<![CDATA[CLARE LOUISE ROBERTS - Creativity Corner Blog]]>Sat, 02 May 2026 16:18:25 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[How To Get The 1920s Flapper Girl Look]]>Sun, 07 Feb 2021 20:40:55 GMThttps://www.clarelouiseroberts.com/creativity-corner-blog/how-to-get-the-1920s-flapper-girl-lookOur live-streamed musical was such a success! 

I was so humbled to join Gwendolyn Fitz in her original, ukulele musical. If you like dark-comedy, then you'd like our show. Besides getting to perform again and collaborating with a sweet and talented friend, one of the other fun parts of doing a show is getting to design and implement your own costumes and your character's 'look'.

My character - Abigail Fox - was a Flapper Girl whose rich businessman father ran the party which our other lead Arthur Fitzgerald crashes in order to make acquaintances with someone...

Creating the 1920s Flapper Girl Look

Transforming myself into a 1920s Flapper Girl, with a look ready for a speakeasy was easy when I used a few accessories!
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I used a hairband across the forehead in the popular style and this also gave me my hairdo, as I was able to use it to tuck my long into the back. Of course, I did use rollers on my hair when it was wet...But my hair doesn't really behave that way so kirby grips it was!

Knowing my character was rich, I couldn't resist the opportunity to be glamorous and show off some of my own diamante jewellery such as my ring and bracelet in the videos below. It was nice to have an occasion to dress up like. Such are the joys of acting. And fancy dress parties. And it is the 20s after all.

See the dress and hairdo in action at our show here.

The Flapper Girl Dress

The Flapper Girl look is not complete without a short and loose dress with some fringe, right?

I got my dress online from Oxfam charity shop! No joke. Charity shops are my favourite places to go shopping and the majority of my outfits and many of my accessories, including jewellery, I buy second-hand.

I'm always on a low budget and buying second-hand does help with that. However more importantly, if I'm going to be a customer and consumer then it's important for me to use my money to support an important need where I can.

​Plus; I really love how every time you go into a charity shop - even if it's the next day - it's like a treasure trove of finds because their stock is constantly replenishing and what you get is unique to you that day.

I was especially looking for gold because gold and black were the show's theme colours and very in keeping with our art-deco décor.
My takeaway is that I actually suit this era pretty well. I am a fan of the 1920s/30s and I think I'm going to experiment with this hairstyle a bit more. As always; those kinds of photos are on my Instagram.

Meanwhile, I'm working on a few new writing ideas. Therefore a lot of ideas are going straight to the recycling bin until I get to the good idea. But that's ok. Playing around with new looks and new words are all a part of this process.

I'm really hoping that Abigail Fox makes a comeback in a sequel so we can see more of her journey. Also I just really need a good excuse to dress up again like this SOON.

Let me know what looks and ideas you've been trying lately!
]]><![CDATA[Behind The Scenes - Music Video for Bump In The Road]]>Tue, 19 May 2020 16:29:21 GMThttps://www.clarelouiseroberts.com/creativity-corner-blog/behind-the-scenes-music-video-for-bump-in-the-roadMusic videos are a great way to communicate your song on a new level. Making a music video is a lot more complicated than it looks and it is always a lot of fun!
Here's how we made one of my favourite music videos (and currently the most watched video on my YouTube channel!) ​for my song, Bump In The Road which you can also listen to on Spotify (cheeky plug!)
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The Team
​​Myself and Callum Latimer, who is such a brilliant director and filmmaker! He came up with the concept for the music video and filmed and edited it.
Not pictured is Callum's Mum who was the assistant and kindly stood on a ladder for hours for us. 

The Master at work!

Callum first did test shots of each scene idea on his sister, then sent me the videos to ask me what I thought of the concept. Of course I loved it.

​Callum shot it in portrait and we did two whole days of shooting for these scenes.
Also hours and hours of editing for Callum afterwards!​ 

We got to film in the house of cats.

Maybe my next music video should just have cats in it..?

My signature aesthetic are
flowers, trees and leaves.

​​Callum and his family have some of the fluffiest, most chilled out cats so of course we got cuddles in, in between filming!

​I love them so much, so we had to include some foliage!

Our flower props which were dropped on me (it felt like Heaven!) and the finished look!

