Do What You Believe

In this career... it can be easy to lose sight of why you are doing it or where you are headed. The one thing that I have found empowering - is a strong understanding of where I want to go and belief in what I’m doing. I think a solidifying sense of where my passion lies and a stronger sense of my artistry has resulted in me heading towards 2019 in a subtly confident light. Nobody is going to hand me anything on a plate. I am lucky to have amazing people backing me and believing in me ... but the important thing is believing in myself and my passions. This is hard for me to type as I never want to come across as cocky. However, I think after starting to write my own material and make more of my own connections, has left me with an empowered feeling that has recharged me as a performer more so than ever before.
I love the creative arts, and I am never not going to act (corny, I know). But it’s so much more than that. It’s a passion that fuels my lifestyle.

This blog is a little sporadic I feel, I’m not being very specific. But essentially - the point is - when you realise you react differently to something whereas a few years ago it would have wiped the floor from beneath you; then you realise you are the master of your own destiny. A peaceful dose of patience as well as self-belief has allowed me to be less restless as a performer and from that - after reflecting over the past year - more doors have opened for me than ever before. I try to say ‘yes’ most of the time, I try to support all of the projects and friends I believe in supporting, and I make sure to stay proactive and alive in regards to my passion and career. How amazing it is to say my career and passion are intertwined. I’m seeking less approval in the politest kind of way.

Portrait of me demonstrating how focused I am

Penning Ideas

I have had the idea over the past while to begin to draft a play. After an incredible experience performing in a play called 'Gutted' at Edinburgh Fringe - I've decided there's no time like the present to start making my idea a reality.
If you have a good idea for a play / poem / or song I feel it is important to pen it down. I have always been a keen creative writer, however, I have never written a play before. I'm not quite sure how to tackle it - but I know I have plenty of friends and acquaintances who would happily read drafts and offer me advice.
Edinburgh Fringe was so inspiring - so many creatives in the one bubble, it was an actor's playground - that I feel I have to channel that inspiration somehow now that I am back in London.
I have no set time limit to complete my project - it may take one week to complete one draft - or one year. Who knows. Scratch nights aren't going anywhere anytime soon so I figured - once I do have a decent shape to my work (and potentially actors who would be passionate to perform the work with me) I can always showcase the play then.


Here's to writing... That's my Saturday night sorted. Living on the wild side I am.

Look How Far We've Come

Life is a funny thing - we want it to last forever, and yet we seem to count away the days like there's no tomorrow. Setting goals. Setting dates. Setting alarms... the list could go on!

As an actor, the key to being ambitious seems to be in setting ourselves "landmarks" or "goals" to reach every few months or so. This goal-setting technique is certainly useful; it can help actors become more proactive and encouraged. However, the flip side is the element of time. If you put a time limit on your goals - that can be counter-productive.

I have found myself worrying about my age or the time of year, and whether or not these are correlating with where I want to be? The fact is - ages and dates are mere figures, symbolising nothing significant to an actor's life. What if you don't get on the TV by the time your 25? What if your next employment isn't til Christmas 2019? What if the world ends before you find out about that casting you've been put "on hold" for? So what!

I find, as creatives, we give ourselves so much of a hard time about what we want to achieve -  that we sadistically forget what we have achieved already. It's important to keep track of where you are going and the little (or big) achievements you have gathered along the way. This does not mean sharing throwbacks of production shots on social media every. other. day. (The odd one never hurt anybody's ego, though...) However, it does mean refreshing over your CV. Appreciate the memories and experiences you have learnt from various classes, workshops, jobs you have done. Utilise those skills you have picked up whilst being a jobbing actor - and channel them into your auditions etc.

I'm gonna do a bit of free advertising now (but it is relevant). I recently started Acting UP! screen acting classes at The Union Theatre. Not only are they amazing value, but they have helped with my confidence building. Picking up a script and doing something new at weekly classes has made self-tapes and filming in my professional life easier. Maybe easier isn't the word - it's more so that my confidence has increased, helping me to make the decisions I need to make for acting.

I have also been enjoying the rehearsal room rehearsing for a new play set in Northern Ireland "Good Gracious, Good Friday" - as part of Theatre N16's "N16 Presents" (a new writing night). It's so lovely to be part of something that I am passionate about - the writing is fantastic, rich and relatable, as well as being fecking hilarious. (Tickets on sale here) https://lineupnow/com/event/n16-presents-1
This was an unexpected project that popped up to my delight - which ticked off no "date of achievement" in my diary, but rather has added unexpected (but valuable) experience to my life as an actor.

