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Laundry Day with Briar and Lark

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Getting To Know John Hughes Photographic - Our Arts Magazine John Hughes’ photographic journey began with a teenage gift of an Olympus Trip camera and has since carried him across more than fifty countries, from Alaskan railways and breaching humpback whales to...

John Hughes’ photographic journey began with a teenage gift of an Olympus Trip camera and has since carried him across more than fifty countries, from Alaskan railways and breaching humpback whales to wildlife and racing circuits.

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Polite Harm

Following on from another article, this post examines how tone can be used to deflect accountability, why “just asking questions” is not always neutral, and how apologies followed by justification allow harmful patterns to continue unchallenged.

Where is the Line Between Smart Marketing and Spam? This article explores the difference between respectful, value-driven promotion and intrusive, spammy behaviour.

Where is the Line Between Smart Marketing and Spam?

This article explores the difference between respectful, value-driven promotion and intrusive, spammy behaviour.

Mood Board – After Light, The Quiet Hour This mood board invites artists into the quiet hour, where colour deepens, light softens, and creativity slows into something more intentional. It is not about darkness, but about atmosphere, confidence, and thoughtful restraint.

Mood Board – After Light, The Quiet Hour

This mood board invites artists into the quiet hour, where colour deepens, light softens, and creativity slows into something more intentional. It is not about darkness, but about atmosphere, confidence, and thoughtful restraint.

The Ethics of Beauty Beauty is often dismissed as decorative or unserious in contemporary art, yet it has shaped human culture for millennia. This article explores whether beauty is superficial, political, or powerful... and why the pursuit of beauty can be an ethically serious artistic choice.

The Ethics of Beauty

Beauty is often dismissed as decorative or unserious in contemporary art, yet it has shaped human culture for millennia. This article explores whether beauty is superficial, political, or powerful... and why the pursuit of beauty can be an ethically serious artistic choice.

The Best Camera Phones for Photography in 2025 This guide looks back at the stand-out phones of 2025, explains what truly matters in a camera phone, and shares real experiences from artists who rely on their phones for landscapes, close-ups and documenting their work.

The Best Camera Phones for Photography in 2025

This guide looks back at the stand-out phones of 2025, explains what truly matters in a camera phone, and shares real experiences from artists who rely on their phones for landscapes, close-ups and documenting their work.

Who Gets the Benefit of the Doubt in the Art World?

This article examines how familiarity, geography, and unspoken assumptions shape who receives the benefit of the doubt in creative spaces, and why true professionalism depends on consistency, not comfort.

The Confident Art Buyer: A Thoughtful Guide for People Who Love to Collect

Why Buy Art at All? Collectors and casual buyers often apologise for “not knowing enough.” There is no need. Art is not a test in cultural literacy. It is a relationship. People buy art because a piece tugs at something…

The Dark Side of Vanity Exhibitions: Being invited to exhibit in a “prestigious” gallery can feel like a breakthrough. But when the gallery’s income comes from artists’ fees rather than art sales, the risk shifts entirely onto the artist. This article examines the rise of pay-to-exhibit galleries, the warning signs they don’t advertise, and why refusing to discuss fees publicly is a serious red flag.

The Dark Side of Vanity Exhibitions:

Being invited to exhibit in a “prestigious” gallery can feel like a breakthrough. But when the gallery’s income comes from artists’ fees rather than art sales, the risk shifts entirely onto the artist. This article examines the rise of pay-to-exhibit galleries,…

Using Hashtags Effectively on Facebook: A Quick Artist’s Guide This quick guide explains which hashtags to avoid on Facebook, how to choose the right ones, and when no hashtags at all can work best.

Using Hashtags Effectively on Facebook: A Quick Artist’s Guide

This quick guide explains which hashtags to avoid on Facebook, how to choose the right ones, and when no hashtags at all can work best.

Nude, Not Lewd: The Cultural Divide in Art The artistic nude, once honoured in studios and galleries, now faces warnings, bans, and misplaced accusations the moment it reaches digital platforms. The conflict is no longer about the human form but about who controls its visibility. This feature examines the global divide around nudity in art, the pressures on online galleries, and why defending artistic expression matters more than ever.

Nude, Not Lewd: The Cultural Divide in Art

The artistic nude, once honoured in studios and galleries, now faces warnings, bans, and misplaced accusations the moment it reaches digital platforms. The conflict is no longer about the human form but about who controls its visibility. This feature…

Member of the Week: Ludwig Keck

Congratulations to Ludwig Keck – our Member of the Week for outstanding contributions across posts and uploads this week. Explore Ludwig Keck's work: Blog posts · Forum profile

The Internet Was Supposed to Expand Our World: Algorithms Have Shrunk It The internet promised to open the world to us, yet algorithms have quietly fenced us into narrow digital villages. Instead of broad horizons, we receive curated comfort ....personalised news, filtered opinions, profit-driven search results, and echo-chambers that shrink our thinking. This article examines how our online world became so small, who built the walls, and how we reclaim a wider, truer view of the world.

The Internet Was Supposed to Expand Our World: Algorithms Have Shrunk It

The internet promised to open the world to us, yet algorithms have quietly fenced us into narrow digital villages. Instead of broad horizons, we receive curated comfort ....personalised news, filtered opinions, profit-driven…

Women Artists Still Hidden in Plain Sight: Why Visibility Hasn’t Yet Become Equality Women artists and photographers are more visible than ever, yet they remain less celebrated and less institutionally supported than their male counterparts.

