I was lucky enough to attend a raw food event at the Streatham Food Festival earlier this year and learned some new recipes. This is one I experimented with and adapted with with help of a friend, Marinella, who I discovered used to make desserts in a vegan restaurant. She helped me make it look pretty. Who would have thought a vegan dessert could taste so good?

To make the nut base:
Take a good handful of nuts: brazil, almond, cashew. Put in blender with cardomon seeds (from 2 pods), a dash of maca powder (not essential – can get from any health food shop), to make a granular powder. Mash together with a teaspoon of tahini, a splash of water and a teaspoon of coconut oil until its all evenly mashed together. You can then shape it into one big base or make small ones in ramekins or baking cups. Refrigerate for a while (at least one hour) to help it set then tip out onto a serving plate. Add the topping about 30 minutes before serving:

The Topping:
One slice of peeled orange and one slice of kiwi fruit (slice thinly), plus half a strawberry on top. Make a slit in the top of the strawberry and add a fresh mint leaf garnish. Then sieve some cinnamon on top of the (to add a bit of drama and a pleasant aroma).

You could also squirt on some fresh cream if you want to break the raw/vegan rules. As someone once said, naughty but nice.

Enjoy!

Everybody wants to be a pop star. Everybody wants to escape the day job for the red carpet, being interviewed alongside mates like Amy, Christina, Noel and Liam.

That’s the celebrity lifestyle (so they tell us) but behind every celebrity there are a group of wannabes called songwriters and producers. At best these people are excellent craftsmen/women with a nerdish eye for emotion and detail who often also play a mean game of pool.

Would’nt it just be great to be one of those people? You may be over 30 (and can forget about pop stardom) but hey, you’ll get to hang out with the stars and if you’re lucky you may even get paid.

So what does it actually take to be a songwriter? As a music producer it’s a question I often get asked by wannabe songwriters and my answer is simple:

1) You write a great song

2) You find a publisher or an artist who likes your song

3) The publisher places your song with a famous singer

4) You get paid.

It’s simple yet complex, especially if you start at stage 4. But let’s for fun look at stage 1 ‘writing a great song’. Assuming we’re talking pop music, a song generally has a short intro, a verse, a bridge, a chorus, verse2, bridge2, chorus 2 and then……….a mid 8 which is that part in the middle of the song where you sort of change chords and sing something like ‘DON’T YOU SEEEEE BABYYY’ or ‘I’VE BEEN MISSSINGGGGGGGGG YOUUUUUUU’……..you get the drift, and then a final chorus. Ideally each verse and chorus has the same amount of bars and we’re not talking ‘all bar one’ here.

If you can follow these simple guide lines then you’re well on your way to the Ivor Novellos. Strangely enough I’ve found a lot of writers find it difficult to follow these simple rules but that’s another story.

Now that you’ve got a structure you need to fill it with notes and words. Close your eyes, let your imagination go, write about the lover who dumped you 5 years ago for your best friend. Really let your feelings take over, say it in a new way but in a way where you come out on top the land where hope lives (remember we’re talking pop music here, not Bob Dylan). Notice that on most hit songs the melody tends to go up on the chorus. If the chorus could speak it would say ‘yesssss’ or ‘hallelujah’, this is the part that gives people hope and also the part that gets you paid so really work it until you’ve got the best combination of notes and rhythm.

You also need a strong lyric and by strong I don’t mean Shakespeare just something that says it all and something which isn’t too clichéd. If in doubt copy someone else’s song and move the words around a little.

O.k so now you’ve got a structure and a melody otherwise known as a song. It exists, but only in your head and beautiful as it may be it is now time to marry reality with imagination. This point can be difficult for artists and if it is you may need someone to hold you to it. Somehow you need to find a producer and a singer who can help you record your song. Producers come in several varieties, the enthusiastic school leaver who dreams of being the next Timbaland and the more seasoned spectacle wearing nerd who has been through the system and come through it alive. So there you have it. I know who I would choose but I’ll leave that decision to you. Session singers are easy enough to find. If you have a cheque you’ll also have a singer, in that field the world is your oyster, enjoy!

