I have just taken these pictures in front of the University of Middlesex where students are protesting against the closure of the department of philosophy ...
Talking to Emily is like having a jab of optimism injected when you least expect it.
We meet at a café near Southwark Cathedral and she smiles while we order latte in the sunny patio.
Last Christmas, my friend Tony gave me as a present her book 'Shop Girl Diaries' fresh from the print.
“I didn’t think I’d still be working in my Mum’s chandelier shop at 24.” is the incipit.
I have been wondering how Emily, who was in one of my journalism classes, had gone from being a shop assistant to giving talks at the university, publishing a book and film a TV pilot for which she has co-written the script.
All this while getting engaged to The Date and more …
Last month Emily won the overall award for the inaugural Best Author Blog.
She was with Paulo Coelho and Neil Gaiman among the 28 authors shortlisted for the competition, run by CompletelyNovel.com and ex-SYP chair Jon Slack, in partnership with publishers including the Random House Group, Simon & Schuster and Penguin.
I thought I’d better interview Emily before she becomes a celebrity.
“I have kept a diary since I was a kid. I was reading one just recently: ‘This is the idea for my novel and I am going to publish it’, it reads at one point. I was only 9 at the time!” she says.
I follow Emily’s blog and her stories are entertaining and light but never banal.
Mine are usually entertaining and obsessed but never stupid, which might as well work at some point...
“Shop Girl Diaries might sound a bit like Sex & The City but it’s totally the antithesis of it. It’s me in a chandeliers shop, eating a sandwich in a messy stock room in South London. Not really glamorous. “
But the editors at Salt Publishing loved the insights in the real life of a normal girl working in a ‘light shop’, as they saw how this was a reflection of London and how it's dramatically changed with the recession.
They also saw how the blog really spoke to people’s hearts, touching on their everyday experiences - from the customers’ need for some retail therapy to the evolving of a sweet love story.
“In our journalism classes they always tell us to write about what we know best so my parents’ shop was the ideal choice for me. I had written my blog for about seven months when I left a post on the publishers’ website and they got back to me in just a week. We started talking about making a book out of it pretty soon.”
From this point of view Emily’s story is different from that of other bloggers, as she managed to get attention from an editor even before having tons of followers and friends on her blog.
“Pretty soon Facebook became very important to get friends and other people to read my blog but it’s not a question of quantity: I don’t have a huge amount of followers but they all are loyal readers.”
Emily was also supported, and still is, by her brother, who is very good at advising her while her mom is usually the first person to read her blog entries and give her tips.
“I work really hard and I don’t find it easy to write”, says Emily, and by her expression I can picture her grumpy and tense in front of the laptop.
“I complain a lot but then there’s a moment when you slip into writing and you forget you are there. And that is beautiful.”
Things are moving fast for Emily. The day after she won the Best Author Blog award, she found an unexpected email in her inbox.
Subject line: Literary Agent.
“I am meeting her tomorrow,” she says with a slightly worried look in her eyes; but it only lasts a second before she starts telling me the plot and the working title of her next project.
Seeing her enthusiasm, I ask Emily to give me some advice on how to become a writer.
“Value your writing. Create a space in your life for writing. Stick to it. When your writing gets too serious, it’s not good. Find support in people around you. Share your writing. Don’t be precious about it. Let your writing rest, then go back to it and do the editing; that’s the most important part.“
The best advice she gives me is to write my blog as if it was going to be published on a national newspaper.
At that point, I feel like pressing ‘delete’ on my entire blog.
As it’s time to go, a girl dressed entirely in black walks by our table and I ask her for the bill.
“I don’t work here,” she says with contempt while Emily pretends she doesn’t know me. Damn.
Where’s the real waitress gone then?
I ask Emily for a last comment and she says: “I once read that ‘life shrinks or expands in relation to how much courage you have’."
While for sure she is brave, what counts most is that Emily is able to pass her confidence, serenity and optimism on to other people - even in a day when she is stressed about something that can’t be revealed, as it would spoil the book...
If her meeting with the literary agent goes well tomorrow, Emily might soon realize her ultimate dream of being in the windows of Waterstones - with her book of course, not literally.
