Absurdly ingenious, whimsically bizarre and utterly impractical
Unleashing the creator within and charting a new path for the coming months
Do you feel as irresistibly drawn to something which people have described as whimsical, utterly impractical, outrageous or outlandish as I do?
The world is filled with mundane, copied or fake content, and I want no part of it. Instead, when I see something unique - art, written material, physical product - which departs the status quo, I’m all over it.
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Whimsical illustrations
I’ve always loved drawings with a lot of detail, particularly if they depicted day-to-day living situations. In my most recent explorations of unique and fascinating art of that genre, I discovered the comical illustrations of W. Heath Robinson.
William Heath Robinson lived from May 31, 1872 to September 13, 1944. He was an English artist, cartoonist and illustrator who drew absurdly elaborate machines to achieve simple objectives.
He created the above pictured illustration called Folding Garden for a series called An Ideal Home in which he designed an ‘absurd and utterly impractical solution’ for the growing number of people living in small flats or apartments without access to outdoor space.
Every time I look at this picture I see something new. I mean, there’s a baby hanging precariously from the floor of the extended garden while Papa rocks the cradle with his foot! And there’s a dog house with a dog in it. And a wife who has no place to sit, busy serving her husband tea…
W. Heath Robinson's fascination with bizarre mechanical gadgets made his name synonymous with absurdly ingenious inventions. His unique illustrations of overly complicated machines gained such cultural significance that by 1912, the phrase Heath Robinson contraption entered the dictionary.
I think the drawings are hilarious.
Titles from left to right:
The economy of space at a wedding reception in a small flat
The lullaby bed, to save getting out of bed to rock baby when he is troublesome at night
An interesting and elegant apparatus designed to overcome once and for all the difficulties of conveying green peas to the mouth
To me, all of the above is a testament to the incredible power of unleashed creativity in one man who lived at a time when poverty, inconvenience and war-time rations were rampant. He allowed his imagination complete freedom and created illustrations like these which continue to inspire and entertain to this day.
He’s quite brilliant, our Mr. Robinson, don’t you think?
Speaking of creativity…
Unleashing my own creativity
I've been on a creative roll in my room with a door at my mom’s house since early November. After years of cramped spaces and interrupted moments during those messy but ultimately fulfilling parenting years, the peace and solitude I now enjoy in my sanctuary - behind a closed door - seems to have allowed my brain to fully calibrate and rejuvinate. I feel like I've reached a pivotal turning point in my middle years.
My mission is finally abundantly clear:
I want to create content that is both valuable and entertaining.
Why?
Because we live in a world overflowing with misinformation, misery, and disappointment.
I follow a mantra made popular in a movie. (IYKYK)
If you build it, they will come.
I'm approaching my mission with a newly developed strategy and a healthy sense of determination.
One thing I’m experimenting with is book marketing on YouTube.
My YouTube channel
My YouTube channel is getting a slight makeover as I attempt to decode the ever-present algorithm.
For the next few weeks heading into January, I'm focusing on a single topic: promoting my ebook "Step-by-Step Guide in Choosing your WOTY (Word of the Year) 2025."
I talk a lot about this book on YouTube. You can check out my 8:43 video here:
This is my first venture into book marketing on YouTube, and while I'm unsure how it will convert, I'm willing to experiment.
I might cross-post on Instagram and Threads to compare results, though I'm not holding my breath. (Cross-posting is easy when it's automated, but free apps don't have built-in automation and manual cross-posting is a PITA but, as I said, I’m experimenting. Time will tell if my efforts pay off.)
Algorithm challenges
The domineering algorithms which seemingly control us content creators and authors at every turn are difficult to understand, constantly changing, and often discouraging to small-scale creators like me who are simply trying to share their work.
Despite these challenges, I'm still finding joy in creating videos and marketing materials. When the joy dissipates, I will say adieu.
Meanwhile, I'm also busy writing ebooks and PDFs/worksheets aimed at solving the everyday problems which people like you and me face. As I mentioned in a blog post recently, one of my books will be about my adventures in Facebook Marketplace selling. There will be much eye-rolling and head-shaking at the incredulous circumstances I encountered selling the kids' outgrown Legos. Stay tuned.
Keep an eye on my digital store if you’re so inclined, I will be updating it periodically with new material in the coming weeks.
Welcoming 2025 despite volatility on the global stage
As we march toward the last few days of 2024, let us cross the threshold into the new year with our spirits high and our motivations focused on our communities.
This is where the small changes happen, but with much grander impacts than with the billion-dollar corporations, or within the bloated bureaucracies of our governments which seem to be struggling to survive across multiple levels. (Good. I’m all for less red tape.) Canada is not the only place where non-confidence votes are occurring at regular intervals; many countries in Europe are undergoing massive transformations as are communities across various middle eastern regions.
I feel and see and believe that the old order is disintegrating, the people have had enough and are stepping forward to take their power back from the infinitely lasting dictators, the outdated governmental structures and the nefarious multi-billion dollar corporations whose self-interest perseveres at the expense of the orginary, hard-working individuals and families.
I have many thoughts about this topic and may delve into these in the next few months, so stay tuned.
Thank you for reading my words and happy New Year to you and yours.
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The rebellion is here. How do I know?
Because we are all planning to write about becoming curious and questioning the current ways of doing things. Because we are on the cusp of a quiet revolt where we take a different path.
Happy New Year Claudette, thanks for sharing your discovery of Robinson's talented and clever work. I will be buying several of his books on my next Indigo/Chapters visit.
Good luck with your new 2025 mission in creating valuable and entertaining content.
Looking forward to it.