One way I pay the bills – which I am forever grateful for – is my ability to think with a curious mind. As a trend forecaster, people often think this is a very consumer-led role where we just pick out pretty things…that really is not the case.
Curiosity is at the forefront of my role. This means I get to challenge the global landscape, aesthetically and culturally, to find meaning and question where we’re heading. Deep. Yes, it can be sometimes.
Far more anthropological than it seems, trend forecasters exist to deep dive into the zeitgeist and beyond.
This does mean that on a weekly basis I am presented with inspiration in abundance, but it also leaves me questioning things, a lot. Especially my own path and how I can shape my career to align more with a community and more meaning.
Thanks to this sticky heatwave we’ve been having in the UK (you know the type where your skin sticks to chairs so firmly you receive a wax you didn’t know you needed on standing up) I have had countless sleepless nights, and my dreams have been weirder than a paragraph from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Could it have had something to do with me reading ‘The Dream Hotel’. It’s very possible.
However, one sweaty, sleep-deprived moment at 4am, in a bid to calm myself back to sleep, I did a series of meditations. The problem was, I got so engrossed I ended up doing ten of them back to back, lighting a candle, and jotting frantically in my notebook.
I would love to call said notebook a diary, but like any ADHD scatterbrain, it’s more of a brain dump – like the notes app, on acid.
Random doodles, to-do lists, affirmations, creative brainstorms. You get the picture.
But I am a big believer that even if you don’t look back at notes, it’s the practice of writing things down that puts the intention out into the world: putting pen to paper.
So, with an aim to establish that ‘breakthrough’ moment, and thanks to this sudden burst of energy and insight I was given at 4am, I got thinking about what really excites me.
The list is as follows:
colour
creating with my hands
flowers
curiosity
play
If only being a child was a profession.
Earlier this year, I had been running creative workshops which, to my surprise, had started to sell out.
Given I am moving out of my flat with plans to flee to sunnier climates that actually have oceans you’d want to bathe in (sorry Brighton) I’ve had to hold off for now, but I decided in this sleep-deprived moment of clarity to birth: Colour Dayze.
A spin-off of my creative studio (Studio Dayze) this project is centred around colours, florals, and play.
I’m still fleshing out the exact path this will follow, but for the moment, I see it as a colour-led community on an anti-beige campaign.
Why?
Because colour, I believe, has the power to heal. Don’t get me wrong – this doesn’t mean some sickly rainbow dopamine-fuelled brand with wellness quotes. This is considered colour, storytelling, and a chance for anyone willing to join to re-establish their relationship creativity. We’re not biased. Everyone is creative in some way and you’re all invited.
Along the way, there will be in-person workshops, events, as well as online courses for those further afield.
As I’m trying to grow this newsletter and find out what my readers would really like, there is a chance this project make cannibalise the consumption element of this newsletter and in place become a creative hub that inspires. I already think I like the sound of this, do you agree?
Let me know in the comments if that excites you?
I’ll start proceedings with a link here to where you can find this on Instagram, although as someone fatigued by content, I’m hoping this community will prioritise off-screen (at least mobile phones) first and foremost.
One aspect I am particularly excited about for colour dayze, is the colour dayze film club. Combing cinematic artistry with colour.
So, if you’re keen to join the club and feel like you could use a little more colour in your life… SUBSCRIBE BELOW!