For now, if you need a genuine laugh, you can buy Shop Girl Diaries at SaltPublishing - this will also help to keep independent publishing alive...
Walking from Tate Britain to Tate Modern is a great experience - a little less if you are wearing high heels as I was ...
But the view on the river, Westminster and finally the Southbank was well worth the pain!
At Tate Britain in Pimlico the Henry Moore exhibition is on till the beginning of August.
It's worth a visit, at least to have a thought on why men have been so obsessed by the reclining female body throughout the centuries.
Right in front of Tate Britain my friend and I saw a gathering of people and signs indicating “The Market of Ideas” …
Based on the model of the ancient bazaar, that is also the inspiration for social media today, the Market was set up to stimulate people to exchange knowledge and share ideas with a peer-to-peer approach.
Critical Practice, a cluster of artists, researchers and academics hosted by Chelsea College of Art and Design, organized the event, which took place in a structure designed by Aleksandra Wasilkowska, a Warsaw-based architect.
I think the concept was good and it will be interesting to see what came out of the day, considering that the organization states to be "concerned by the threat of the instrumentalization of the artistic field through the internalization of corporate values, methods and models." *
The Talkaoke was a live debate about ideas and how to share them. I was randomly invited to join the discussion at the table. However the host-guy took the mike away from me after my comment.
He pointed out that we should be able to have a conversation without talking about menstrual blood, which I agree with. It's just that the other night I was reading an article about a student, Jessica Chow, and how she used tampons for her artwork.
I thought it was funny, or disgusting, or most probably both. I am also sure somebody else must have done this before, uh?
When I left the table, we met an Irish guy from Cork. Our chat was something like this in The Snatch ... Except he couldn't understand me either ...
What I found sweet at the Market was a space called “Second-Hand knowledge”, a tent dedicated to dispose of our outdated concepts and ideas.
Sometimes you think you know everything about yourself, and then something bugs you or you meet somebody unexpectedly and you are not sure about who you are anymore...
So, as I am afraid I don't have so much knowledge to get rid of yet, I Just gave up of the illusion of knowing myself...
*Here are some links to the pictures
The article "Google supports free speech in China but not elsewhere" is the first one I read about the subject that makes sense to me.
"A recent example of the breadth of censorship YouTube practices is the removal or restriction of access to several videos, which have been exhibited in major art institutions, and whose creator is a pioneer of experimental film and video art.
YouTube removed the videos, by Amy Greenfield, an internationally exhibited artist, because their subject is the female body.
As the artist – like many others – was using YouTube to host the videos she had embedded into her website, YouTube’s censorship resulted in her work becoming inaccessible even through her own website.
Greenfield is not a “pornographer” however you may define the term – quite the contrary – her work has been shown at MoMA and the Whitney and has received multiple prestigious grants (if in doubt, you can see the videos and judge for yourself – the links are below).
Film scholar David Sterritt has said of her, that she is “…today’s most important practitioner of experimental film-dance” (Cineaste Magazine). Yet the mere presence of an unclothed female body was enough to make the videos unpalatable to YouTube."
This winter, when the Google vs. China controversy arose, something didn’t quite make sense to me.
What did exactly Google mean by ‘censorship’?
YouTube, the second most visited website ever, notoriously belong to Google. The company has in more than one occasion removed clips defined pornographic and that had been uploaded under the name of famous teenage celebrities as you can read here.
This I call censorship, as I am used to see pictures of porn star Cicciolina nude and in explicitly sexual poses, as well as the sculpture of her partner Jeff Koons’ sex, in Tate Modern. Meanwhile, the action of the ‘perverted’ YouTube user can be read as a form of resistance, critique, irony and in many ways it nothing represents but the freedom of expression of an individual.
The videos by Amy Greenfield were restored, as the National Coalition Against Censorship reported:
"On February 22, 2010, the NCAC and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), sent a letter to YouTube protesting the removal of work by internationally recognized video artist Amy Greenfield. Videos were taken down because they were allegedly counter to YouTube’s "community standards." NCAC and EFF are urging the company to make sure YouTube’s community guidelines are applied judiciously and that a viable appeals process is put in place so that material of clear artistic, political or educational merit is not excluded from the site in the future.