I don't think we did more than two or three takes of each scene because it all worked so well.

It was fun to interact with the leaves and flowers as they fell on me, laughing as they got stuck in my hair, trying to catch some, admiring them, playing with them like I would when I'm out on a walk.

I had a gig the evening of the first day of filming and I brought the leftover bouquet with me and decorated the stage with flowers!

Smoke & Snow

White chalk was sprinkled over me to give the illusion of snow as the music video moves through different seasons.

Show(er) Time!

One of our most impressive scenes in the music video was the rain scenes. 
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Big rain and water scenes in films always look epic don't they?
I wasn't dancing or singing in the rain on this occasion, but I think the results were still very exciting!
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Can we just appreciate how well my eye make up held on - I always buy really cheap mascara because I'm terrible at doing make up but by a miracle this one held it together. It held itself so well that it started giving me life advice.

Not pictured is the tablet which we burnt to create a smokey fog (okay it was a while ago, check out Callum's website to confirm!)

We had Callum's Mum on a ladder with a watering can and the shower head for the water!
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​This scene took the longest to make, we re-shot it and then after the first take of re-shooting, did a few more takes just to be sure and well, I was already soaked, so hey!

Callum also filmed each of these scenes with just the props and effects by themselves.
He then edited everything into three split screens, with the film being played in reverse...

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Voila! It looks amazing!
​Click on the image below to watch the result:

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Click here to visit Callum D. Latimer's website to see more of his work.

Click here to see more Little Strings music videos

I hope you enjoyed this behind the scenes look. Sign up to my newsletter so you know when the next posts on music videos, songwriting and on living a creative are out.

Thanks!

]]><![CDATA[Bump In The Road - Music Video]]>Thu, 16 May 2019 20:27:55 GMThttps://www.clarelouiseroberts.com/creativity-corner-blog/bump-in-the-road-music-video
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'The concept for the video was to show that what ever is thrown at you its only temporary- I wanted the video to be moving from a negative to an optimistic conclusion. This was my interpretation of the lyrics/meaning of Bump in the road.' ​Callum Latimer, a filmmaker in the UK and the brilliant brains of our music video.

We know you can relate to this experience as we have.

Watch the video here  https://youtu.be/VgMlaj8hWzQ  and read below to for more info on the song.

​​I wrote Bump In The Road about my own struggles and as a way of reminding myself of where I am now and where I can be, from where I’ve been.
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​It’s a celebration of achievement and an acknowledgement, remembrance that these things aren’t easy and we fail often. It’s about the back and forth struggle of trying to walk away from something that’s wrong for you. Trying to let go of that person who you know does you no good but they’re familiar; this situation and mess is what you know. We feel safe in what we recognise and so we lie to ourselves about actually letting go for good. But sometimes it takes more than a few tries to get out of a bad habit or to let go or to walk away. We make mistakes as part of our journey.

So after many tries and failures, each time inching further and further away from what’s bad for us and closer to what’s good; we eventually reach a point where even though we’re not perfect (of course) we can look back on this as a small part in the timeline of our journey. A moment. A memory on a page in your diary.

And now, it’s finally - and aren’t we glad it is - finally, just another bump in the road. And we’re still going. I hope you find comfort in knowing that you’re not alone in your struggles and failings and that you feel inspired in your own ups and downs on your journey. It will be just another bump in the road 
]]><![CDATA[In The Corner with... Chloe Perrin]]>Thu, 10 Jan 2019 14:12:56 GMThttps://www.clarelouiseroberts.com/creativity-corner-blog/in-the-corner-with-chloe-perrinChloe Perrin is a Welsh writer living in London, having as much fun as her brain will let her.
She blogs about her own insanity at bramblebrain.home.blog
Tweets tiny stories at @ChloeSquid51
 And pens bad comics on Insta @lets_get_triggered
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She also created a comic for Creativity Corner so check it out below after you've read her piece!
What a Creative Life Looks Like for Me

When I really think about what living a creative life looks like for me, one word keeps popping into my peripheral, a word that sometimes jars me, sometimes empowers me – puts a hand on my shoulder to stop me then shoves me forward again. 

