All posts tagged: creativity

Reflections on our most significant place in Paris

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For 2017 we’ve decided to reflect on the places in Paris that are the most significant to us, as well as ask some friends for their contributions. Lawrence Rue du Faubourg St. Denis, between Boulevard de Bonne Nouvelle and Boulevard de Magenta Here is my favorite bar in the city. It’s called Mauri7, pronounced MORE-ISS-SET, MORE-EES-SET if you’re French.  Here there are beers for average prices and wine for cheap.  It’s two fifty for their house red, which you can ask for without embarrassment, as it should be. In my brokest months, I brought a flask filled with trash whiskey from the Lidl, ordered Coca-Cola and made myself endless mixed drinks that got stronger and stronger. They play good hip-hop.  It’s very busy on weekends.  There is a small smoking area in front cordoned off under a dark awning.  In the warm months it’s packed shoulder to shoulder, and a stocky bouncer polices its boundaries.  I saw him at the Franprix on Boulevard de Magenta once, but I didn’t speak to him – what was I …

Fall Nature Walk

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The fall is our favorite season in Paris and we love making the most of it before winter comes. After those infamous long August vacations, September is the time to embrace la rentrée – or “back to school” – and there is a new and exciting energy throughout the city which continues through the autumn months. With this fresh start come new projects, ideas, businesses, and everyone feels recharged and ready to explore. Not to mention the weather: crisp, sunny fall days highlight Paris at it’s best, and inspire all kinds of adventures. One of our favorite things to do is take a fall nature walk, either in one of the many parks or just along an area with trees and greenery. As the leaves are changing, the urban landscape comes to life and this type of walk can be just what you need to clear your mind and get inspired by your surroundings. Prompt: take a fall nature walk in one of the places we recommend or your favorite outdoor spot. Absorb the nature and your …

Conversation with a Paris-based creative: Ella Strowel

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We’ve decided to start a section featuring interviews with fellow creatives who live in Paris, to gain insight into how others are inspired by the urban landscape and the environment around them. Ella Strowel – Photographer Why did you move to Paris? I moved to Paris almost three years ago after having done a foundation year in London. I moved to Paris to study photography at Paris College of Art. What are your typical sources of inspiration?/ How do you find inspiration? I find most of my inspiration through looking at the work of other photographers and artists. Most of my inspiration comes from the work of photographers, however this year I enjoyed researching the work of sculptors for the project I am currently working on. I enjoy looking at photography books and going to exhibitions and shows in Paris. Another great source of inspiration is talking to peers and friends, those who know your work often have a great insight into what you should look at and research. Where is your favorite place in …

Mood board: visualize a creative idea

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Sometimes if you are in a creative rut making a mood board or collage can help inspire you. Kind of like Pinterest, but with real magazines/newspapers/printed materials. It can be useful to lay out a vision on paper, set a creative goal, or just collect images that speak to you. Get your hands on some magazines, catalogues, newspapers etc. and a few basic crafting materials (paper, scissors, glue, tape) and spend an afternoon flipping through and cutting out what catches your eye. Once you have a collection of images, play around with arranging them on a big piece of paper. How to they work together or conflict? Is there a common theme? Hopefully the result will be inspiring and maybe shed light on a new project idea or creative direction. This can apply to all creative practices! You might be surprised by what direction your board takes or reveals. ps this is a great rainy day activity, and fun to do alone or with friends. Annie: Nora:

Montparnasse: A Guide Inspired by The Dud Avocado

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Inspired by one of our favorite books about Paris, we decided to spend an afternoon in the Montparnasse neighborhood, formerly a happening bohemian scene in the 1920s and then again in the late 1950s. Now less of a nightlife destination, we were curious to see what the area still has to offer and also to check out the hotspots of Sally-Jay Gorce, the book’s young American protagonist. Although The Dud Avocado is a work of fiction, it’s based on the reality of this once booming left bank neighborhood and the lives of the creative, free spirits who spent time there. Settling in with tea at her go-to bar, Le Select, we tried to imagine the environment as it was 60 years ago– filled with intriguing artists, French regulars sweating out their drinks, and East Coast crossovers. “The waiters at the Select comported themselves with that slightly theatrical mixture of charm, complicity and contempt that one would expect from servants in Hell.” pg. 93 The Dud Avocado Explore the neighborhood in the present: – Pay a pilgrimage to …