If you’ve come this far it time for a few words of wisdom. As the old saying goes, ‘you can’t polish a t**d’ and this in my experience holds a great deal of truth when it comes to music. Even the best producer in the world cannot turn a poorly written song into something workable. I am not talking about songs like ‘Aga doo doo doo’ which we may not like but they do actually work. I am talking about songs that don’t work, so for your song to build like a hit record you’ll need to ask yourself: ‘does the melody build? Are there enough hooks?

After you’ve recorded your song it’s time to put on your sales cap (don’t turn it the hip hop way, only works in America).

Let’s sum it up: you are, (in the eyes of the music biz) a novice songwriter, so what can you expect from the business?

If you’re lucky Warners will knock on your door with a suitcase full of money and you live happily ever after and while you should try all options it may be worth pitching a little lower. Say you go to a songwriter event and you meet a fellow songwriter. He listens to your demo, likes it and the two of you start a songwriting partnership. You write about 20 songs over the next 2 years, most of them second rate but song number 19 happens to catch the ear of a local promoter whose aunt is married to a shrink who councils a recovering addict A&R man from from one of the major labels. He loooooooves your song and wants to put it on an album by a couple of spotty upstarts he’s just signed.

It looks promising and you can’t believe it when you wake up one morning and you hear your song on the breakfast show. It sounds a little different, it’s seems they’ve changed the chord structure a tad and in the middle there’s a kid rapping over your carefully crafted melody. Just think of the money.

“It’s a smash!” shouts the DJ, “The best track to come out of Britain since the Beatles!” (o.k maybe I am getting carried away here but it’s important to dream). Bottom line, you’ve done it, no more dayjobs, no more being pushed around by ‘THE MAN’, you can sit back and have a cigar for 5 mins. But wait……. You’re only as good as your last hit and the tide is turning……….artists are beginning to write their own material and if you don’t get on the bandwagon quick it may be too late. And you already know that your newfound fame is no longer enough, it needs to be bigger and better.

START WRITING NOW!

Supermarket Sheep

Please go to cashier twelve. Beep. Beep. Unexpected item in bagging area. Beep. Please wait for assistance. Beep.

Baa! Baa!

Not so long ago, while mindlessly queuing for the next instruction from a haughty digitised voice, herded through the snaking cordons like a lamb to the slaughter, I had a moment of clarity; “What in Heaven’s name am I doing here? Why am I treating food shopping as a chore? How has it come to this?”

Call me old fashioned if you will, but of all the things I want for my life, none of them is staring into space while kicking a basket forwards in increments of 6 inches, surrounded by beep beep beep and whining children. Listen to those kids people, they’re screaming to get out; they know.

Now I’m not against supermarkets per se, in fact I still often succumb to their glitzy charms, particularly if I’ve had a busy week, but I’ve taken a conscious decision to inject some enjoyment into food shopping, and that enjoyment comes from going to local shops.

The real inspiration came one Sunday morning while out on my bike near Victoria Park, in London’s East End. Cycling down Lauriston Road, in general admiration at its surprising prettiness, I spied an animated group of people on the pavement, outside what turned out to be the local butcher. Teeming with customers – queuing, laughing, rabbiting – it was a scene of neighbourly delight, and I wanted a part of it.

Suddenly open to the possibility of a local store, I’m noticing greengrocers, fruit & veg stalls, butchers and fishmongers wherever I go; not so rare it turns out as we’ve been led to believe; open your eyes and you shall see. Find them, look them up, support your neighbourhood business. For me, what opened my eyes was getting back in the saddle. I began to explore; what if I turn left here? That parade of shops looks interesting down there. This sort of behaviour simply doesn’t happen in a car; you can’t just stop in the middle of the road and eye up hanging pigs.

“But what if I don’t have the time?” you cry. Well, be creative. If you’ve honestly, truly, really not got time at the weekend, why not grab 5 minutes in your lunch break and pop into the butcher. Even if only for some sausages. Just once. And see the difference. Real interaction with a local person who really knows their onions, or bacons, or fishes. You won’t get that from Shanice on the checkout.

And time? Well are supermarkets really that time efficient? This weekend I cooked dinner for eight. Two chickens, some veg, berries & cream for dessert, some oil, some mustard. Oh yes, and March of the Penguins on DVD. £30 all in. But how on earth does this take an hour and a half to buy? I’ll tell you how; by going to a store where the food is spread out across an area the size of two football pitches, in a windowless arena where time and space are at once banished to the world outside.

