What if anything do you do to express yourself creatively?

I used to write; very occasionally still do. 

Yes, I’ve created an ongoing performance art project on a little read forum that I call “Feeling Chill” - it’s a satirical reflection on the current woke simps that give the left a bad name these days and is mostly positioned for the benefit of my alt-right buddies

I’m planning on serialising edited extracts on Quillette shortly and then turning it into a book a la Tatiana McGrath’s

I play piano sometimes and I make some funny web apps.

I also surf very creatively. Eg when a big British waves lands on top of you when you’re riding it - that’s not a bail or a wipeout. That’s a ’British barrel’. No one says that. Only some friends and myself but I think it’s a funny way of saying you took a beating

Write music. 

I've realised that having two kids and a full time lawyah job I'm unlikely to ever write a musical, so I just write music for friends and lovers now. Everyone should have their own song song. 

Chill - that’s really kind. I did self-publish one but the writing was shit, the concept was good I think though.

Hope to another, better one when I’m close to retirement. Will let you know.

I do stuff with vintage / old furniture. 
 

I pick up random pieces from the tip, op shops or off Facebook market place and I either fix it up and refinish it / repaint it.. or I give it an entirely new purpose. 
 

I only ever buy ‘proper’ furniture pieces for this but they are old/dated/not in great condition but solidly made and quality in their time. 
 

Thinks ikea hacks type stuff but not on ikea. 
 

I really enjoy it and I aspire to one day be featured on the Annie Sloan instagram page of cool stuff. 

That's cool Scylla, and also if perfected a very useful skill. 

There's a lot of demand for good restorers, and they are in short supply.

We are having a piece of furniture taken away today for a makeover. How's the buzzing in your ear?

PS. The sound effects to accompany the arrival of a fairy godmother stopped when the wind dropped away.   So I’m fairly sure I’m sane. 
 

I wouldn’t call myself any sort of restorer. I don’t aim for original condition. 
https://www.instagram.com/p/CfD6w4CLWjv/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

This is one my recent find/projects.
 

It was $5 from the tip and a horrible yellow plastic laminate fake wood colour and a lot of the front decorative bits were broken off. 
 

I had to make plaster moulds and recast them and re glue everything.. and repair it. Sand, prime, finish, seal. 
 

I’m still debating if I want to use silver gilding wax to make the decoration stand out more and change the door handles.. but I quite like it just as it is. 

Thanks PS. 
 

I’ve always played around with stuff like this … but have only really just started having the proper space/tools and time to really get into it. 
 

I also recently built and finished the sauna/bath/laundry in my shed from the framework studs out by myself.
 

Other than the plumber and the electrician I did everything else.

.. and the wall hung vanity is another tip repurposed item formerly a 1950s dressing table. (The middle drawers aren’t in this photo as I hadn’t made them fit around the plumbing yet)

 

I know it’s not perfect .. or a professional job at all. But as a first crack at it and based on Youtube tutorials  for tiling I think I did pretty well. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CfEBo90rxv0/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
 

Honestly I get so much more satisfaction out of doing stuff like this.. rather than being a lawyer. I kinda wish I’d chosen a completely different and more practical career. 

I paint model wargame figures, write wargame rules (and the background to go with them), and also make collage type pictures out of postcards that I collect.

Awesome work Scylla!  My Dad was always so good with that sort of thing, it always just seemed like magic when he did it. 

Thanks Warren. 
 

Funnily enough it was after meeting all the trades people on my house that  it became quite obvious that one doesn’t need to be a genius to do any of this stuff. 

so I figured I could give it a crack.
 

 

Scylla, that sideboard is stunning.  And the moulding is what punches it up.  I have envious visions of you walking through your home touching the things you have regenerated knowing it's so much nicer than shop bought.  Bloody well done.

Do you work with a specific brand on the WG stuff Warren?

Yeah, the figure collection I paint for pleasure is old 1980's Games Workshop fantasy.  I have most of the other historical periods covered, but those figures are invariably bought painted or done by professional painters.  The rules stuff is a system that is primarily intended for ancient/fantasy hybrid games, in that it works fine for both so you can have historical ancient & medieval armies facing up against either historical or fantasy opponents, which fantasy races themselves (or at least some of them) develop in terms of weapons and organisation over time (so a Roman era Orc army is different from a medieval era one).  Basically the game world is historical Europe and the middle east but with fantasy armies slotted in, so ancient Greece is still Greece, but there are also Dwarf cities in the mountains and so on, and of course all the mythical Greek creatures and Gods are real.  The underlying rules mechanisims also work fine for pure historical games, I'm using them for Napoleonic games at the moment.     

Scylla, I run a very specialist wholesale and retail business operating online and through a modest chain of retail stores. I employ about 50 people

I quit over 25 years ago. This didn't happen overnight.

Take note of the compliments your handiwork is receiving.

The catalyst to change is self belief. 

If you're serious about doing something you love, test it.

Work on some pieces as time management projects, and dont fall into the trap of selling something too cheaply. If it's good, people WILL pay the right price. Dont be scared of asking what it's worth.

:) 

 

I’m glad you like my tip treasures.
 