Constant grafting as an actor is a daily chore. I have flipped this around and see it as a fun lifestyle that I live. I have grafted and worked hard and will continue to do so, but it (mostly) doesn't feel like a chore. It's important to have the confidence to be assured that the efforts you have put in won't go to waste. And sometimes, letting it be, can pay off.

I am a divil for saying "I can't wait for this..." or "only so many days until that" - quite literally wishing my life away. What I think I have learnt (and what I will probably continue to struggle to do) is to: Live for the now (à la Meisner) - rather than setting myself time limits.

"Look how far we've come, my baby." Shania Twain knows

Using this as a metaphor - as, 20 years down the line, I have come a long way from being a crying Noddy, scared of their own sister. And I have the hindsight to see that she was not, in fact, Sly the Goblin, but merely dressed up as him.

Don't Let The "People" Grind You Down

As I am approaching the end of my B.A. Hons Degree in the professional practice of screen acting; I am already searching for more study paths to embark on after this milestone. This degree has set off a scholarly spark in me that I wish to ignite again. It has always been an aim of mine to undertake a Masters Degree. For me, an M.A. would have to be highly relevant and beneficial in line with my professional practice: acting. It would have to be something that would aid my journey as an actor; or equally look impressive and worthwhile on my acting C.V. I am so passionate about acting and literally cannot imagine doing anything else. This does not, however, mean that I can't further myself academically.


I am an actor and none of my life's circumstances will change this. Even when auditions may seem few and far between - this trick has been played far too many times for me to fall for it. There does be zero going on audition-wise for me, so I keep myself occupied with other aspects of my professional practice - then BAM! a whole volcano of material to learn for auditions and self-tapes comes flooding in. I have copped on to what particular times of the year are particularly busy for me in regards to auditions and I try and remain rational in regards to my career (easier typed than done).

I had already done a fair amount of research on Masters that I could possibly do - Drama in Education, or Drama Therapy, for example - when I had a low low LOW moment at an "in-between" job the other week, it got me thinking a bit more about the possibility of furthering my academic career. I was mistreated a little bit on one of those side jobs we all tend to do to pay our rent to get by in this "City of Dreams". Generally I don't mind these jobs. I'm a hard worker and I just think how lucky I am to be able to pay my way to do what I love. HOWEVER, this particularly horrible moment during this job made me feel quite inadequate as a human - and it wasn't even my passion that I was working at. It was literally a job I could not care less about, besides the pay. Therefore, my bad experience just made me think "Why am I doing this to earn money in between, especially when I'm being treated like this?"
Surely, the world is my oyster. I work best as self-employed (the only people I really work extremely well under are directors, producers, agents or casting-directors).
Other than that, to make my money "in-between" (shall I refer to that as 'purgatory', or is that too harsh?) I would like to work under my own terms, as much as possible.

IF I was lucky enough to pursue a Masters, under the blanket of drama, I could perhaps have more opportunity to do work in between acting jobs and auditions that I really love and that I'm passionate about.

First things first though, I want to obtain good grades in my B.A. Hons. I only have my oral presentation left to do in order to get the results that I really want for this course. Then, I can seriously consider where I want to go next with my studies.

Other than that, on a professional side of things, I have booked in to do a screen acting course over the next four Thursdays (Acting Up! at The Union Theatre). I'm looking forward to honing my screen technique. My busy periods for screen auditions tend to be August - September; so I thought I may as well brush up on my skills prior to this (HOPEFULLY) inevitable rush of self-tapes.

I am continuing on this tumultuous journey. I am opening opportunities for myself. I am carving my own life's path. As Margaret Atwood says: Nolite te bastardes carborundorum

Connecting Artefact / Presentation with Essay

An interesting point brought up in today’s Skype session was the notion to allow the process of my artefact and oral presentation planning to influence my essay. My artefact and oral presentation made me simplify my essay and pick out key points and themes that seem relevant and encompass my inquiry. Leading on from that - in the week leading up to the module 3 deadline - I now think it is a good idea to comb through my essay and see if my key points no themes are higihligited enough for whoever is reading it.

Bird’s Eye View rather than Chronological

At yesterday’s Skype session, we were encouraged to practice our oral presentation. Basically getting the message and essence of our inquiry across clearly and effectively. I struggled at first to assess what was necessary and interesting to include.
After a few goes, we were advised to not think about our inquiry process in a chronological order. Instead, the best option for an inquiry presentation is to describe our project with a bird’s eye view. This means including realisations and ‘eureka’ moments early on in the presentation - not when we actually figured them out.
This encouraged me to formulate some slides in a power point presentation of what I initially felt was important to include. I then jumbled them up into no particular order. I will now go back to my presentation and review the order they are in - but this was a helpful method to get me out of the chronological method.

