The Bradleys of Kenilworth: now is the time to discover your creative courage

By James Smith

5th Aug 2021 | Opinion

Kenilworth's Most Famous Couple, Neil and Gayle Bradley, will now be reaching out to the town through their fortnightly column with Kenilworth Nub News. This week the are encouraging you to 'discover your creative courage.'

Hello Nubbers! Well, lockdown gave us some fabulous tales of creative inspiration and courage. Many of us were given the time to do some of the things we'd always wanted to do. To learn, to make, to build, to grow.

We decided to be creative, to take the chance that we'd never normally found the time for.

Last lockdown was unknown territory. In our normal world, as Kenilworth's Most Famous Couple, we'd get lots of invites to shows, concerts, exhibitions, and it wasn't unusual to be out on the tiles most weekends. Suddenly, we were in real panic-mode thinking about staying home for such a long stretch of time.

Under the dark cloud of uncertainty of the last lockdown, the silver lining was surely the surge of creativity that people discovered, recorded and shared online.

Watching friends and family sharing their masterpieces online really inspired us to go and think about what we could create with all this luxurious free time. Time we'd won back from the commute we endured in our normal working life.

So many of us decided to whittle away the time ploughing through Netflix box-sets and online shopping (perhaps as a way to allay fears and offset the panic). But after watching 150 hours of Breaking Bad and Mad Men, we got used to the new normal.

We decided to turn off our screens to go for long walks around the lanes of Kenilworth; the Pleasance, to Honiley, through the Common, up to Crackley Woods; daydreaming, thinking, walking, planning, creating.

All this fresh air inspired us to improve our Facebook, Instagram and YouTube content.

We're quite used to interviewing local heroes and arty types from the comfort of Radio Abbey at the Kenilworth Centre. But this time we decided to start making socially distanced interviews.

Jeremy Wright QC MP told us from a distance of two metres about council support for local businesses.

Alison Firth, former Mayor of Kenilworth read out the prize winning stories from the Kenilworth Wardens children's story writing prize.

Richard Dickson, the Mayor of Kenilworth delivered the mayoral plans for 2020/2021 from his front garden, over the hedge (thanks to the Mayoress Kate for the bright pink tape measure to ensure compliance).

So, now we're in lockdown number two. This time we've almost got the hang of it.

How are we going to use our time? What are we going to create? What can we achieve?

Well, Neil's picked up the guitar and keyboard and started writing, creating and recording what we've provisionally named the Covid Concept Album, as we speak unfinished, but certainly begun.

According to Kurt Vonnegut "To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it." This sounds like great advice to us!

This time around we have thought about what we wanted to do with the freed up time. To be more adventurous with our creative life. We've learnt how to use our phone cameras and laptops properly. It's amazing what we are learning every day. Before, we never seemed to find the time.

Now we're learning all the tips and tricks to tell our stories. We're also writing and planning for our crazy end-of-the-pier cabaret shows. Preparing for when we're allowed back on the stage.

So, have a think, get your wellies on, a big chunky jumper, stroll around the leafy lanes of Kenilworth. Allow your creative self to lead you boldly into the new normal. You just might find some creative spark that was just under your nose waiting to shine as the autumn nights draw in.

     

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