“Oh but I’ve got a system” you boast. “How dreary”, I retort. How absolutely, miserably, monumentally dull, to relegate one of life’s most unerring delights to a soulless efficiency drive. Boo hiss to your system. And two fingers up at it an’ all. We’re hunter gatherers people, not drones. And we’ve been hunter-gatherers for thousands of years. So hunt. And gather. And delight in the world and smells and people of food.

Supermarkets? They’re just a phrase we’re going through.

Downtown Shanghai at night showing Meiloucheng (red glass ball)

Shauna Taylor shares some of her favourite architectural sights from Shanghai.

It was Ernest Dimnet who once said that “Architecture, of all arts, is the one which acts the most slowly, but the most surely, on the soul”. Had it been only a few years ago, before moving to Shanghai to conduct my studies in a purely scientific field, I would never have given these words much more than an indifferent glance before quickly disregarding what I’ve come to realize was its truly powerful significance.

Having hailed from the tropical paradise of Jamaica where my admiration for Mother Nature and her lush, radiant greenery had always taken precedence over the monotony of concrete structures. I once firmly considered architecture as merely being a necessary means to a developing economy’s end and would never have likened it to the creative expressions associated with ‘real’ art. Yet Shanghai, with its dynamic array of flamboyant edifices scraping the skies into a modern tomorrow, seemed to have captivated my very being, allowing me to see architecture as an intricate way of molding the fine elements of Mother Nature herself into towering works of art. Over time it became official that this slow conversion in perspective had surely made its impact on my soul.

With its race ahead to dazzle the world as being one of the most futuristic cities of the eastern hemisphere, Shanghai has quickly built for itself a universal playground of imaginative thinkers that continue to test the reigns of bold architectural genius upon its very grounds. Such changes are truly a far cry from the image most of the world has held of this amazing country for many years. Five years ago I for one would have quickly painted an image of cobbled streets narrowly aligned with pagoda-shaped buildings on either side with large sculptures of dragons and lions adorning most of their city structures. And yet, although a number of these designs are still present throughout the city and in many other areas of China, still it is clear that it has embraced an architecture that not only demonstrates an openness to the outside world but a creative manifestation of globalization carved into glass and stone. With its rapidly changing image one can only imagine what ten years down the road will dare expect from this amazing city:

Above: Shanghai World Financial Center (492m – 1614ft, 101 storeys).

Currently holding the world’s highest observation deck.
Lujiazui, Pudong District, Shanghai.

Above: Shanghai Oriental Art Center used as a Concert Hall and Performances. It covers an area of 40,000 square meter and is linked by curved glass walls from base to top and the shape gives the effect of changing as you move around it. Pudong, Shanghai, China (PRC).

Above: ‘The Sundial’, located on Century Avenue which has the only street sculpture themed as ‘time’ in the world. Pudong, Shanghai, China (PRC).

Above: Sections of the Yuyuan (or Yu gardens) in daytime showing traditional architectural designs within the heart of the city.

Above: The Yuyuan Gardens at night.

Above: Scene from People’s Square at dusk. Shanghai, China (PRC).

Above: Scene from the Bund overlooking Pudong and the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai, China (PRC).

Above: Sky-scrapers in Pudong.

Above: The Jin Mao tower and the World Financial Center from a distance.

Above: “Another day, another skyscraper”. Construction workers heading home from a long day’s work. Pudong Business District, Shanghai, China (PRC)

Peter Larsen finds happiness in a recipe for disaster

I woke up this morning in a bad mood. My wife spotted it instantly. Although I was getting a little snappy with her, my real problem was on a much larger scale than anticipated. You see I’ve recently started baking bread which is quite a departure from my day job as a music producer, and have been quite excited about the prospect of supplying our household with good old-fashioned nutritional values.

Well, as you might expect it didn’t go according to plan. My first attempt was o.k., not Gordon Ramsay approved but more like ‘promising’, at least enough to make me want to try it again. Second attempt was a disaster and that really got to me because I hate wasting food but it ended up in the bin.

There was a lot of salt in that last loaf. Maybe I misunderstood the instructions, didn’t read them properly or maybe it’s simply because I’m foreign. I moved from Denmark to London about 20 years ago and sometimes I still manage to mess up simple sentences, especially when I get nervous and in breadmaking terms that means using ‘tbsp’ when what is called for is a humble ‘tsp’. O.k anyone could make that mistake and in all fairness, the bread looked the part but looks aren’t everything (in fact they are highly deceptive and without substance). Anyway, I noticed the middle of the loaf seemed strangely soft and doughy. Note to self: always remember to measure the ingredients. Looked great on the outside, hollow on the inside just like a cheap pop record.

