No need to cover yourself in silver foil and despair! ;) It’s time for our eclectic, curated mix of creativity, Shake6, the power of inspiration... that's six things we've loved over the past four weeks. So, sit back, have a read and discover something brilliant, unique and stand-out.
Photography
Neil Juggins
Neil is the photography hero we need here at Shake. Since discovering the portraits in his lockdown series, we’ve not stopped smiling.
His work is brave, full of creativity, beautifully shot and his expressions get us every time! From the genius of his character ‘LinkedIn man’, to the bold ‘Blue Monday’ and what can we say about those legendary sweetcorn earrings? We find it impossible to choose a favourite from the lockdown stories Neil tells through his photographs.
Neil’s inspiration for the series came from wanting to reflect different lockdown moods, commenting on some of the things happening in the news during these times, wanting to make people smile and also out of a desire to encourage and share creativity.
Watch this space for Jenna’s interview with Neil, coming very soon and follow him on Instagram too. We can’t wait to see what LinkedIn man does next!
Art and culture
DabsMyla
Photo credits: Justkids
From Somerset to Fort Chaffee in Arkansas now, because a former water tower has been transformed with bold, psychedelic illustrations of flowers - and we are loving it! It’s certainly brightened up our days, as well as those of the local community who connect with it.
The work has been created by contemporary artists DabsMyla (Darren and Emmelene Mate) who were invited by the award-winning creative house JUST KIDS and innovators Oz Art, to overhaul the disused structure.
We're huge fans of art in surprising places and we’d love this in our backyard. What a vibrant, uplifting way to create a shared appreciation of nature and culture.
Music
Ronnie Scott's #lockdown sessions.
Photo credit: Carl Hyde
What can you say about Ronnie Scott's... the figurehead for Jazz in the UK. We were club members for a long while and we’ve loved experiencing the way they’ve kept their community close and welcomed new fans in, with live sessions streamed from the iconic Soho club.
Dominic J Marshall was wonderful to watch last week and as Ronnie’s says,
“It is important in these uncertain times that these sessions remain free for all to view, so we are funding these entirely through donations”.
So, join the mailing list, watch out for Omar, up next this Thursday Feb 4th and make a donation if you can, to help support artists and the future of live music. Plus, you can also catch up with the sessions on their YouTube channel.
Art and design
Heath Kane
Photo credits: Penguin Books
This month, we’re dedicating the second half of Shake 6 to a triple header of book related inspo. First up is book cover art, because artist Heath Kane has created a collection of striking covers for the final printed versions of the George Orwell Classics, Animal Farm, 1984, Down and Out in Paris and London, and Homage to Catalonia.
To mark 70 years since Orwell’s passing (on January 21st), Penguin Vintage Classics has published four of the author's most famous works and we absolutely love the bold, fresh take Heath’s created.
Definitely judge these by their covers. Go on.
Books
Josephine Mariposa, Anything is Possible
Josephine’s book has defined our January.
After being in hospital unable to move for two years, Josephine was finally diagnosed with neurosarcoid - a rare condition of the brain and spine. Her life changed forever and in lockdown 1 she wrote the story of her journey, hoping to inspire other people or families facing life-changing trauma.
Since the book was released during our latest lockdown in the UK, one thing’s become clear. There is inspiration for everyone in this moving story of loss, hope and determination to live life to the full. Don’t miss it.
Photo credit: Ben Meek
Big smile
And finally, it’s our big smile - one social media post plucked from the thousands we’ve scrolled through that’ll turn any frown upside down ;).
Faith Salie tweeted this beaut and we REALLY need to know what happens if a dragon marries a unicorn.
And on that bombshell... more next month!