The word is responsibility. To me, the idea of being a “responsible artist” holds hands tightly with the idea of taking myself seriously; the more seriously I take my work and my creative life, the more responsibility I feel pressing down on my shoulders.

The first comics I drew which I consider my own art were hastily scribbled and posted at three am when I assumed no one would see them and, if they did, no one would really care. The comics were personal and were posted purely to vent; I was incredibly angry at the mental health care system and I wanted to push my experience into the open. Posting comics as an unknown artist was a pretty nice release – if people didn’t like them, eh, whatever, it wouldn’t affect me, I still had a day job that wouldn’t be affected by my opinions and I could keep living creatively at a distance.

But then people saw them and, oh my word, enjoyed them. 

I don’t distance art from the artist. I feel that if someone has put their all into creating something, that something holds a piece of them within it. I didn’t immediately hold myself to the same standard because I just wasn’t taking my creative life too seriously. What’s more, my main medium is short story fiction – an art form so subjective that I couldn’t possibly imagine controlling what people would take from my work. But as soon as people started following, liking and sharing my work I realised that I had to ask myself some deep questions on the subject of responsibility. It’s still difficult to do this, mostly because I’m in no way famous for my work and am almost completely unknown outside my circle. Assuming that my work has the power to influence people feels a bit cocky to me. But then I think, well, am I only going to take responsibility for my successful work? If so, why the hell do I even bother to be creative?

These are the questions I now ask myself when I create work which I intend to be seen by any audience, whether that is the general public or a single person. One, am I happy to stake my name to this? Two, if people changed how they acted etc. as a direct result of my work, would I be happy about it? Three, would I be happy for this to re-emerge in the future, and would I still stake my name to it? Would I still take it seriously?  
I understand that this is completely personal to everyone, but this kind of thinking has empowered me to actually feel as though I am living creatively, not just being creative on the side. I feel more comfortable in making people uncomfortable – as long as my writing and comics convey a passion I’d be happy to acknowledge even if my opinions change in the future.  
Am I only going to take responsibility for my successful work? If so, why the hell do I even bother to be creative?
I no longer live carefully, but creatively.  ​

Chloe created a comic specifically for this blog and it is just brilliant!

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]]><![CDATA[Writing Encouragements from The Simpsons]]>Mon, 19 Nov 2018 23:03:47 GMThttps://www.clarelouiseroberts.com/creativity-corner-blog/writing-encouragements-from-the-simpsonsHave you heard of NanoWrimo? Are you currently writing, trying to write or plotting your next writing mission and trying to stay focused?

If you are then I hope it's going well for you, that you are discovering new things about your craft and growing as an artist AND as a reward for still going strong, here's a little bit of Simpson GIF procrastination for you that is also full of writing encouragements so you can be productive whilst you are procrastinating!

Enjoy and happy writing! :)

Before you begin, choose your writing nook wisely

Start out each writing session full of tea and confidence

Finding inspiration is important

When writing a funny character, always read back on your own jokes to remind yourself of how funny you are

Be sure to have lots of notebooks around you and look contemplative so everyone knows that you are busy writing that bestseller.

When you need to get up to your word count, use some industry techniques

Only when you are emotionally ready should you begin your redraft

Whyyyyyy don't these sentences work together?? (said every writer ever)

Anyway, before your battery goes for a well deserved nap, avoid all tears by constantly saving your work. Again and again. 

Writers block might come. 

And it might come again

But you'll bring it back around and carry on as determined as before

And there's always support from the writing community 

Finally, well done you for getting this far and keep going!! 

Writing is meant to be fun, it's meant to mean something to you as you do it. 

Happy productive writing!

]]><![CDATA[What's The Big Deal?]]>Thu, 18 Oct 2018 14:51:51 GMThttps://www.clarelouiseroberts.com/creativity-corner-blog/whats-the-big-dealTheatre is significant because it is a collective human experience. We can find nothing which resembles live experience because anything else misses the vibrancy which artists, makers, and audience members collectively produce, bringing it to life. 

Sharing knowledge of what goes on behind the scenes gives us a window into the lifeblood of the industry and therefore invites us into the family.