Take the Metro to a random stop

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Sometimes a random adventure is the best way to discover the best parts of a city! For this prompt, use the public transportation system as a guide and pick a random stop you’ve never been to. Get off there and walk in one direction for 10-15 minutes recording what you see with either photos or writing. Take notes on your impressions of the area, the people there, and use your observations to create a neighborhood profile. You might be surprised at what you find! Most of the world’s big cities have comprehensive public transportation systems, and riding them is a great way to explore and get to know the area. Remember: many of our ideas can be done in any urban environment! Nora: Metro stop: Porte de la Villette (Line 7) The edges of Paris next to the Blvd Périphérique are often neglected and overlooked as just the transition zones between the city and its surrounding suburbs. But recently more interesting spots have been popping up and make the trip to the outskirts worth it. I …

Favorite Ways to Stay Creative

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We’ve all been in a creative rut, felt writer’s block, or just uninspired in general (it’s part of the reason we started this blog!!). Sometimes it can be very difficult to get back to your creative practices so here is a list of simple things to help get the juices flowing:  -Keep a journal: write down random thoughts, quotes from other people, interesting words, ideas, doodles etc. -Morning pages (see our upcoming post!) -Carry a camera (or phone with a camera) and take a photo of anything and everything you see throughout the day that’s interesting – Collect images from newspapers, magazines, fabric scraps, found photos and paste them into a sketchbook – Go to museums and galleries (absorbing visual information will help inspire your own creative practice) – Read art blogs (seeing other people’s work can help get the creativity flowing– there is no real such thing as copying, all art pulls influence from somewhere) http://www.booooooom.com/ – Buy or borrow short story anthologies from the library (one of the best pieces of advice a Creative …

Best Winter activities to do in Paris

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When it’s cold, rainy and grey in Paris, it can be hard to feel motivated to go outside and do things. Here are just a few ideas of some indoor activities for the Winter time. 1. Explore Paris’ covered galleries (les passages couverts) Dating back to the 18th and 19th century, these glass roofed shopping galleries offer shelter from the rain and transport you to a different time. Wander through Galerie Vivienne and adjacent Galerie Colbert absorbing the elegant architecture, mosaic floor, and chic boutiques. Be sure to check out A Priori Thé in Galerie Vivienne. One of the best places in Paris for cream tea and real scones.           2. Drink mint tea at the Paris Mosque Just across the street from the Jardin des Plantes in the 5e arrondissement is La Mosquée de Paris and its restaurant and tea room. The tea room is a very popular spot where waiters bring around 2€ cups of steaming hot, sugary mint tea. For those with a real sweet tooth, you can also choose traditional …

Museum Musings

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Ekphrasis: a literary description of or commentary on a visual work of art (Merriam-Webster) For this creative adventure we decided to take a classic Paris activity–a museum visit– and get something more out of it than just looking at some pretty art. We asked ourselves: How do we best engage with a museum? How do we really get impacted and inspired by it?  How do we really feel a work of art? Prompt:  Pick a museum with an exhibition that interests you or somewhere you’ve never been. Take some time to explore and notice what artworks jump out at you, instead of scanning through the entire exhibit. Try to sit with the work of art that speaks to you most for 20 minutes or more and let your mind wander. If feeling inspired, take it a level further and pull out a notebook. Sketch the painting or simply write free-associations that come to mind, something you could turn back to later as a seed for a poem or short story. Our creative adventure: We chose …

A guide to vernissages (small art viewings) in Paris

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Looking for something cultural, free, interesting and fun to do on a Thursday night? We’ve been there. There are hundreds of art galleries in Paris and when they open new exhibitions, they almost always host an opening, with the artist and often drinks (read: free wine) and snacks. These openings can be pretty easy to find with some research by looking at your favorite gallery’s website, or just doing a Google search. Here are a couple sites we’ve found useful:  Slash/Paris , l’officiel des spectacles. Another way to find interesting vernissages is to follow local cultural institutes in Paris on Facebook or take a look at their websites. The Finnish Institute and Swedish Institute in particular often host public openings for Scandinavian artists. Or if the mood strikes on a Thursday night, you can wander around the 3rd (especially Rue Notre Dame de Nazareth or Rue Volta) and will undoubtedly find an inviting, free opening to duck into.         This Thursday, we checked out the opening for French-Iranian artist Sépànd Danesh’s “Des Ruines pour …