It's a struggle to get off the couch. Every movement comes with a groan. Your body aches all over... but in a good way. Your pain and stiffness perversely lead to satisfaction as they are souvenirs of a hard day's work. My diagnosis - this person has just played a long day of sports.

You can't hear the birds chirping when you're anxious. You don't see the beauty of the trees when you're wracked with nerves. You don't hear your friend's jokes when you're catastrophising. It's a shame really because giving those factors your attention could work wonders for your stress.

At the age of 55 Sir Mark Rylance starred in 'A Bridge of Spies' and after Spielberg's annointment it seems like he had broken into Hollywood. Famous directors put him in their movies, he won an Oscar, he even earned himself a knighthood! And I should say Rylance didn't pick up acting when he was … Continue reading Sir Mark Rylance →

When you tell a joke in person, you can sense pretty quickly if it's bad or not. The presence or absence of laughing helps immensely. But jokes over text aren't as convenient. The reactions are not instantaneous and you have to rely on others to articulate their opinions. You may well have made Ollie howl … Continue reading Bad text jokes →

If nothing else COVID has taught me that I have a threshold for socialising. Who knew conversing with people was so much effort? You're unconsciously monitoring yourself, you're continuously analysing others and you're consciously trying to think of topics to break the silence. And it's not just talking to people either! I'm pretty sure there's … Continue reading Social exhaustion →

Harper Lee's first book was To Kill a Mockingbird and Matt Damon & Ben Affleck only had to pitch one movie script and their lives were changed forever. From that information you might form the belief that 'all I need is just one big break and then I'll become a superstar!'. If you do, I … Continue reading The scenic route →

I took Seth Godin's 'Creatives workshop' and the primary focus of the course was the 'Dailies'. 100 consecutive posts with a maximum of 24 hours between each one. I'm reading Lynda Barry's 'Making Comics' at the moment and she wants me to keep a daily diary. She says: "Making comics involves the same daily practice … Continue reading Creative persistence →

The majority of those who watch Modern Family will proclaim their love for Phil Dunphy and I think part of the appeal is the comfort with which he lives in his own skin. He has a childlike spirit and he doesn't let the judgement of others stop him from acting it out and having fun. … Continue reading Phil’s embarrassment →

If you've spent time on social media recently you may have come across videos that encourage you to 'wait for it!'. If you work in the service industry you may have received messages from a customer who is unsympathetic to the 9-5 worker. 7pm - What are your shipping costs? 11:48pm - Anyone there? 9:02am … Continue reading Wait for it →

So Billie Eilish was inspired by Nirvana. Kurt Cobain (lead singer of Nirvana) was inspired by David Bowie. David Bowie was inspired by the Beatles. The Beatles were inspired by Elvis. Elvis first came to love and appreciate music after watching the singers at his local church perform. Well, well, well! This chain of inspiration … Continue reading Amateur significance →