Then my wife walked in and laughed the way only a wife laughs. “Are you really upset over such a small thing?” she said. “Ahhh yes…” I said, I shouldn’t be but knowing that I got ‘the form right but the content so wrong’ brought me back to that old art school argument.

“I just wanted it to be great, my loaf could have been a contender,” I said. “Well Rome wasn’t built in a day,” she said, (which was true, more like 1,000 years for phase one).

In 1971 Joni Mitchell released the album ‘Blue’, which has become a classic. In 1977 Fleetwood Mack released their groundbreaking album ‘Rumours’. In 1980 Talking Heads released the album ‘Remain in the light’ which saw a whole new mixture of grooves and ambiance never heard before. On Tuesday 20th Jan 2009 I got back on the baking horse again.

“So what?” You may be thinking, and rightly so, because I am not entirely sure what my point is apart from the simple fact that I’ve realised ‘I love baking bread’. I may not be very good at it right now but I am willing to learn and I reluctantly understand that practice makes perfect. I have no ambition, I don’t dream of becoming a star chef, I just love being in the kitchen and get a great deal of joy and happiness out of this simple activity.

© Peter Larsen, 2009

About Peter Larsen
Peter Larsen has worked for more than 10 years in the music business lending his skills to writing and producing for major label artists such as David Mcalmont, Michelle McManus (uk pop idol winner), Kate Walsh (UK itunes no 1), Lindsay Armaou (Bewitched), Patrick Duff (Strangelove), written music used by BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5, ITV1, Sky etc, music for adverts, television, string arrangements and worked with some of the best musicians around.

Paul Travers finds out you CAN have it all

“You cannot move forward without an exit plan” I was told at a recent business meeting. Well there’s a thing. Aside from this being a load of old rubbish modern speak, I found myself wondering where was the adventure, not to mention joy, in such a view. The idea of spending my entire time trying to get out of whatever it was I’d got into struck me as exhausting, but then I guess that was the point; knuckle down, head down, eyes down, focus down. Be exhausted, and then at the end of it all, reward yourself with escape.

The accepted and encouraged course of life from school onwards is that we’ll find a job and dutifully climb the ladder of promotion, wending our way through tiers of management and Holy Grail systems handed down from above. If we’re lucky we’ll eventually find our niche, specialise in a chosen field and become a ‘real credit to the company’ in our particular area of expertise. And then retire on a pension.

Super.

I’ve just finished reading two books by Tom Hodgkinson, ‘How to Be Free’ and ‘How to Be Idle’, in which he extols the wisdom of lying in, growing your own veg and, most interestingly, not specialising. That’s a brutal summary of his writings but that last idea really struck a chord. “Let’s be Jacks of all trades and master of none” says Tom, alarmed at us all being stuck in a wheel of having to earn more and more to sustain our upwardly-mobile aspirations, while out-sourcing areas of life because we no longer have the time to clean, paint, cook or even buy food. He’s certainly onto something but I’d like to go one further; let’s be Master of many trades, not just Jack.

Variety is most definitely the spice of life but so often a second or third interest gets relegated to a few hours at the weekend, never allowed to impinge on the sacred cow of ‘the job’ and resulting in some level of disappointment, resentment or at the very least thwartedness around our passions. So let’s all ditch that. I mean it. Throw it out. And before you drift into thoughts of “pie in the sky” and “eek – what about my responsibilities?”, I’m going to give you a real-life example of someone making this happen, and how fortuitous that it should be one of the most interesting people I know. Me.

I’m a director of an estate agent in London; it’s something I enjoy and have done well at. I’ve worked in property for 22 years so I’m comfortable, confident and competent which is a great place to be and I’ve no real desire to get out, but I’ve come to realise that it’s not all I want to have ever done. There’s evidence of this in my recently co-founding, on the most shoestring of budgets, a not-for-profit music label committed to halting deforestation, which I squeeze into spare moments and evenings. I also love writing and want to pursue it further and I rather fancy living in some foreign cities for a few years. The point is that my brain thrives on variety, perhaps chaos, and I’m not alone. So bless the property crash and global economic downturn for giving me the space to look outside my life. I have a dream, and I’m going to live it.

