This month I’ve mostly been…(May 2025)

I’ve had a busy month in terms of commissions but still found a bit of time to delve into some distractions that I thought would be worth shouting about. As always there are some affiliate links that will bring me a spot of cash if you make a purchase.

This month I’ve been reading ‘Gold from the Stone: New and Selected Poems’ by Lemn Sissay

Sometimes I feel like the best writing makes me want to write and I always get that feeling when I read Lemn Sissay’s work. This collection of selected poems contains work from the whole of Lemn’s illustrious career and what I really enjoyed is the rawness of the early poems, they feel very direct in their use of language and as a result I didn’t feel I needed to 'decode’ the poems, they get right to the heart of the matter quickly so you’re never left wondering what Lemn is thinking or feeling. I’d also recommend a look at his autobiographical work 'My Name Is Why’ as it makes a great accompaniment to this book of poetry. As the book progresses you can see the development of Sissay as a writer which is always interesting to me as an artist, feeling like I’m peeking behind the curtain at the process of making.

Speaking of which I also watched 'A Dog Called Money’ on Mubi.

'A Dog Called Money’ is a 2019 documentary film directed by Seamus Murphy that follows English musician PJ Harvey as she makes her album The Hope Six Demolition Project. The film is a mixture of documentary footage with music and poetry performances which let us see the creative process behind the album. During the film Harvey gathers inspiration, field recordings, and ideas for lyrics. We also get to see the recording process of the album, which was shown as a public art installation in London where attendees could observe the recording and rehearsal sessions through one-way glass. It’s well worth your time if you’re interested in the nuts and bolts of putting a project together and the ways in which artists use their experiences to influence and inspire their creative output, you can find it on Mubi and if you if you subscribe using this link we’ll both get 30 days free!

Finally this month I’ve been listening to a lot of…

’Reverse Earth’ IE

'A Requim’ Penelope Trappes

I won’t say too much about these albums, but they are ambient in nature, sometimes feeling like soundscapes easy to get lost in if you’re giving them your full attention but ultimately have been great soundtracks to a month with A LOT of time spent at my desk editing!

Thanks for checking in, see you next month for more things that have piqued my interest.