Theatre is - and should be - an open access for people from all backgrounds and demographics to be creative, to appreciate and enjoy art and to have a critical eye for it as an innate human ability. It shows us the value in other people's stories by communicating and showcasing life in a way which helps us to engage, to critique, even understand. 
​I am first a reader and an audience member, then a writer, then an actor and in all these things I am a participator and collaborator. I wrote an extremely short piece trying to outline my interests in theatre shown above as the quote and here is the longer excerpt - still a piece painfully whittled down to pompous but honest bones.
Theatre is significant because it is a collective human experience. We can find nothing which resembles live experience because anything else misses the vibrancy which artists, makers, audience members collectively produce to bring it to life. This has power and potential. 

Being a part of theatre also means knowing what's going on behind the scenes, in production, the daily life of its venue or of rehearsals. We are shown a window into the lifeblood of the industry and therefore invited into that family.

Theatre is multidimensional art, mixed media at its height. Isn't one of the integral aspects of art that it communicates and showcases life in a way which helps us to engage, to critique, maybe even understand?  When theatre challenges us, is emotionally stimulating, exciting or we relate to it, we leave the building together and better informed. 

How will the audience respond to this mixture of reality and make-believe and what intentions did the director have (they will have some) in comparison? What do theatre makers think of theatre? What do they want from it? I think one of the most desired outcomes and biggest compliments of a piece of art is someone engaging with it. Good art asks questions and shows us the value in other people's stories. Theatre is - and should be - an open access for people from all backgrounds and demographics to be creative, to appreciate and enjoy art and to have a critical eye for it as an innate human ability.

    ​Keep up to date with all things Little Strings and never miss a post!

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]]><![CDATA[Autumniscous]]>Wed, 17 Oct 2018 20:27:40 GMThttps://www.clarelouiseroberts.com/creativity-corner-blog/autumniscousWhat do we do with all of this autumn inspiration? Take some aumtumnicous (definitely a word) photos of course!
All taken on an old iPhone, let me know what you think.
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I held onto the shutter and moved the phone quickly to get these kind of shots; like when you drop your phone in the middle of taking a selfie...
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I'm a little sky and tree obsessed. Not just in autumn but all year round too.
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What photos have you taken lately? :) 
]]><![CDATA[Following Henry Ford's Advice]]>Thu, 20 Sep 2018 17:29:10 GMThttps://www.clarelouiseroberts.com/creativity-corner-blog/following-henry-fords-advice
What does the motor industrialist with bitesize, tweetable quotes about leadership and customer experience have to do with our creative liefstyles? Here are a few words from the man himself and then some words from myself on how Henry Ford's life lessons can help us to think about our own work ethic and lifestyle as artists.
Let me know if you find any of them helpful.


‘Quality means doing it right when no one is looking’.

Being an artist with integrity means calling yourself an artist and then creating work which reflects who you are and what you are about. It can be so hard not to compare ourselves, then letting that lead to creating work because we know 'This' is more likely to be shared online or even, to create work that you know is not your best, because you feel pressured to get new content out there (and we all feel that pressure occasionally). 

However, are you so dedicated to doing what you do and doing it well that it doesn’t matter if anyone sees it or not? 

If you’re not going to at least make it good, then why are you doing it? This isn't about perfection, but making sure that it is your best work. We all have down days creatively, but check back over your recent project(s) occasionally, asking yourself 'Was this a true reflection of my vision as an artist?'. Don't worry yourself too much if it isn't. One of the beauties of creativity is that it is a constant flow and you have future opportunities to make more work, that reflects your artistic vision, again and again.
‘Vision without execution is just hallucination’. 

It is so brilliant to dream. An artist should be a visionary.  But visions are only wisps in the air until they become attached to real work. Anyone can dream of an idea. But you have the ability and the power to put it into action. And that is one of the things which separates a Painter with a capital P from a person who likes paintings and like to occasionally paint. You have have an influence. Own it.


‘Failure is simply an opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently’. 

You heard the man. No bad piece of work is ever a waste of your time or your energy if you learn from it. (Read a previous article about not feeling pressure to use every piece of work and the freedom of putting some of it in the recycling bin).

Try making a list of things you did well and congratulate yourself on them and then make another list on what you would do differently next time. You'll be able to see where you were on the right track and where things started to speed off a little bit so you are more equipped for the next time round. 


‘Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it’.

