2021: self-ideals and your personal theme
The eve of a new year tends to invite introspection. Many people set goals for the next 365 days with a hopeful outlook for the possibilities that lie ahead. Then…
Season’s Greetings | a message for our invaluable creators
This year has changed the way we engage with the world and how we engage with art. The arts and entertainment sector was one of the hardest hit with industry…
Celebrate AusMusic Month this November
There are many things to love about November. We get to enjoy spring in the southern hemisphere and celebrate #AusMusicMonth. I’ve selected just a few events, by no means an…
What Forrest Gump taught me about success
Forrest Gump was truly a masterpiece by Robert Zemeckis (director) and Eric Roth (screenwriter), based on the novel by Winston Groom. It happens to be one my favourite films and…
Sarah Jane Justice, a diamond in the rough
The name that seems to be on everyone’s lips is Sarah Jane Justice. As an award-winning spoken word performer, prose writer, poet, and musician, she’s a quadruple threat. Whether her…
Who am I: a quest for artistic identity
When considering how to express oneself in any creative domain, it is natural to seek the opinion of others. Artists need mentors, and external validation may provide encouragement in competitive…
Perfectionism is not a virtue
I often grieve the many ideas I’ve had that have never come to fruition. I recall the blissful moments when inspiration has tapped me on the shoulder and I’ve responded…
Priceless time: how do you spend it?
Time. You never seem to have enough of it yet there’s so much you’d like to be doing with it. We each get the same number of hours in a…
Creative courage and criticism
Creativity requires courage. It’s not always easy to express a point of view, particularly when it’s not a popular one. Sometimes we may choose to bite our tongue to avoid…
Review: Gaslight by Patrick Hamilton – State Theatre Company of South Australia
Step away from the live stream, cease compulsively refreshing daily COVID updates detailing the Victorian outbreak; Her Majesty’s is open and resplendent, the curtain is lifted, the boards are being…
Creating with clarity and simplicity
In the ever changing realm of creativity, the desire to be considered avante-garde may motivate artists to push boundaries and challenge the status quo. Much to do with art is…
Self-discipline: realise your future self
It’s good to have goals, yet despite your dreams and best intentions, you may lack the motivation to be productive. As your list of things to do grows before you,…
Immeasurable imaginations: learning through play
I often read children’s books so that I never lose my childlike imagination, that fertile ground from which robust flora blooms. Witnessing a child’s cognitive development is, personally, one of…
We are all creative: Sir Ken Robinson’s legacy
Throughout my career, as both a teacher and creative practitioner, there have been countless references to the work of Sir Ken Robinson, and rightly so. His research in, and commitment…
Musings on art: passing time with Waldo
When I have been reading Emerson, I see a deeper beauty in many things. The voices of the past offer refreshing insight that is seldom celebrated in modern life, and…
The motivations of Jasmine Crisp
Jasmine Crisp doesn’t mind being labelled a maximalist. In fact, when renowned fellow painter Andrew Salgado took notice of her ‘unbridled skill’ and ‘lush’ style, Jasmine was rightly exultant. “I…
COVID Safe guidelines released by Live Performance Australia
Live Performance Australia (LPA), the peak body for Australia’s performance industry, has released a comprehensive set of COVID Safe guidelines to support arts and entertainment workers in anticipation of the…
Ellie Nunan chats about her career, a bad boyfriend, while on tour with Cats in 2020
Sunshine Coast-born actress Ellie Nunan is a world away from where she thought she would be at the start of this year. She is a rarity, being among the few…
Catching dreams, taking action
A couple of years ago, I photographed these dream catchers while on tour with a theatre production on the Sunshine Coast. They reminded me that it’s not enough to simply…
Am I eligible for JobKeeper extension after September?
On 21 July, the Australian Government announced that it will extend JobKeeper by six months to 28 March 2021. Entities and business participants, including self-employed individuals and not-for-profits, may continue…
Which expenses can I claim while working from home in 2020?
Lodging a tax return can seem like one of those tedious tasks in life that you may want to delay, but in the 2019 – 2020 financial year it may…
Elle Nichelle, the introverted entrepreneur, empowers voice educators
For many creative people, the events of 2020 have inspired a fair amount of introspection. Elle Nichelle has the type of artistic mind that can produce something good when the…
Musical Theatre personality Debora Krizak launches The Really Useless Candle Co.
You may be familiar with The Really Useful Group, especially if you’re a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Australian theatre performer Debora Krizak has given the impressario a cheeky nod…
A song about courage in times of uncertainty
Yesterday was Make Music Day and rather than play someone else’s song, I thought I’d revisit some old music of mine and rearrange it. I chose a song from my…
Support Local: 7 ways you can sustain Australian musicians
Make Music Day, scheduled for 21 June, is a felicitous reminder of the importance of live music in our country. In August 2018, Mitch Fifield, Minister for Communications and the…
Home in the time of Coronavirus
White walls. White tiles. A white ceiling. Surrounding me is a whole lot of white, and not much else going on. Being enveloped in this house for too long didn’t…
State Theatre Company South Australia to deliver a plague of plays
In Italy, during the middle of the fourteenth century, five years after the black death had ravaged the nation, author Giovanni Boccaccio published The Decameron; a collection of novellas featuring…
Australian musicians rally together on a path to recovery
Hundreds of individuals and organisations from the Australian music industry have signed an open letter to the Australian Government calling for industry-specific support to ensure the sector’s survival. In an…
‘The Maj’ is given the royal treatment
Adelaide’s iconic theatre has been refurbished! The $66 million redevelopment began in June 2018. Today the newly-refurbished Her Majesty’s Theatre has been unveiled. The completion of the exciting project was…
Composer Josh Belperio premieres ‘In Time’
Cabaret artist and songwriter Josh Belperio (Adelaide Fringe award winner 2018 & 2019) is releasing a collaboration with 23 artists that he greatly admires. All of whom sung their vocal…