Z.R. Southcombe's Blog, page 10
November 28, 2016
Trusting our creative purpose
It’s not unusual for me to describe my chapter books as ‘weird’. My friends and readers prefer ‘creative’ or ‘imaginative’ or ‘fun’. But with my stories being a bit off mainstream, I find it hard to own their weirdness as a good thing sometimes.
Which is silly, for many reasons, but one in particular: it was never my aim to write a book that slipped into the main stream of children’s fiction. In fact, I actively avoided it.
My goal was to write for people like me. Who I am and who I was. I was a reader. I devoured books, but I quickly found children’s books to be simplistic and patronising. Roald Dahl and C.S. Lewis were my remedies to this, amongst others, but when I started writing I promised that I wouldn’t talk down to children.
I wanted to write books that were creative and thrilling, emotionally real with no-holds-barred adventure. They were for young readers, sure, but young readers with maturity and intelligence and imagination who wanted more from books than what most books gave them.
Somewhere along the line, I lost faith in my creative purpose. Maybe my stories were too strange; maybe I should be using smaller words and slowing down the pace; maybe I should’ve scrapped the whole adult-protagonist-in-a-children’s-story thing.
But then I received the reviews below, and I remembered why I write the stories I do.
And now, all is well in the world.
“My son is in second grade, he has excelled at reading since the moment we began teaching him. He does not “like” to read though. I knew if I found the right books for him that he would change his mind and become a book lover. The caretaker of imagination is exactly what he needed! He was eager to read it every night before bed and was excited to tell me about the book. He is now reading the second book in the series. I highly recommend this series and will be buying everything written by Z.R. Southcombe for my little reader!” By Kari for The Caretaker of Imagination (see review on Amazon)
“These books are great, so many different things going on to keep the imagination going.” By Kari for Beyond the End of the World (see review on Amazon)
November 21, 2016
Painting, Creativity & Intuition
It’s been a while since I blogged (sorry), partly because I’ve been productive and focused, but mostly because there has been so much learning and insight that whenever I sit down to write something, I want to talk about ALL the things.
Story of my life.
So I’m going to try to keep today’s post to one topic. Painting. Creativity. Intuition.
One of the perks of working at a bookshop is that you get reading copies of books (not Fantastic Beasts, unfortunately). Some time ago, my manager recommended one to me: Iris Grace.
I finally got round to starting it last week and WOW. If you’re not familiar with her story, Iris is a young girl on the autism spectrum. The story is written from her mother’s point of view, from her own life and marriage to the grief of Iris’ diagnosis, to seeing beauty in her difference.
Now the reason I started reading it had nothing to do with autism, and everything to do with art. Below is one of Iris’ paintings. She’s only four or five years old.
‘Explosions of Colour’ – Source: https://irisgracepainting.com/paintings/The book describes much about Iris’ perspective (through the lens of her mother) and about autism, but what I picked up on the most is her sensory awareness, her deep connection with nature, and how she is able to communicate this through her paintings. My first thought when I saw her work?
One day, I want to paint like this.
I’ve blogged about my identity as a creative, an online persona, and just as a human being, several times before (and here, and also on my old blog here and here). It’s obviously something I’m still working through, and that’s okay. Since working solidly on my painting with the goal of an exhibition, I’ve realised how much I am ‘in flow’ with painting; how easily it is able to transform what is inside me into a tangible product (exhibition details here if you’re in Auckland and interested in attending).
Reading Iris’ story has inspired me to do what comes naturally, and not feel apologetic: it is not selfish to dig deeper into myself. It’s helped me realise that intuitive art, à la Jackson Pollock, is real and true; I don’t need to have an intention or conceptual meaning before the work is finished.
Most of all, it has helped me realise that I am an artist (as a friend was trying to help me realise the other day). What’s interesting is that when I embrace the identity of being ‘an artist’, I feel a lot better about my writing as well. It doesn’t need to be excellent in the usual methods of judgement, because it is a creative work of art – not a traditional work of fiction.
So in all of this rambling, what I’m trying to say is that I’ve found my way home.
Also, expect to see a LOT more art in the future.
Zee 
November 6, 2016
Going against the grain
Because I’ve been painting longer than I have been writing, I often use my experience as a painter to help understand my experience as a writer.
A few weeks ago, I said I was chucking the towel in on being ‘an author’. I didn’t want to stop writing or publishing, but I did want to take pressure off my creativity. I thought needed a break. So I took one.