NCAC applauds YouTube for so promptly responding to our letter and restoring Amy Greenfield’s videos to its site (there are still some technical glitches but we are assured these will be taken care of soon). We are glad the company affirms that creativity and free expression are values at the very core of its mission.
But some serious concerns remain. It seems that, still, there is no viable way for individuals to appeal decisions to remove content. What one can find in abundance as a result of a search on YouTube’s help page are entries from other users who had videos taken off, tried to appeal and were angry and frustrated as could find no way to do so.
We also urge YouTube to add “art” to the community guidelines exceptions “for educational, documentary and scientific content” where nudity is concerned. That will give YouTube staffers evaluating flagged videos clearer direction."
Personally I am still concerned that, by looking at China to criminalize censorship, we are actually overlooking what happens in our backyard...
First of all, I would have certainly voted for Mr. Gordon Brown had I had the opportunity, or a British passport.
A pity vote is like a pity fuck: it makes you feel better about yourself afterwards.
How come people didn't understand this was going to happen? It was just too tempting.
Beside this, I just thought I'd share my interest for this new exhibition: 'Glasnost: Soviet Non-Conformist Art from the 1980's'.
This exhibition is about the unofficial art that emerged in the final years of the Soviet Union and that mocked and subverted the conformist art of the time. (Just like the attached 'Gorby').
Weren't the Eighties great?
Well for music at least.
Not that I was there...
... But there's also a lot I can be proud of! Think of the Romans!
Federica Rossi has awakened that proud still latent corner within me that screams: "Yes, I am Italian."
I have met Federica briefly at the Italian Cultural Institute in London, which is located in a beautiful area of the city where you won't be able to find a kebab place for miles.
This is also where her first exhibition ever in the UK is currently on. In fact, while she has showcased her paintings several times in the US and in Italy, she is new to the London scene.
1) What inspires you?
All that moves my soul ... It's too banal to say resentments and emotions. I am interested in exploring the 'why', the dark sides of the moon, the wind messing with my thoughts, the perfume of freshly cut grass or even the simple consciousness of being alive.
2) What do you want to communicate with your paintings?
I try to provide a reading key for who's watching so that they can understand the path of my thoughts, where they originated, and which road they have walked to ultimately get to the end work. After all just the flapping of some wings can initiate a hurricane on the other side of the world.
3) Do you employ a particular technique?
Yes, I create an effect of crevices with powders and the illusory effect of scruff directly on the canvas.
4) Is there anybody who was very close to you and helped you in making your dreams come true?
It all started from within, because since I was a kid I found art was the best medium for me to communicate both with the outside world and myself. Luckily my family has always approved and followed my choices.
5) Is there anybody you consider your role model or somebody you admire in particular?
I have admiration for all that are able to create their own particular artistic language and so set themselves apart from everybody else.
6) What does the fact that you are Italian mean for your work, especially when you are abroad?
I meet people who welcome me with a lot of enthusiasm and probably appreciate my Latin roots.
7) Have you noticed any difference in the art scene of the US, the UK and Italy?
In the UK I have noticed a lot of openness to novelties and to new artistic trends, with a sharp attention to the techniques and the professionalism. The US offer very strong contaminations with the need, also extreme at times, for artistic novelty. In Italy instead we are still under the effect of the classics because of our long and ancient history.
8) How would you define the art world in 2010? Do you have two words that come immediately to your mind?
True and false.
9) You worked as an art director in advertising and it seems that art is more and more becoming opened to this world. What do you think of modern art today?
We must watch any artistic form with a lot of attention and care.
10) Do you think there's still a line between 'high art' and popular culture?
The great masters have made history; we have the duty to build the future.
Check out the tension in my ankles while I'm nervously chewing my own inside-cheek. (Is there any other name for that specific bit of skin by the way?).
Anyway this is how I looked when I had the weirdest, most amusing interview ever... And I am not making this up. The following is an extract from my diary...
***
"I arrive at the Duke Hotel and the guy I am supposed to meet looks ... cute!