I was a little hesitant about posting  this … it being RoF and all … that me admitting to basically dumpster diving for furniture would be considered exceptionally poor form. 
 

Scylla, bit of good advice from one of ROF's older readers.

Never give a FVCK about what other people think if you're not hurting them, especially if they're lawyers.

If you work for yourself you will put in ridiculous hours, and need to keep costs low. 

There's a price attached to being free. Dont let the price of not being free cost you your sanity and dignity.

Scylla, the glorious Mrs D has a much better eye than me.  We bought a place in Sicily and we went around the local flea markets furnishing it with her doing similar things to you.  It was ace.

No sensible person could possibly object to your sourcing. 

As PS said, your work is very buyable.

I am not averse to a bit of dump diving myself.  My office chair at home is a £3 job from the dump.  Full on late 80s high backed gecko style pimp chair.   Adjustable in ways you really font need and almost certainly made from pure asbestos.  Soooooo comfy

Did you go to Games Expo a few weeks ago Warren?

No, never been actually, should really - did you?  what was it like?  Haven't been to Salute for years now either.  But a mate of mine has just started wargaming, and another local group might be opening up so I suspect that might be the catalyst for a bit more enthusiasm and activity. 

Yes I went, albeit not for the same reasons as most of the attendees.

Well organised and friendly, and if this is your bag, I would have thought it a great worthwhile day out.

A bit late to the party, but I obsessed with photography (using old film cameras). I have my own darkroom as well, which I use to print my negatives. I also buy low priced cameras (sometimes broken ones) to fix and/or sell on the side. I would love to make a side business out of selling prints or whatever, alongside my legal career.

I must be above average as some of my photographs are to be published on an up and coming band's website. 

Bullshit aside, I always have one with me and I take my Leica out on walks in the City documenting it. 

My photography really helped me get through covid (along with family, of course). 

Would recommend trying to be more creative to enhance your daily life. 

 

 

Cool Newbie.

Hint for getting your images published.

There are a lot of calendar publishers who need new imagery, eg Browntrout, who publish about 750/1000 titles a year, and there are plenty of others like them. 

How have you promted your images hitherto?

Apologies if I came across as a bit pretentious, I'm just really into photography!

I wasn't aware of  Browntrout at all, will definitely look into that potential avenue. I haven't looked into promotion of my stuff yet, but it's on the horizon. 

I hope you begin your creative journey soon.

Prodigal do tell more about this calendar publication stuff for photography? 
 

I have in my time been an avid travel photographer with a fairly reasonable back catalogue of images I’d be interested in commercialising ..

 

I once seriously considered becoming a wedding photographer.. even did some work experience with one. 
 

Then I attended a training session on it.. and there was an entire two hours dedicated to how to deal with the fat ugly bridesmaids and I thought… yeah. This isn’t for me… 

Hi Scylla,

My awareness of this comes from having dealt with them about 6/7 years ago when they had a UK outlet. I had a colleague at the time like yourself with a back catalogue and they suggested they contact their head office. I can't report how they fared as I lost contact, but here's their link.

https://www.browntrout.com/2023_browntrout_calendar_collection_catalog

There are several other manufacturers with equally broad catalogues.

Some might use the usual agencies but an informed professional approach could well open doors.

They will probably only be interested in a single fee usage. They need to keep it simple when sourcing 12/15000 photos a year. Look at their titles and see what you have that would be of interest. Their 2023 calendars will have already been planned though.

What I suggest you do is contact an agency and introduce yourself and ask how 'it works' so you can approach them or others professionally. Find out what they would charge for your photos if used in calendars for example or magazines and what cut you get. 

Also enquire of a different agency as if you were a buyer so you can see what sort of contract they expect a purchaser to sign, and draft your own.

Send a few photos to Browntrout as an introduction, watermarked with your name Scylla Photography. Use shots that would target the more obscure titles where they will find resources more difficult to locate. Can you imagine how many shots of elephants they must have at their disposal? They publish Goats in Trees - I kid you not. Go in making yourself seem as professional as you can. They wont hold your hand. Get your foot in the door by being smarter than everyone else who writes to them.

Show you've done your research on their titles. Make it easy for them to feel inclined to give you the opportunity. They dont want to have to spoon feed you. That's why they probably use agencies by default. If the agency says 'we would charge £100 for a single use' you have an idea of where you can nip in undercutting the going rate.

If you have enough inventory for a theme, and want to really impress them mock up an entire calendar. There will be templates on the internet. The easier you make it, the more likely you will succeed. Good luck.

So for example Wang, prep a Petra calendar and suggest it as an oven baked proposition. They will want it in their own house style and wouldnt buy it templated, but you've shown what your years of experience can provide them in terms of simplicity, ie 13 pictures that sit together and give them a new title with no hassle.

Don't have any.  Don't particularly like needles tbh.

I have lots of designs which could be used as tatts, weirdly.  No idea if/ how these could be monetised.

I remember many years ago being told or reading that tatts above the neckline were illegal.  It's one of those things that just sort of stuck in my head and I have never felt the need to question it.  On reflection, it is almost certainly bollocks, isn't it.