The only way I’m going to experience living in a foreign city is to move to one; moving to a foreign city means I can’t be at the office every day in London; spending more time on the music label leaves less time for property. Action is the key, but we often need a tickle to get things going and what shifted my rear into gear was the first day of a travel journalism course, where the tutor asked “What are your dreams and what would stop you?” For almost every student the answer was money worries or fear of the unknown. How easy it is to see through a problem when it belongs to someone else! Worry and fear stamping on my dreams? No thank you. So that very afternoon I met with my business partner to get on with creating the future.

Now, if there’s a sure-fire way of getting what you want from life, it has to be plying your victims with food; my personal recommendation is Flaneur on London’s Farringdon Road, (particularly the applestrudel cake, where resistance is engorgingly futile). Combined with a generous helping of garrulous charm and in this particular instance, giant dollops of glorious French cream, success is guaranteed; your own enthusiasm and passion as addictive as the cake you’ve just devoured. And in June I’m moving to Amsterdam.

We (my business partner and I) struck a deal where I’ll come back one week a month to work at the office and attend any meetings, and then be available on the phone or online for another few days while en continent. That leaves me 20 or so days every month to do as I wish; music label, writing, travelling, whatever. Exciting, huh? And when I told my friends, one of them asked if he could move into my flat. In return for charging him a modest rent, I get to come back to the spare room for my weeks in Blighty. He gets to cut his costs and I don’t have to pay to move my stuff into storage, which makes up for any loss of income.

None of this seemed remotely possible a few months ago; it was simply off my radar in terms of ‘what was done’. I was blind, now I can see. So whatever trees are blocking your view of the woods, get talking to everyone about your dreams, and then be amazed as they help to make them possible. You don’t have to know how it’s all going to turn out, in fact you already don’t. Instead of working on your “exit plan”, stay on and enjoy the ride.

© Paul Travers, 2009

About Paul Travers
Paul Travers is a born and bred Londoner; 39 and still going strong. When he’s not hanging around the south bank or entertaining friends with his recently found cooking prowess, he’s a director of estate agency New London and of Ginkgo Music, a not for profit music label. Interested in far too much for his own good, and certainly more than he can actually do, he’s most at home surrounded by the simple pleasures of a fine single malt and an admiring public.www.writes-of-passage.co.uk

Hannah Taylor invites us to step away from the television and get into scrapbooking 😉

I’ve kept a scrapbook for as long as I can remember. As a teenager, my walls were covered in letters from friends, photographs, sketches, bad poetry, and vintage postcards. It was a natural progression for me to keep these images in a scrapbook, to reflect on when I needed inspiration. The beauty of a scrapbook is that it works on so many levels. Most obviously, a scrapbook becomes a visual diary. Old train tickets and birthday cards evoke memories which words cannot.

A scrapbook is a record of your inspiration and adventure. It makes our memories tangible through relics and artefacts that you can touch and possess. It may become a much adored time capsule in generations to come, or a wealth of inspiration when the time comes to decorate your home. The only rule should be that there are no rules; over thinking what goes where takes the joy out of scrapbooking. It’s much better to use your instincts- much in the way a child would. My scrapbooks include everything from gig tickets, fashion spreads, wall paper, menus, set lists, lyric books, doodles, newspaper articles, autographs, maps, love letters and ukulele chords! If it inspires me in any way it goes in there.

Scrapbooks also work in a similar way to mood boards, and shouldn’t just be limited to images. Broken (but loved) jewellery, band badges, friendship bracelets and festival wristbands add another dimension and work especially well to decorate the cover of your scrapbook. You’ll need a glue gun to fix them, and don’t be surprised when your scrapbook triples in size- but mixing texture and media is another way to further express yourself. A scrapbook shouldn’t require much thought- instead it should tap into your creativity, be instinctive, subconscious- and nurture your imagination. All it requires is scissors, glue, and an open mind.

© Hannah Taylor, 2009

About Hannah Taylor

Hannah Taylor lives in London. She likes peppermint tea, Oscar Wilde and the smell of limes

David Frederick discovers VA va voom

John Lennon sang, “Imagine there’s no countries, it isn’t hard to do.” Petra Boucher has done just that with ‘Your Virtual Ally’, her Virtual Assistant small business.

