Dans Creative Creatures

Creative Careers | EPISODE THREE: The Writer & Performer - Weeping Bank My YouTube Channel: / @danscreativecreatures My Instagram: / danscreativecreatures My Substack: https://danscreativecreatures.substac... Alan Smith is a published author and founder of Weeping Bank, a fictional village in which an unnamed librarian reads ghostly tales. What started out merely as a location in a short story, Weeping Bank has grown into a vehicle for live performances in which Alan delivers his tales as the librarian himself. I visited him to talk about his career, how he came to be a writer and what led him to such a creative and innovative idea. Alan enjoyed writing from an early age but I was particular interested to learn about how he nurtured this throughout his school years and how academia gradually stifled his ability to express himself. It was only really when he actively stepped away from that and absorbed himself in living life that he began to gain inspiration and ideas and was suddenly gripped by the motivation to start on what was to become his first novel, Harvester of the Now. Even when Alan finally achieved his dream and became a published author, he was unaware of what would lie in store for his next move, and it was the culmination of his passions, his experience and the landscape around him which led to the birth of Weeping Bank. Following our chat, I paid a visit to watch him in action at a performance in Fairfield to see what goes into one of his live readings. Careers advice is often unhelpful: for most young people however, it’s a very difficult decision and the choices are often not clear, which is why I’m setting out to try and help. I am aiming to meet with people who have unusual jobs. These are not ordinary professions but slightly more unusual jobs than you might find on a careers advisors list. It could be that one of these sparks an interest for you. But more than that, what I hope to capture is the advice that these people have to offer. They will share their experiences, their life stories, their mistakes and also their secrets for success. This longer-than-usual episode featuring Weeping Bank, will be of particular interest to those with a love of reading and writing and especially anyone with a creative streak! Please note that the live readings were recorded without specialist audio equipment. You may find that it helps to select the subtitles option where the full transcript will appear at the bottom of the screen. Please like, follow, subscribe and share For all things Weeping Bank related visit https://weepingbank.com/ ****************************************** Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/hope License code: PUV3IH5QHHYQUJF6 Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/hap... License code: TNOF3RSOFIUBK554

My YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@danscreativecreatures My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danscreativecreatures My Substack: https://danscreativecreatures.substack.com/ Paul Harris is the owner of We Spray Anything and I visited him at The Spray Shop in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire to talk about his life and his business ventures. Paul left school at 16 where he started working in a mechanics workshop. He was artistic and creative by nature and quickly became skilled at spray painting, which led him to opening up his first car body repair shop at the age of 21. In the 1990s he turned his hand to spray painting buildings - especially commercial structures with cladding panels and retail fronts. Then he progressed full circle to opening the Spray Shop in 2005 where he was able to merge the latest developments in paint technology with the idea of restoration and recycling of valuable items. Paul has created a fantastically unique environment in The Spray Shop where the latest paint technologies have been brought together to bring life to all sorts of objects! It’s clearly a place that is looking to attract young people to match its creative ambitions. Paul’s business career has been one built on understanding his strengths and taking opportunities along the way, focusing on maximising his potential each step of the journey whilst ensuring that he has remained on the lookout for changes in markets and technologies. At school he didn't know what he wanted to do, but he did know what he enjoyed and what he was good at and he carried this into his first job which led him into the paint industry in which he’s flourished ever since. It’s certainly a lesson in hard work being rewarded and also how a very unique niche can be formed for those who keep improving to the point where they become a genuine expert in their field! Careers advice is often unhelpful: for most young people however, it’s a very difficult decision and the choices are often not clear, which is why I’m setting out to try and help. I am aiming to meet with people who have unusual jobs. These are not ordinary professions but slightly more unusual jobs than you might find on a careers advisors list. It could be that one of these sparks an interest for you. But more than that, what I hope to capture is the advice that these people have to offer. They will share their experiences, their life stories, their mistakes and also their secrets for success. This first episode featuring The Spray Shop, will be of particular interest to those who are interested in art, painting, design, technology (perhaps even a touch of chemistry!) and also what it takes to run a business. We Spray Anything can be found at this website: https://wesprayanything.com/ Please like, follow, subscribe and share! ******************************************

Creative Careers | EPISODE TWO: The Personal Trainer My YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@danscreativecreatures My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danscreativecreatures My Substack: https://danscreativecreatures.substack.com/ Tom Powell is a fitness expert and personal trainer who runs his own gym and creates training programs for clients in the Kingswinford and Brierley Hill area of the Black Country. Tom initially wanted to join the fire service but having trained and worked out from an early age, he turned his attention to starting out as a personal trainer, building his reputation as a highly motivated and respected PT and growing his client base. When Covid arrived in 2020 he teamed up with an MMA gym in Kingswinford and kitted it out in order that it could open and provide a place for people to work out safely. I was interested to learn about his approach to fitness training and the simple yet highly-effective methods he employs across all manner of different age and ability ranges. The really interesting aspect however was that Tom is absolutely invested in people and what makes them tick. By doing so he is able to tap into goals that really matter to them as individuals and this is where he really excels, setting himself aside from his peers by understanding the nature of personal in spiration and motivation. Careers advice is often unhelpful: for most young people however, it’s a very difficult decision and the choices are often not clear, which is why I’m setting out to try and help. I am aiming to meet with people who have unusual jobs. These are not ordinary professions but slightly more unusual jobs than you might find on a careers advisors list. It could be that one of these sparks an interest for you. But more than that, what I hope to capture is the advice that these people have to offer. They will share their experiences, their life stories, their mistakes and also their secrets for success. This second episode featuring Tom’s gym, will be of particular interest to those with an active lifestyle who are interested in sports and fitness and also what it takes to set up as a PT from scratch. Please note that there was some background noise during the recording of this video which may make certain sections slightly less crisp. You may find that it helps to select the subtitles option where the full transcript will appear at the bottom of the screen. Please like, follow, subscribe and share For fitness and PT enquiries, Tom Powell can be contacted via t.p.powell@outlook.com ******************************************