Z.R. Southcombe's Blog, page 23

Monday Musings: Markets & Movies

I missed last week’s Monday post for no better reason than I was tired after the launch party preparations and of course, the event itself. Which was fantastic. See the photos here. So last week was all about sleeping in,...
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Getting healthy, and getting rid of excuses

I’m in a ‘getting healthy’ phase at the moment. What seems to happen is that I start exercising and eating properly, and then it becomes a habit for a while… and then something slips. However, I take solace in the...
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Being an industrious writer

I met up with a fellow writer yesterday, who I’d originally met at the Green Bay Creative Writers group. She called me industrious. I wasn’t sure if I agreed but I let it go and accepted the compliment (as it...
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A reflection on launching my books [for writers]

I’ve independently published 3 books now, and each book had a significantly different launch strategy (or lack thereof) and different outcomes. Each launch is summarised below, and then I’ll go into what I think worked and didn’t work, which will...
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Launch Party: A wee update

Once again, the launch party was a wonderful success, and it was with thanks to a generous group of volunteers. Photos from James (photo booth) and Pim (roaming photographer) will be up during the week. A HUGE thanks to all...
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Launch party: The Morning

Good morning, folks! (Isn’t it funny how you can write words that you wouldn’t actually say? Seriously, I would never call people ‘folks‘ ). So obviously I still have a few things to do. The most important is to get...
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With a little help from my friends

As the launch for Lucy’s Story looms, I’ve been thinking about how much of this wouldn’t have been possible without help from friends. The launch party is relying on my talented, bubbly and generous friends giving freely of their valuable...
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Zee reads an extract from ‘Lucy’s Story: The End of the World’ [video]

So, I finally managed to get my first vlog done! Well… I sort of cheated, because it’s more a reading of chapters 1 & 2 in Lucy’s Story, and less of a video blog, but it’s my first time so...
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Introducing photographer, James Stonley

A friend shared James Stonley’s Facebook page, and I was instantly attracted. At the time, the images were largely street photography. From just one photo, it seemed as if you could read the story of the subject being photographed – no small feat – and I became more interested in James’ work.

Images from jstonley.com

I met James later on, and it took a while to register that he was the James Stonley from the photography page! Regardless, it was great to connect, and share our stories of art, culture, and following our passions – which, after all, is what life is all about.

Since then, we’ve connected more, and he surprised me by taking on the role of photographer at my first launch party (which was fortunate, as my other photographer’s camera had decided to pull a sickie).

Images by James Stonley

At my next launch (on the 20th of June, for Lucy’s Story: The End of the World), James will be holding a photo booth! He’s got some awesome ideas brewing, but they’re just ideas for now so you’ll have to visit on the day to see what he gets up to – or catch the photos here afterwards

Want to know more about James Stonley? Visit him on Facebook, Instagram, Flickr – or visit his website: jstonley.com

James Stonley is definitely in my good books… no pun intended!

James is a photographer originally from Liverpool in England now living in Auckland, New Zealand. He specialises in portrait photography and street portraits.

Monday Musings: It’s launch week!

Even though I’ve already posted today, I would like to keep this Monday postings thing regular. Routine – albeit flexible routine – helps me, and I reflection & goal-setting are a great start to any week.

Last week, there were several moments where I stopped, considered the moment I was in, and realised that I wasn’t happy with where I was at. It was triggered by the workshop with Butterfly Clinic, which brought home how much anxiety I was letting myself get caught up in.

Awareness is the first step towards change, though, and I managed to get some walking and some meditation in last week. I got a bit of journalling done, and achieved some of the things I set out to do. I’m working towards a lifestyle where I can work on creative projects – whatever they may be – with some level of choice and flexibility. All my work is done with one thought for myself, and another for bringing creative opportunities to those who might otherwise miss out.

So, how did I go last week?

I cleaned up my studio, at least, and got some cleaning done on the rest of the house.
Drawing challenge and writing pages are done for the launch party and just need to be printed.
I got my butt in the chair for a bit of writing, but am not happy with my discipline yet. More writing!!
And on the weekend, I visited the Mt Eden Village Craft Market and have applied for next month’s event.

And this week? Well, it’s launch weekend, so pretty much everything is geared towards getting (and staying) organised.

All the prep materials (drawing pages, crayons, signage, decorations etc.) ready for the event.
More house cleaning, and getting rid of some unnecessary ‘stuff’
Beyond the End of the World drafting!
Lots of walking & plenty of water – got to keep myself healthy when my brain is in pre-launch mode.