Women Artists Still Hidden in Plain Sight: Why Visibility Hasn’t Yet Become Equality

Women artists and photographers are more visible than ever, yet they remain less celebrated and less institutionally supported than their male counterparts.

Breaking Through the Noise – Smart, Modern Promotion for Independent Musicians When your Apple Music presence is clear, consistent and accurately labelled, the platform can recognise your sound more easily and place your tracks in front of listeners who are genuinely likely to enjoy them.

Breaking Through the Noise – Smart, Modern Promotion for Independent Musicians

When your Apple Music presence is clear, consistent and accurately labelled, the platform can recognise your sound more easily and place your tracks in front of listeners who are genuinely likely to enjoy them.

Google Photos Brings Back a Favourite Editing Tool – What Creatives Should Know After disappearing during Google’s interface overhaul, the perspective tool is now returning in stages, bringing back an easy way to straighten horizons, fix angles, and correct distortion without using external apps.

Google Photos Brings Back a Favourite Editing Tool – What Creatives Should Know

After disappearing during Google’s interface overhaul, the perspective tool is now returning in stages, bringing back an easy way to straighten horizons, fix angles, and correct distortion without using external apps.

Mental Health and the Artist Can we admire a painting, a poem, or a symphony when its creator’s life was marked by cruelty, instability, or violence? This article explores the delicate balance between appreciating artistic brilliance and acknowledging the troubling realities behind it

Mental Health and the Artist

Can we admire a painting, a poem, or a symphony when its creator’s life was marked by cruelty, instability, or violence? This article explores the delicate balance between appreciating artistic brilliance and acknowledging the troubling realities behind it

Why Art Deserves Time In a world shaped by constant scrolling and fleeting attention, artists increasingly find themselves pressured to create at the pace of the feed rather than the pace of their craft. Social platforms reward speed, visibility, and trend-following, while slow, contemplative work often slips unnoticed beneath the algorithm’s demands. This article explores the quiet cost of this culture – from creative fatigue to the homogenisation of style – and argues that choosing slowness is not a weakness, but a deliberate act of artistic integrity. True creativity thrives when given time, space, and the freedom to unfold without digital urgency.

Why Art Deserves Time

In a world shaped by constant scrolling and fleeting attention, artists increasingly find themselves pressured to create at the pace of the feed rather than the pace of their craft. Social platforms reward speed, visibility, and trend-following, while slow, contemplative work…

The Kindness of Critique A reflective follow-up on critique: how truthful, empathetic feedback strengthens trust, confidence, and craft within creative groups.

The Kindness of Critique

A reflective follow-up on critique: how truthful, empathetic feedback strengthens trust, confidence, and craft within creative groups.

The Art of Saying No Gracefully Saying no is not rude. It is resource management, creative integrity, and self-respect. Here is a practical guide for artists, writers, photographers, and community managers who want to decline requests without burning bridges.

The Art of Saying No Gracefully

Saying no is not rude. It is resource management, creative integrity, and self-respect. Here is a practical guide for artists, writers, photographers, and community managers who want to decline requests without burning bridges.

When Should We Start Advertising for Christmas? (Yes, Already!) Christmas adverts seem to appear earlier every year, but is there really a “too soon” for festive marketing? Let’s unwrap the timing debate with a sprinkle of humour, a dash of strategy, and a generous dollop of mince pie spirit.

When Should We Start Advertising for Christmas? (Yes, Already!)

Christmas adverts seem to appear earlier every year, but is there really a “too soon” for festive marketing? Let’s unwrap the timing debate with a sprinkle of humour, a dash of strategy, and a generous dollop of mince pie spirit.

Good afternoon :) Hope you are all having a good day. Mine will be spent putting up some new artwork I am working on and planning works social media calendar. What are you up to?

Playlists that help you get in the flow Discover how the right playlist can draw you into creative flow. From lo-fi to metal, Abbie Shores explores how sound shapes concentration—and shares two of her own unexpected favourites.

Playlists that help you get in the flow

Discover how the right playlist can draw you into creative flow. From lo-fi to metal, Abbie Shores explores how sound shapes concentration—and shares two of her own unexpected favourites.

Homepage Tweaks That Lift Conversions Discover practical homepage design tweaks that increase conversions — from clear messaging and visual flow to stronger call-to-action buttons and trust signals.

Homepage Tweaks That Lift Conversions

Discover practical homepage design tweaks that increase conversions — from clear messaging and visual flow to stronger call-to-action buttons and trust signals.

Image Licences 101: What Creatives Should Know A clear, beginner-friendly guide to image licences for creatives. Learn the difference between copyright, royalty-free, rights-managed, Creative Commons, and public domain, and discover how to protect your own work while using others’ images legally.

Image Licences 101: What Creatives Should Know

A clear, beginner-friendly guide to image licences for creatives. Learn the difference between copyright, royalty-free, rights-managed, Creative Commons, and public domain, and discover how to protect your own work while using others’ images legally.

Field Notes from a Country Walk A quiet countryside walk can become a moving sketchbook. Here, field notes reveal textures, sounds, and fleeting moments that spark creativity for artists and writers alike

Field Notes from a Country Walk

A quiet countryside walk can become a moving sketchbook. Here, field notes reveal textures, sounds, and fleeting moments that spark creativity for artists and writers alike

Burnout in Creative Work: Early Signs and Remedies

Discover the early signs of creative burnout and practical remedies to restore balance, energy, and inspiration in your artistic practice.