I must confess to being one of the silent majority who would not have placed a Virtual Assistant in my top ten of creative businesses. What is a virtual assistant exactly? Is it something to do with making things with the aid of the internet? These thoughts were running through my mind as I prepared to meet Petra.

To those of you who leapt to my aid with the answer, “Isn’t is it like a PA or a secretary?” You are getting warm. The role may embrace some of the tasks provided by a secretary or PA. But as Petra explained, “none of these are business partners, they just complete tasks. A Virtual Assistant is an administrative support service with that difference – more akin to a business partner. We understand our clients’ business and move along with them almost like their shadow. However, this is all done from my own home office.”

Despite the clear and concise description of the business, Petra’s initially omits to mention two important features about her business. Firstly, she has never met any of her clients. Yes, that’s correct: never shaken hands over a deal or shared small talk over coffee face-to-face. Secondly, two-thirds of her clients are based in the USA. Yet they pay her every invoice and they have built up strong relationships. These relationships are as strong but somewhat different from those between myself and some of my own personal assistants with whom I’ve shared perhaps too much small talk over coffee.

At the outset this seems difficult to grasp or understand. How does Petra from her modest base in south-east London, provide administrative support to clients based in far off places such as Atlanta, Colorado, Maryland and California? Usually, the myth perpetuated by aspirant entrepreneurs is that becoming a global business requires you to have a central London location with all the perceived trappings of enterprise. However, without marble flooring, a water fountain or a vacant boardroom, Petra has successfully built her global business.

If working in close proximity is a challenge, working across different continents, time zones and sectors as Petra does, presents its own range of problems. Petra doesn’t see these features as potential problem sources however: “It is people who cannot be supported virtually, not businesses. People bring to the virtual relationship their own misconceptions, issues and barriers. Any business can be supported virtually. I haven’t come across a business yet that cannot be supported virtually.”

Petra’s business is reliant upon building good relationships. Although trust can be instantaneous it often takes between 18 months to 2 years to establish a comfortable and secure working relationship. “Some relationships have been difficult and if after six months we’re not moving forward, I let the clients go. Otherwise I find it draining” she says.

For the 5 years that Petra has been a Virtual Assistant, she has learnt that regular communication is necessary and setting and renegotiating deadlines for the completion of tasks helps to quickly solidify the relationship. This is of great importance as she is working across different global time zones.

“A quick response with a mention of ‘I’ll get that task done at set day and time’ ”, Petra says is important. She develops this further by maintaining regular calls, with at least 75% of her clients having fortnightly status calls and some 50% having weekly calls. This allows her and her clients to stay in regular contact and monitor how they are meeting their goals, “Communication is not only key, but clients also need to hear your voice.”

Effective time management is critical for Petra. Her working day often kicks off around 10am. Morning tasks tend to be dedicated to her management of her UK clients. As the day progresses, and North America wakes up, Petra’s emphasis moves to her US clients. She often works until 8pm to allow her to work until midday for her Californian clients. Working across different time zones doesn’t present Petra with a problem. However, in the past it has been problematic for some US clients who have wanted her to provide an afternoon presence. Unfortunately, Petra was unable to accommodate their requirements, but she has now developed a partnership with a Virtual Assistant in the US to cover these hours.

Despite the great fears about trust that seems to be embracing the world over at this time, Petra manages her US clients’ bank accounts online. For one client she regularly manages their business travel including booking flights where she has an expenditure limit of up to $10,000 per flight.

Clients’ trust is assured as Petra is a member of Assist University, (AssistU) her professional body in the USA which has an extensive code of professional ethics. Furthermore AssistU President, Stacy Brice has provided testimony of Petra’s professionalism.

The swapping of places with her clients is something that Petra feels is essential in the development of business ideas to take her clients’ business forward.“I put myself in their shoes and learn about their goals, what makes them feel easy and what is natural to them. Sometimes a simple change can make a great impact on them such as on their time management system. It is important to know their routines. If a routine changes I will contact them to enquire what is going on.”

Business survival and growth has also developed from her creative nature. Petra has developed a portfolio of knowledge and skills from working across a range of sectors. These skills are now being marketed in different formats to provide her with additional income streams. One such skill that Petra acquired last year was becoming a Certified Authors Assistant. This was acquired to assist a client in their book creation, publication and sales process. The business’s continual growth from gaining new skills prevents Petra becoming pigeon-holed by clients and contributes to more client sales. A much desired feature in the current economic environment.

