The creative spark of curation
Paper Trails #04: on mixtapes, memory + curation as a gateway to creativity
Paper Trails is a behind-the-scenes glimpse into my creative non-fiction projects, a place to explore brand story, life writing and the rhythms of the creative process.
Before diving into today’s piece, I have a favour to ask.
As shared in my recent post on practice and play, I’ll be taking part in the Business Book Proposal Challenge with Alison Jones this September. It’s an exciting opportunity to finalise the Brand Seasons® Playbook, a companion to the Brand Seasons® Playdeck.
As part of the process, I’m reflecting on the next chapter of my work — from the stories shared here on Substack to those that will shape the book — and I’d love to gather your honest thoughts to help evolve Brand Seasons with you in mind.
The survey will take no more than 10 minutes. Only a few responses are required and you’re welcome to skip anything that doesn’t apply. Your answers will help me create a more meaningful experience for you in the months ahead.
As a thank you, you can also enter your email at the end to be in with a chance of winning a 1:1 Brand Waypoint session.
Sound spells
Music holds memory, and certain songs can offer the tiniest glimpse into our life experiences.
Sometimes, a song isn’t just a song. Sometimes, it’s a time machine, transporting us to a particular place. Like when I hear Secret Smile by Semisonic and I’m back in a bus stop on North Bridge in Edinburgh, in the arms of a boy who, after taking me to one of my first gigs, is telling me I have a secret smile and I use it only for him. This might just be the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me, only I don’t do sweet, I do sour, and so it’s the last time we hang out. Too soft, too kind.
Music is a central spark for my creativity. It reminds me of who I’ve been, who I am and who I’m becoming. I love the electricity of live performance, the shared spark of a festival crowd and also the tiny thrill of curating playlists: soundtracks for the season I’m in.
Does sound influence or support your creative practice? Does music spark inspiration for you in any way?
On curating
In The Creative Act: A Way of Being,
writes about the creative process as paying attention. Listening, gathering, responding. And it’s not necessarily about being original. Sometimes, the most intuitive thing we can do is curate…and shape something meaningful by collating what already exists.It’s why I always begin my branding projects with a moodboard, one of the most immersive and inspiring parts of defining your brand’s visual identity. Whether you’re developing a new brand style or shaping the aesthetic for a specific product or service, or even a book, a moodboard serves as a visual reference for creative direction.
Making mixtapes — much like making moodboards — is another way I practise this. I arrange songs to express something I might not yet have the words for. It’s responsive and intuitive, and it often leads me back to my branding and design work with a little more clarity or energy.
That’s the intention behind This Creative Life, too. Gathering voices, stories and fragments to map the themes of seasonality, playfulness and adventure that were key to the first issue.
Collaboration will be an equally important part of the second issue, which has its roots in courage, imagination and wayfinding.
“All that matters is that you are making something you love, to the best of your ability, here and now.”
— Rick Rubin, The Creative Act: A Way of Being
On gathering
The thing is, it’s hard to be creative at times. We’re taught that to be special or worthy, we need to be original — but curation, in all its forms, can be a gateway to creativity. Borrowing, editing, reframing. Out with the blank slate, in with the starting point.
I see this same spirit of curation in the creative work of others too. Particularly in the more intentional corners of Substack.
Take
, the writer behind — she builds her monthly writing sessions around themes that spark her energy. Last month, our exploration of ‘joy’ was rooted in the teachings of the late great Joanna Macy, followed by hand-picked quotes and soulful questions. Her sessions are like tiny creative portals — part prompt, part ritual — with just enough structure to guide you and plenty of space to wander., who writes , holds space for finding magic in midlife, drawing on tarot as both metaphor and methodology. Her curatorial approach is deeply intuitive: she blends writing, video and audio to share insights, creating courses and journals inspired by the decks she works with. Her work offers entry points that range from the contemplative to the practical. curates in an embodied way through her Reclaiming Home community, where she invites us to explore what it means to feel at home in our bodies — not as a concept, but as a practice. With coaching and movement, she weaves together experiences that provide a sense of safety and structure, often drawing on the words of visionaries like Prentis Hemphill and Staci Haines.Creativity doesn’t always begin with invention. Sometimes it starts with intention. Blending and building what already moves us.
A mixtape for memoir
Before today’s flash memoir piece, All That Glitters, which touches on the magic of the mixtape, I’m sharing a playlist I recently updated to help me reconnect with the themes in my memoir.
Daydreaming is a mixtape for the wanderers and the wonderers and features songs from Daughter, Laura Marling and The National. What would be on your playlist?