discovery – the more you discover, the more you realise there is to discover. This is one of the reasons I think life is so utterly fascinating – there is always something else around the corner, something to find out about the people you know, the place you live, your own possibilities, and on and on.

Discovery is a HUGE part of following a path to doing what you love. If you aren’t doing something you love right now, without exploring and discovering what there is out there, and what there is inside of you, you will have a hard time finding the sweet spot where you find yourself living your passion and your fullest life every single day.

This month we are diving deep into this topic with our new theme ‘Love to Discover’, with some fascinating interviews and a series of ponderings. We hope it will inspire you to ask yourself deeper questions, and discover more about yourself and the world you live in.

Are you ready for an adventure of discovery?

Honeymoon (7): London

Posted on 2013-06-30 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Honeymoons tend to be very private, but we ended ours with a huge group of people – two of our very favourite Japanese people, along with half of their company workers!

On the London Eye with Kyoko and Adachi

Kyoko and Adachi are like second family to me, having let me stay in their house rent free for a year when I lived in the northern Japanese city of Yamagata back in my twenties. They are jazz musicians who love a good party, and frequently opened their doors to the various waifs and strays I brought home (i.e. most of the foreigners who lived in Yamagata) – their house became known as the ‘Adachi Hospital for Homesick Foreigners’ as there was always a cold beer and warm welcome for anyone who visited. (You can read about the crazy way I met them in this post). They also looked after us in the first couple of weeks of our sabbatical in Japan last year.

Adachi travelled the world in his youth and lived in Notting Hill way before it was hip, and Kyoko has been heavily inspired by western music as a Jazz singer, but they had never been to England together. I always promised that of course I would look after them if they ever came to visit, so when they decided to take their team to Europe to celebrate a pivotal birthday for their company, I pursuaded them to give up their idea of going to Italy and come to England instead. But that was before we got engaged. The irony was, they then booked their flights, and it ended up being a week after our wedding (which we would have loved them to come to), and WE were in Italy for our honeymoon! So we decided to spent the last couple of days of our holiday in a lovely London hotel exploring with them instead, and it was such fun.

Charlotte Street Hotel

We booked ourselves into the gorgeous Charlotte Street Hotel in Soho. It is really expensive so we had just taken a simple room, but when we got their they said that as a honeymoon gift they had upgraded us to their loft suite – an apartment overlooking London charged out at £1,000 a night! It was so fabulous we didn’t want to leave, but headed out onto the streets of London to see the sights with our visiting friends.

The living room of our loft apartment (complete with our own private lift!)

We have both been to London countless times, but usually to see friends or for work – rarely as a tourist. It was so much fun to see London through the eyes of our friends – the London Eye, live music on the banks of the Thames, the British Museum, Big Ben, afternoon tea in a posh hotel, sunday lunch in an old English pub etc. We also surprised them with three of our English friends who had stayed at their house over the years turning up for lunch and dinner!

Here are a few happy snapshots:

This time with old friends was actually the perfect way to end our honeymoon and start the rest of our married lives. Thank you so much to our friends and families who contributed to our honeymoon and make it so special.

You can read my other honeymoon posts here: (1) Florence / (2) Castel Monastero / (3) Winetasting in Tuscany / (4) Borgo Santo Pietro / (5) Pasta masterclass / (6) Pisa and home

Honeymoon (5): Pasta masterclass!

Posted on 2013-06-29 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

And the honeymoon story continues… While at Borgo Santo Pietro we couldn’t help but indulge ourselves in a private pasta cookery class with the hotel’s Executive Chef. It was amaaaaazing. I just felt so happy in that kitchen, and one of the things that we made (the fresh tortellini stuffed with caramelised pear on a tarragon pesto) was possibly the best thing I have ever tasted in my life. Must buy a pasta machine…

Heaven on a plate – fresh tortellini stuffed with caramelised pear on a tarragon pesto

You can read my other honeymoon posts here: (1) Florence / (2) Castel Monastero / (3) Winetasting in Tuscany / (4) Borgo Santo Pietro / (5) Pasta masterclass / (6) Pisa and home

Honeymoon (4): Borgo Santo Pietro

Posted on 2013-06-26 at 9:13 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Continuing the story of our dreamy honeymoon (which seems like a long time ago now, even though it was only in April)…

We spent three blissful days at Borgo Santo Pietro, a stunning Italian villa in the Tuscan countryside, which turns out to have been awarded ‘Best Boutique Hotel in the World’ in 2012! I am not surprised – it felt like you were staying at a rich friend’s gorgeous country home. It is hard to find words to describe this place, so I will let the pictures do the talking.

This chandelier was in the toilet!

One night the kitchen was doing a special Tuscan dinner, but we had already sampled so much rich food we decided to opt for something more simple in their outdoor bar (in the picture above). And as everyone else was at the dinner, we ended up with the whole place to ourselves, with our own personal barman, a roaring log fire and deep comfy sofas to chill in as we sampled the best the local vineyard had to offer. We talked long into the night about the shared life we have ahead of us, and I think it was actually my favourite night of the whole honeymoon.