I picked up more hours at the day job, pulled out of markets, and withdrew from social media for a while.
At the NZ Book Festival, I spoke with Liz Constable of Book Art Studios, whose book-making workshop Dyed and Gone to Heaven I had attended the previous weekend. We discussed how sometimes it’s better to go against what we’re ‘supposed’ to do, and just do what feels right.
I realised that perhaps me throwing in the towel wasn’t me needing to take a break, but was really me just saying:
I don’t want to do it your way.
After highschool, I went to art school. It didn’t take long for me to realise it wasn’t right for me, but I stuck it out in fear of becoming a ‘quitter’ (I’ve since learned that changing your mind is not the same as failure). For a long time, I didn’t paint. It was just last year that I really started to paint again, and this time I was only painting for me. I wasn’t trying to follow someone else’s rules, or prove anything to myself.
‘What you don’t know’, acrylic on canvas, 2015 (not for sale)I was just letting go.
The interesting bit is that when I let myself do what I wanted, people responded more and resonated more with my work. I discovered the paradox – that the more personal my work became, the more universally it was understood.
So I guess from here the lesson is to keep exploring inwards, keep experimenting, and trust that my work will find its audience
in its own way,
in its own time.
October 25, 2016
A note from a superhero author and an update on the NZ Young Writers’ Anthology
So the super creative young writer, Ella, has written the most awesome foreword in history. Or something like that. Read it here (opens in new window).
In case you’re not familiar with it, the NZ Young Writers’ Anthology is an idea I dreamed up to help encourage young writers. We all know I have issues with the phrase ‘when I grow up’ and one of those issues is that being a child should be reason to not be a writer / artist / scientist / dancer / yogi etc.
From its first year (last year) I started calling it an annual, mostly so I wouldn’t have an excuse to give up on it if it didn’t meet my expectations. It’s now in its second edition and quickly gaining momentum.
Speaking of gaining momentum, there’s another exciting annual: The NZ Book Festival. I’d already decided to match this up with the anthology and release it on the day, but then I was informed that one of this year’s winners, Poppy, was flying up to be here for the festival. After a brief chat, we decided: what better way to celebrate young authors by getting one of those authors to read their story?
Poppy Nightingale-Ayson, age 11, will be reading an extract from her story, Endangered, at the NZ Book Festival Storytime at 11am, and will be available for a short Q&A afterwards.
All my books will have festival-only prices, and I’ll try to get some bundles together as well, so if you’ve been thinking of picking up any as gifts, or haven’t gotten round to buying one for yourself yet, the festival will be the best place to get them.
As always, I’m happy to sign them or write a personal message for the recipient
October 23, 2016
What really drives you?
I guess this is something I’m still learning, because I’ve blogged about it before (I’ll try to find those posts and link back here).
The other day, my cousin sent me a photo of her niece sitting and drawing, and a story she had written. She said that she “wants to write story books like you”.
It was in that moment of awww-ness that I was reminded why I love publishing my work: to inspire other people, that can be done.
When I was studying to become a teacher, my sister asked me why I wanted to. I said, people are most happy and fulfilled when they’re confident in themselves and doing stuff they love. If even 10% more people were able to do things they love – not just some job to pay the bills – can you imagine what the world would be like?
That’s still my goal. What’s changed is that it’s my goal for myself – one I’ve done well at for the past few years.
What I realised this morning is that I don’t actually care what people think about my books.
(How liberating is that?)
At first, the validation from people I respected was important. Now… well, sure, a good review makes me smile and a bad one stings. But I no longer need the validation.
If my aim was for my books to be popular, I’d have followed the rules of the genre; if I wanted to win a literary prize, I’d have refined my use language (and they would probably triple in size!); if I wanted the prestige of being an artist, I’d approach galleries; if I wanted my colouring books to be bestsellers, I’d have made more delicate drawings.
But I didn’t do any of those things, because that’s not why I make art. Art, for me, is an expose of vulnerability; of truth. My truth. And that can’t possibly be judged.
So what drives me? Sharing my truth, and helping other people share theirs.
What drives you?
October 17, 2016
In the studio: a few updates, and the NZ Book Festival
I’ve been a bit quiet online, partly because I’ve been plodding away at the various projects I’m working on at the moment (you can read about them here if you want), and partly because sometimes social media just isn’t healthy for me.So I thought I’d let you know how some of the things are going in the studio
