Filmmakers have their own particular way of looking at the world. Angles, framing, movement are all meaningful to us.

Encourages people to go further – what did Keith Haring mean by that? To push the boundaries of art further? To push themselves further in their life? Whatever he meant, art and creativity tend to propel people in positive directions and into constructive headspaces.

Having a sense of wonder about the everyday and seeing the marvellous in the quotidian makes life richer. This is second nature to the artist but also easily in reach of everyone who cares to enrich their existence with a slight shift of perspective.

John Hunter encouraged his pupil Edward Jenner to experiment in actuality rather than think in abstract. Hunter, a Scottish surgeon & anatomist (1728-93), was the father of evidence-based medicine. The Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London is named after him. Jenner, English physician & scientist (1749-1823) invented the vaccine. Major innovation is usually down to more than a single person. We are the product of all we learn as well as all we figure out and all we do.

“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”

Many of us underestimate our power and influence. In the butterfly effect way of things, small acts of kindness and encouragement, support and consolation make a huge difference to those around us. And, in turn, those people are more inclined to pass those things on, amplifying the impact of our actions.

Inspiration does exist, but it must find you working.

Picasso’s work ethic is a wonderful and aspirational model. Working every day, he created an estimated 50,000 to 150,000 pieces of art throughout his 78-year career, averaging nearly one new piece daily from his early twenties until his death at age 91. The importance of simply doing something every work day and moving forward, whether things are going well or not, cannot be overstated.

“May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.”

On the day of a big England World Cup match, it’s good to remember the importance of Hope. Fear and Anxiety influence much of our behaviour, but Hope and Love underpin our best selves.

I don’t know anything with certainty, but seeing the stars makes me dream.

A glimpse of the stars is always useful to put our lives into perspective and remind us of the possibilities.

Today at Traction we were working on the feature documentary ‘Starman’ by veteran documentarian Robert Stone. It focuses on Gentry Lee, Chief Engineer for Planetary Exploration at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and sci-fi writer, and his journey to space and on Earth. From the Viking and Voyager missions to co-authoring the future with Arthur C. Clarke, Lee’s life has been spent with his head in the stars and his feet on the ground. Here he reflects on decades of space exploration alongside friends like Carl Sagan.

One of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect. Perfection simply doesn’t exist…..Without imperfection, neither you nor I would exist

In the age of AI, human imperfection is more desirable and needed than ever. In the creative realm people are looking for signs of the human touch and (that much overused word) authenticity.

You can’t go back and change the beginning but you can start where you are and change the ending.

Dwelling on the past can often be a waste of energy. Starting from the present and constructively shaping your future is a better use of the very limited time we have.