Documentary: The Day Trip A recently restored 1974 BBC documentary about Londoners making a weekend escape to Margate. The narration is a little patronising, but the interviewees are so full of joy and life it doesn’t matter. A window into a past world, see it on the BBC Archive channel on YouTube.

Film: The Invite Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton are the cool couple upstairs, invited round by Seth Rogan and Olivia Wilde (who also directs). An excruciatingly awkward, hilarious and surprisingly tender look at sex, marriage and disappointment.

Sunday celebration Three things I’ve found interesting or inspiring this week: Novel: Katabasis R F Kuang is a brilliant weaver of worlds, playing intelligently with language, literature, maths and physics. This follows two Cambridge students of advanced magick who go to Hell. Literally.

Kate Bush embracing imperfection. She's talking about music, but as always, what is true for one type of creative work is true of all the others. PS. July 26 is Wuthering Heights day in Folkestone, in which thousands of women in red dance Kate's moves on the harbour arm..

Film: Bird I missed Andrea Arnold’s 2024 film at the cinema. Nykiya Adams is exceptional as Bailey, a 12-year-old on the cusp of womanhood, being raised by a delinquent dad (Barry Keoghan). Mixing magic with gritty realism, this has moments of real beauty.

Book: How To Change The World John-Paul Flintoff’s practical manual will encourage and guide you to make a difference, big or small. Empowering and hopeful.

Sunday celebration Three things I’ve found interesting or inspiring this week: Comedy: Madeleine Brettingham Her show Legend finds humour in difficult material - being raised by an alcoholic single dad - with real style. A rising star, she’ll be at The Gilded Balloon in Edinburgh. Go if you can.

David Hockney was such a wonderful example of a creative life well lived. He stayed curious right to the end. I love this quote from him. It's not just about painting, I think. It's true of all creative work.

No one likes to fail. But it's an essential part of the creative process. Let go of perfectionism. Make more, care less. This is not a recipe for disaster. It's the only way to make the brilliant work you want to make.

Novel: Mayflies It’s 1986, and teenagers Tully and James go on a wild weekend bender with friends in Manchester, seeing bands, dancing at the Hacienda. Thirty years later, they embark on a very different rite of passage together. A brilliant look at male friendship by Andrew O’Hagan.

Podcast: The Creative Penn Joanna Penn’s long-running podcast for independent authors is always good. But her June 8 interview with Austin Kleon talking about rediscovering your creative joy was particularly strong - and useful for all creatives.

Sunday celebration Three things I’ve found interesting or inspiring this week: Art: Lindsey Mendick The Carl Freedman Gallery in Margate becomes a Twin Peaks set in this eerie, atmospheric show by the brilliant British sculptor and ceramicist. It’s on till August 30. Go!

I get a lot of questions about the tools I use as a writer, self-published author, and coach with a weekly newsletter about creative process. So I’ve made a list of all the things I use regularly. Big caveat here. YOU DON’T NEED FANCY KIT TO WRITE. 👇

Inspiration doesn't always appear when you need it. But if you get to work, at least it knows where to find you.

Traitors US After finding this on the BBC iPlayer, we're binge-watching. Alan Cumming is the most brilliant host, just the right mix of imperious lord of the manor and Puckish mischief. Plus: his outfits are superb. It’s worth watching for those alone.

Don’t Call It Art I go back to Austin Kleon’s lovely books on creativity again and again, so this new one is a treat. Subtitled ‘10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again’, it shared lessons he’s learned from his sons about having fun and making art without getting in your own way.

Sunday celebration. Three things I’ve found interesting or inspiring this week: This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us I’m probably the last person on earth to discover Last Dinner Party’s joyous cover of the Sparks track. It seems to have been part of their live set for ages.

Feeling stuck? What is true for writing is true for any other creative work. Take a break. (But not a distraction.) Create the space. And be patient.

Novel: Glyph Ali Smith weaves magical novels that are more atmosphere than story. This companion to her previous book Gliff won’t make her lots of new fans. But if you already love her work (and I do), it’s a powerful examination of war and what it means to turn away from mass murder.

Film: Peter Hujar’s Day In 1974, Linda Rozenkranz interviewed her friend Peter Hujar about the previous day. This film is based on the transcript. Ben Whishaw is watchable as always, but mainly this is a low-key snapshot from a Bohemian and creative NY that now feels like a lost world.

Sunday celebration Three things I’ve found interesting or inspiring this week: Music: You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So In Love Intelligent pop album from Olivia Rodrigo. Sweet, with sharp edges – and a surprise guest vocal from Robert Smith.

How do you master any creative field? You do it, badly. Then you do it again. And again. And again. Do your reps. Take care of the quantity, and the quality will show up too... eventually.

TV: Good Omens The finale of this entertaining Amazon adaptation of the Terry Pratchett/Neil Gaiman novel was overshadowed by revelations about Gaiman’s real-life behaviour. But Michael Sheen and David Tennant are always watchable, and I'm glad the series was still allowed a satisfying ending.

Novel: All Grown Up I loved Little Women as a child, so I devoured Daisy Buchanan’s witty update. The three adult March sisters have returned home to a menopausal mum who is tired of looking after everyone except herself. A delight.

Sunday celebration Three things I’ve found interesting or inspiring this week: Film: Backrooms Chiwetel Ejiofor lends gravitas to this low-budget horror debut by 20-year-old director/writer Kane Parsons. An embittered salesman finds a strange, secret labyrinth behind his furniture showroom.

Creative work is hard. And scary. Every time you start, the inner critics start their carping. It's no wonder we procrastinate. But you know what's worse? Not doing it. Better to try and fail than to keep putting it off. And spend your final years wondering about what could have been.

Music: Mysteries Love this cover of the Beth Gibbons/Rustin Man track by Welsh band Honddu on Bandcamp. Discovered it via Jude Rogers’ brilliantly curated newsletter 10 Sunday Spells. She rarely fails to point me towards something interesting.

Novel: Yesteryear A “tradwife” Christian influencer turns her life into an endless (and of course fake) IG Reel. Until she wakes in a world that really is retro – and no fun at all. The ending is a little unsatisfying, but Caro Claire Burke lands her points beautifully in this assured debut.

Sunday celebration Three things I’ve found interesting or inspiring this week: Film: Nouvelle Vague Richard Linklater’s loving homage to Breathless follows Jean-Luc Godard while he makes his debut feature, recreating classic scenes as it goes. Slightly pointless – but utterly charming.

Film: The Christophers Nuanced performances from Ian McKellen as an ageing artist and Michaela Cole as the art restorer/forger his children employ to secretly finish some long-abandoned canvases so they can be sold after his death. Director Steven Soderburgh keeps it low-key and lets his stars shine