In Petra’s business there are no countries, just clients and creative working patterns. Her practice reflects the words from that famous chorus, “You may say I’m a dreamer, But I’m not the only one, I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will live as one.”

© David Frederick, 2009

About David Frederick
David is an accountant with over 25 years experience in finance, business consultancy, education and training. David contributes to accountancy education via his role as a university lecturer and examiner for professional accountancy bodies. He has served as a chairperson, treasurer and board member for a range of national, business, community and arts organisations.

As an accounting and financial trainer David has developed and delivered training programmes nationally and overseas. He has co-written one accountancy textbook and has written numerous articles on business, finance and accountancy. In recent years, David has been responsible for producing a monthly in-house small business newsletter for a London enterprise agency. David is currently extending his writing portfolio by undertaking freelance writing assignments for websites and publications.

Beverley Ward attempts to stay warm and in fashion in sub-zero temperatures

My husband warned me, he warned me several times in fact, that it would be cold and although he had spent many winters as a child in Alaska, even he wasn’t prepared for what was to come.

I arrived in Montreal on September 20th, the end of summer sun was still shining and the celebrated North American autumnal colours were just starting to evolve. I had flown my bike over so immediately I explored my new neighbourhood, as I was also warned that the seasons change very quickly and before I know it, we’ll be in the depths of winter.

I felt at home in this über cool city that has the chic of Europe in the gargantuan of North America. Everyone was still dressed in shorts and flip flops, summer dresses and big shades and a vast amount of outdoor and ‘terrasse’ dining was still in abundance. Within two weeks the season started to rapidly change. The temperature dropped from 20° to 15° and the evenings were becoming chilly.

By November the temperature was sub-zero and the first snow fall appeared at the end of the month. Along with the weather the ensembles started to change. Scarves and hats were appearing, heavier jackets and coats and inevitably knee high boots. Only having summer flats I had to buy a pair of boots and on seeing them my husband stated ‘they’re not going to see you through the winter’ and of course he was right. Within a month I had to purchase a pair of water, wind, cold and snow proof boots, it was like buying my first gym membership, I never thought I’d see the day.

It is now January and I am obsessed with winter clothing. As the temperature has declined amongst snow storms, I have had to purchase a further duvet style outer garment to prevent my internal organs from freezing up…literally.

I seem to be staring at people on the street, what are they wearing and can you stay trendy with all the puff and wrap you have to adorn yourself with to step outside? As always the young and trendy set will eliminate anything that isn’t necessary to their look and this can include a decent sized coat. High heeled boots are still the norm along with the UGG which in my opinion, when wet must be like walking in sodden slippers.

The young professionals go for the strong, classic brands which include Canada Goose (CG). I myself have surrendered to one and can honestly say that is a whole different world of warmth.

There are many other fashionable brands to help you keep warm including North Face and Colombia, which are more friendly on the purse. Vintage clothes layers are also popular amongst the young and trendy. For those who have a little more to spend and who fall more into the practical category there is Kanuk an exceptional Quebecoise brand of outer clothing.
In general the winter attire consists of a minimum two layers across the entire body. My cousin who works as a baggage handler at Trudeau Airport braved the elements wearing three layers of trousers, three tops, two jackets and two pairs of gloves in a wind chill of -36, really brrrrrrr!

What about evening wear? Are the ladies here as mad as those in the north of England where they will brave the cold on a night out without a coat and still wear strappy sandals? I was sitting at a bar one night before the cold really kicked in and asked the friendly female staff there whether the girls in Canada were chivalrous to fashion…the answer was definitely ‘NO!’ Low and behold there were no open toes out on the street although you could see that a couple of layers had been sacrificed for their look.

I am hoping now I’ve seen the worst of it, the weather that is. My wise packing of M&S long sleeve vests and leggings have formed a valuable base layer and fortunately I haven’t gorged on too much tasty cheese and baguettes, therefore my jeans are able to fit comfortably over it. Skiing is on the agenda which will be another cloth buying adventure and what I have learnt from this is that I can stay fashionable even if I do look a bit like the Michelin Woman!