An artist notices things and examines them. Good artwork asks questions, challenges the custom and refocuses our ideas among many other things which art can do. And that is hard work to do, especially to do well. That is what makes it so sweet when we accomplish it. This can be translated into your art by thinking about your work's outlines and planning beforehand, which we all know has so many benefits and even, can be vital.

A jewellery designer said to me that when she draws her designs out first it helps her creativity and she always comes up with more ideas. Many of us prefer to go straight into the making - the 'fun' part.

I try to rehearse and write everyday. Sometimes I have to be really, really disciplined with myself to do this. My goal may be everyday, yet I am not strict on time - if all I can manage today is 20 minutes, that is ok. No one is clocking me in and out. Except for me but I try not to be too hard on myself!

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And finally, one to leave you on;


‘You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do’.

Yes make plans. But don't forget to just go and do it.

Happy creating!
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If you have anymore quotes for me, or words of wisdom that impact your work ethic, creativity or tips, I'd love to hear them! Just send them my way in an email :)

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]]><![CDATA[Constant Excitement]]>Thu, 07 Jun 2018 16:41:40 GMThttps://www.clarelouiseroberts.com/creativity-corner-blog/constant-excitementI have too many tabs always open on my phone. My friends laugh and despair at this habit of mine.

It gets worse. My laptop never restarts; the only rest I allow it is sleep mode. Currently I have ... five windows open, each with multiple tabs on them.

Then I wonder why laptop is being slow. 

A million ideas run through my head every day and I'm constantly excited from the thrill, the pressure, the extreme highs and lows of it all. 

The dreams burn so brightly out of my head that my hands can't work fast enough to keep up.

It all gets nauseating if you don't run fast enough.

It's exciting therefore I don't want to take a day off from this. 

Yet somehow silence with a cup of tea finds it's way to me again. My body in auto-pilot, with my best interests at heart.

And then the silence and the birdsong are too sweet to resist and you must stop.

Or stop to take a photo of your ukulele in the sun, among the flowers and just thank God for sunshine.

Either way; as excited as I am, this long to-do list of mine is not getting completed today. 
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Until I have finished my tea anyway.
]]><![CDATA[Reviewing the year as an Artist – A Bunch of Questions]]>Sun, 31 Dec 2017 20:21:02 GMThttps://www.clarelouiseroberts.com/creativity-corner-blog/reviewing-the-year-as-an-artist-a-bunch-of-questionsThe New Year feels…well…new. And preparing for change can be wonderful and thrilling. However it’s important to take time to be thankful for the past year as well as looking ahead!
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When you’re reviewing your year as an artist, think about what inspired you most this year? What or who encouraged or challenged your work? Who are some of your favourite artists? Favourite songs/albums or shows or pieces that you’ve seen and experienced this year? Looking back, these are important things to think about because one way or another they fueled your thinking.
 
In the midst of trying to fulfil your recent New Year Resolutions, take time to review your own achievements, failures and progress from the last year. What are some of the things you’re proud of regarding your own work the past year? What happened that you are grateful for? What didn’t happen that now, looking back, you are so grateful for?
 
And when thinking ahead as we inevitably do, here’s some wise words from Michelango:

The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.’
– Michelangelo

​When thinking about the coming year, what are your artistic goals for 2018? Writing goals? Music goals? Design goals?
​
Maybe it’s not specific to what kind of work you want to create but how you’re going to do it: committing to regularly to being a part of your local groups and networks, a new software to use, a different theme for your website and Instagram (you DO have these right?? Or this year – to get one!).

How are you going to plan it? I love lists and process diagrams therefore I like to format my goals and how I’m going to achieve them in this way. And what I love even more is getting to strike something off the list once it’s done. Even if it’s a little thing.

Don’t worry that this new goal of yours may be too big. The worst thing that will happen is that you don’t reach it. Don’t let yourself settle because of fear.
 
Nevertheless, we both know that your career, your art, your goals are NOT the most important things in life. So for last thoughts when reviewing your last year and in planning the one ahead, take time to ask yourself; what are your personal goals? Your friends and family goals?

Why do we bother to make goals and who are we ultimately thinking about?
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So after taking time to think about these things, here’s to aiming high and to another year of creativity!
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