Dark Angels Note 92
Dearest Friends,
Dark Angels courses are often enhanced by the presence of visual thinkers, designers and artists. We do love a creative crossover! So, it was a real pleasure to check in this week with talented graphic designer, copywriter and now successful side hustler, Lynsay Biss.
1. Tell us about something you’re working on right now.
I’m currently moonlighting as The Likeness, illustrating favourite teddies, dolls and animals for children and adults alike. Before my daughter was born I wanted to create something personal for her nursery, so I illustrated mine and my husband’s childhood polar bears to hang on the wall. I absolutely loved the process, and now my freelance career is up and running I felt it was time to get back to it and see if I could turn the side hustle into a business.
2. Can you recommend something for us to read?
I can wholeheartedly recommend the typographic instagram account of Elliot is a Cool Guy. He manages to pastiche the entire design industry in (of course) a visually brilliant way, and it never fails to give me a laugh during the work day.
3. What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever read or received?
Pentagram’s Paula Scher said, “It took me a few seconds to draw it, but it took me 34 years to learn how to draw it in a few seconds”. At a meeting in the early 2000s Paula Scher drew the Citibank logo on the back of a napkin, causing her partners to question whether the client would be happy to pay. The logo however went on to become one of the world’s most recognisable and longstanding marques, not changing in over twenty years and still going strong – so you really can’t argue that despite the lack of process, it was worth the money. As a freelancer, this idea was so important to remember when valuing my experience and myself, not just the cost of my time.
4. Share one thing you do when you get stuck.
Get outside. During the pandemic I moved from the city to the coast and now I can walk ten minutes and be at the beach. The improvement I’ve seen in my mental health has been huge, and a few moments of sitting on the pebbles never fails to unlodge the creative block.
5. What’s your desert island book and why?
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons. Being an organiser I love a tale of chaos being brought to order, and there’s something very restorative about Flora Poste and her ability to bring the Starkadders out from under their own gloriously indulgent gloom. Plus, it so beautifully captures the English summertime, so I could picture that while I suffer under the tropical heat and wait for my rescue!
Thank you Lynsay. I’ll bet Paula Scher’s words will resonate with many freelancers among the throng. And good luck with the new business. I know one 16 year old who would love a certain hippo restored to his youth via the magic of illustration .
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Podcast – Why Creative Writing in Business Matters
Our Neil Baker popped into brand specialists, Sparks Studio, this week to discuss the importance of words in business. Listen to it here.
Telling Stories – A One Day Workshop
There’s still a couple of places available on this one day course. Join Neil Baker and John Simmons to explore new ways of using storytelling techniques in your business and personal writing. We’ll be working with a series of creative and playful exercises to help you make, shape and remake powerful stories. If you’re new to Dark Angels, the day will be a perfect introduction to our approach to business writing and creativity. And if you’ve worked with us before, it’s a chance to try new exercises and recharge your creative batteries.
Date: 27th April 10:30 – 16:30
Venue: October Gallery, Central London
Fee: £275
Reserve your place here.
Online Advanced Course
Jamie Jauncey & Richard Pelletier return in May to guide you deeper into the world of Dark Angels with exercises that build on the Foundation Course and bring a greater focus on developing your personal writing voice.
A mix of live online sessions, fast-paced writing exercises, and time spent on your own, we’ll help you find surprising new ways to explore language, as we draw on storytelling, business communications, fiction and poetry.
The Details
Two-hour sessions, twice a week, for one month.
Dates: each Tuesday & Thursday, May 2 – 26
UK 5.30 pm – 7.30 pm
US East Coast 12.30 pm – 2.30 pm
US West Coast 9.30 am – 11.30 am
Fee: £795 / E895 / $1095
Full course details are on the website. Contact Susanne to book your place.
Weekly Tuesday Gatherings
Neil is taking a break from gatherings next week but he’ll be back on Tuesday 19th April.
Be well, keep reading, keep writing and know that we’re always here.
From everyone at Dark Angels