He asks me to interview him first, as I'm going for a position as a journalist...
This lasts for a while ... but when it's over...
MAN ''Alright so ... some questions of general culture ... a journalist must have some business foundation.... Who's the current American Secretary of State?"
[Did not sleep last night and hangover, I must say to justify myself]
NADY '' ...Uhm...Could I get another question?''
MAN '' They are not going to get any easier. You said in your CV that you read the Financial Times every day. Who' s the Egyptian president?''
NADY "I must have skipped a couple of days..."
MAN "A couple of decades, you mean?"
NADY ''Uhm ... can I call a friend for a suggestion?''
MAN ''But this is not a TV show.''
NADY ''Alright, can we go back to me asking questions then?''
MAN ''This is not what I had in mind''
NADY ''Think I have humiliated myself enough though.''
MAN ''Ok then, ask me a question''
NADY ''Don’t you think it's more important to have skills than being an encyclopedia?''
MAN ''Ok ... Say you have to interview the CEO for this huge media company but his PA doesn't help you at all and says he's always busy - what do you do?''
NADY ''I send him a video or I try to meet him at work''
MAN ''Ok - good - and if this doesn't work?''
NADY ''I go out with all his friends till he wants to speak to me too''
MAN ''Ok good. A personal question for you now''
NADY ''Ok''
MAN ''How is your health? Why are you so slim?''
NADY ''I thought girls could be discriminated for obesity but never the opposite.''
[And I scoff a biscuit]
MAN ''Is this to show me you are not anorexic? Anyway, I am judging you for your charm and appearance too, don't get me wrong - those are really good.''
NADY ''I am not anorexic at all''
MAN ''Boyfriend?''
NADY ''No''
MAN ''Would you like to say something else?''
NADY ''Yes. I know you have mixed feelings about me in this moment but don't worry ... even my mother does.''
MAN ''Why are you not scared of me? Normally people are. I always try to make small talk at the start...''
NADY ''Yes I noticed... it was a really bad attempt, ... I was thinking: oh god not another English man who tries to be 'warm' and 'welcoming’ making everything awkward. I think it's just cultural. But you are not scary at all.''
MAN ''Maybe I should try to smile more?''
NADY ''Well I don’t think I am in the mood to provide you with counseling today...''
MAN ''What do you think of this interview?''
NADY ''In a masochist way I have enjoyed it.''
MAN ''As a punishment you should write an article about the mining industry in Ukraine at the weekend. Send me an email by Monday.''
NADY ''But I don't want the job!''
MAN ''Ok, ... want a cigarette?''
NADY ''Yes. Wish I taped this interview!''
***
The moral is that I was offered the job, repeatedly, as well as dinner since according to the MAN "free spirits are great companions and looks like you need a feed anyway" - but I refused both.
The moral is also that job interviews really offer enormous potential for comedy to arise spontaneously and it's a great situation for the unexpected and the lateral to manifest out of the blue.
[What did I mean just here?]
My interview got me thinking about 'classics' in the field, such as Bridget Jones' Diary and the singleton's numerous interviews to get away from her sleazy boss:
~ ~ ~
MAN Why do you want to be in television?
BRIDGET Well, I've realized that I've become deeply committed...to communicating to the public...the up-to-the-moment and in-depth news...both political and ecological.
MAN What do you think of the EI Nino phenomenon?
BRIDGET Um...it's a blip. I think, basically, Latin music is on its way out.
~ ~ ~
MAN So, why do you want to work in television?
BRIDGET Because I'm passionately committed...to communicating with children. They are the future.
MAN Do you have any children of your own?
BRIDGET Oh, Christ, no. Yuck!
~ ~ ~
MAN So, why do you want to work in television?
BRIDGET I've got to leave my current job because I've shagged my boss.
MAN Fair enough. Start on Monday. We'll see how we go. Oh, and.incidentally... at "Sit Up, Britain"...no one ever gets sacked for shagging the boss. That's a matter of principle.
~ ~ ~
Another classic is Trainspotting ...
And so the moral is also that, after all, even if I didn't find a new job, I can still hang on to the fine art of job interviewing for now.