© Beverley Ward, 2009

About Beverley Ward

“Born in London and recently relocated to Montreal. A musician, (in particular vocals) loves fashion although I can’t always afford it”

INTERVIEWS with YOUNG ARTISTS at THE LONDON PRINT STUDIO:

Jenni Allen talks to Sarah Murphy and Mat(ilda) Keane

participants in the youngartists’programme at londonprintstudio

Interview 1: Sarah Murphy, participant at the London Print Studio. Age:24

Current job title or if you are a student what are you studying and where?
Designer/Seamstress.

What Young Artists’ workshops did you attend at London Print Studio?
Photoshop – Using a photographic image, I learnt how to select specific areas of an image and edit it, by changing the colours and adding filters.

Urbanology Street art workshop – working with Cept who is a professional street artist, I developed images using graffiti techniques.

How did you create your image?
Screen print, digital print, stencil, and working on it with pen.

What medium do you usually work with and how did the course relate to it?
I usually work with fabric, but all my sketch work and shape development, are done more so as illustrations, so this related pretty well. Also, the style or research and work I do was highly applicable to the Urbanology course.

Do you have any hidden talents, how did you discover them?
I’m pretty good at face painting, its not that hard, but when you’ve painted a dinosaur’s mouth on someone’s face its great!

Favourite food?
Bannoffe pie

What is your favourite time of the day and why?
Morning, when its bright and fresh

What colour do you see when you shut your eyes?
Purple

Favourite London place to hang out?
Markets

Shoes or Trainers?
Boots

Tube or Bus?
Bus

Summer or winter?
Summer

Swimming or running?
Swimming

Sport or Theatre?
Sport

One or Two?
Two?

Noisy or Quiet?
Noisy

Spiderman or Batman?
Batman

Andy Warhol or Banksy?
Andy Warhol

INTERVIEWS with YOUNG ARTISTS at THE LONDON PRINT STUDIO:

Interview 2: Mat(ilda) Keane, participant at the London Print Studio. Age:22

Current job title or if you are a student what are you studying and where?
Architectural Studies BSc at the Bartlett, UCL (majoring in international development and design).

Which Young Artists’ workshop did you attend at London Print Studio?
Comic workshop, Print making workshop, Photoshop workshop and Graffiti workshop (LPS love).

How did you create your image?

‘Sting 1 & 2’:The title of the Comic book workshop was ‘What are you afraid of?’, my answer being stinging nettles, heights and mushrooms and so I spent the initial workshop practicing drawing and looking through comic books to get ideas of how to convey a story, in the second workshop I drew up my ideas first in blue pen and then with black ink over the top.

‘Theatre design’ is a drawing that was previously created as part of my architecture portfolio, in the workshop I produced a silkscreen of my images (which was part of the learning process).

What medium do you usually work with and how did the course relate to it?
I usually draw by hand, photograph and etch and I wanted to build up a greater skills base and to understand how to lay out a page the graffiti workshop and the comic book workshop helped in that respect. I wanted to learn different drawing styles so the comic book workshops were really useful.

Do have any hidden talents, how did you discover them?
I have an incredible internal body clock. If I want to wake up at 9:33am I tell myself that I want to wake up at that time and I wake up at exactly that time, therefore I never need to use an alarm.

Favourite food?
Taramasalata, marmite and sushi (not together)

What is your favourite time of the day and why?
4am, it is so quiet, it allows you time to reflect in peace and there are fewer distractions (BBC news 24 has terrible programs on at that time which I’m addicted to!)

What colour do you see when you shut your eyes?
Yellow

Favourite London place to hang out?
Greenwich Park

Shoes or trainers?
Trainers

Tube or bus?
Neither, I only ever cycle anywhere

Summer or winter?
Summer

Swimming or running?
Swimming

Sport or theatre?
Theatre

One or two?
One

Noisy or quiet?
Noisy

Spiderman or Batman?
Batman

Andy Warhol or Banksy?
Both!

Sarah and Mat(tilda) attended the youngartists’programme at londonprintstudio.

The youngartists’programme gives young adults, aged 16-24 the opportunity to work with professional artists and state of the art equipment.

Workshops and tasters are FREE

For more information follow this link: http://www.londonprintstudio.org.uk/E_youngartists.html

Interviewer: Jenni Allen at The London Print Studio
All images © The London Print Studio, 2009.