In this episode, designer and visual artist Emily Forgot and I discuss the pursuit of originality. Is it possible and if so, how? Welcome to Up With The Lark And, a podcast for creative entrepreneurs hosted by Calandre Orton. Once upon a time, we made things for our home and for our family. Clothes to wear and adorn, a home to shelter within, meals to nourish. We had no idea what was happening in the next town let alone the next nation. Trains, the printing press, telegrams, air travel, the telephone, the internet, social media. It has offered so much good, so much joy, so much opportunity, so much access. It does, however, mean that it is a greater challenge to retain some element of originality in our work, to avoid distraction and dilution. Too many of us see the same things, we go to the same art shows and design fairs, we read the same books, we visit the same cities and queue for the same cafes. We experience the gentle sigh of rapid trends and ‘oh yes, I saw that too’. It is too easy to rely on algorithms instead of the ache and struggle of self expression and curiosity and failure and chance. And so, today, a brief moment to consider originality. And a chance to celebrate all of you who are, I am certain, doing all that you can to strive toward that accolade. And to explore this with us is Emily Forgot. Emily is a designer and visual artist and one who embraces colour, texture, 3D and spaces. Her work includes collage, sculpture, assemblages and spatial design. She has worked with the V&A, Carl Hansen, Very Good and Proper, the Wander Art Trail and Selfridges to name but a few from a very long list. I have long admired her work and, increasingly, her process. She shares visual delights on her social media and most excellent substack, Soft Fascination, and appears to have a gift of showing and sharing things others haven’t spotted or seen or celebrated. Details. colour palettes, historical references, combinations. I am delighted and grateful for her eye and ability to communicate. So when it came to considering this topic, I was pleased as punch that Emily agreed to join me! And so, originality. What does it mean? Why is it important? How can we pursue it? Who and what and where can help us? How do we put the blinkers on? How can we check and test our thinking? And so welcome to Up With The Lark And Emily Forgot on Pursuing Originality.