Skype Discussion: 17/04/2018 - Inquiry Themes aid the Artefact

I have been roughly planning and brainstorming ideas for my artefact. In today's Skype with fellow current module threes, the essence of the artefact became clearer. It has to display the account of the inquiry. This means it is not about my findings but about the process.
Themes that stayed with me through my inquiry, or emerged from it, can inform my artefact.

In line with my audio-visual artefact, I am going to start associating the themes formed within my inquiry to influence what I choose to portray in the "silent self-tapes". I have chosen to keep them silent to avoid the trap of relaying verbally the process of my inquiry. Instead, I want the self-tapes to convey a bigger picture of my inquiry and to use visuals effectively.

Self-tapes are a forum that is highly recognisable to people within my practice. Therefore, this lent to my decision to create self-tapes as my artefact.

‘The Artefact’

Yesterday I attended the campus session in Middlesex university. There was a mix of module 1, 2 and 3s who attended the session. This proved useful when we began to form a ‘Glossary’ with words and phrases common within the BAPP and MAPP modules.

The Artefact can be described quite simply as ‘a thing’. Instead of leaving me confused about this mysterious concept - I left the campus session with a reassured sense of what it is I am expected to do
regarding the artefact. It is a thing that represents what it is I have found or discovered on the journey of my inquiry.

Post analysis I began to see clearly what my artefact ought to be, according to me and how to portray what I have found to my community of practice. I have used the practice of self-taping and referred to it throughout my inquiry. Therefore, it seemed fit to use a self-tape of me as my artefact. I began to sketch and jot down some plans for this in my notebook.

Different Entities Interlinking

Over the past while I have been working on my critical review for module 3. Things have been chopped and changed to give the initial structure of my first draft. What I find interesting is that every time I go back to look over what I've written - I find correlations between the literature and data collection analysis. There are many factors within my inquiry that influence or underline each other. More and more I am finding that there are few strict "separate sections" within my critical review. Instead I have found it helpful to tie in views and research stemming from different sources in order to reach a resounding theme or further questions. I am quickly coming around to the idea of using literature to underline or compare with data collection and my own experiences.

Another aspect of the inquiry which is becoming clearer is that we are not solving the world's problems in 6 weeks. As I am gathering information and analysing it; I have benefited from the small realisations along the learning curve. Anything that is relevant and helpful to me in my professional practice is significant in my eyes.

I may not be solving the world's problems; but I am learning how I may progress as an actor within my professional practice.

Typecasting and "Stock Characters"

Actress Ingrid Bergman

A debate which I have been having throughout my study is that of "typecasting":
"Is typecasting essential for the casting process & for actors to be aware of theirs... Or is it a faulty society that is leading us all to believe we have to 'fit in a box', and typecasting we see on screen is fueling these impressions within society?"

Typecasting combines a wide range of "stock characters" within the screen and theatre world and which we, as actors and audiences, are exposed to. Stock characters were originally outlined by commedia dell'arte (an early form of Italian professional theatre popular in Europe from 16th - 18th century). I studied the technique and various characters included in commedia dell'arte during my training at drama school.  Some of these characters (although there are more) include:

• Zanni - the "clown" - the comedy character

• Pantalone - the older, wealthy man

• Il Dottare - "doctor" - the male Head of the Household

• Columbina - the perky maid / servant (generally female)

• Il Capitano - the "loner", an older man boasting of having once been a "captain" although doubtful he ever had that title

• Innamorati - the "lovers" - young, beautiful romantics. Of a high class status - also known as the "innocent"

 These are brief descriptions of the most basic of characters. It is important to note that all of the above characters have strong character traits - including appearance, physical stance and status which solidify their role within performances. They have stood the test of time. Since the 16th century - through means of theatre right through to screen and TV series - we have seen clear examples of these stock characters. Buddy the Elf played by Will Ferrell in the movie Elf is a perfect example of a modern day Zanni. Dimitri Godman (Aleksey Serebvakov) head of the powerful Godman family in the TV series McMafia is a current Pantalone. Actress Martine McCutcheon plays a strikingly apt Columbina character as Natalie in Love Actually (right down to her East-End London accent in the movie). MacKenzie Mauzy and Billy Magnussen's representations of Rapunzel and Rapunzel's Prince in Disney's 2014 Into the Woods are matched as present day Innamorati.
These are only a few examples of which I could go on and on... (Feel free to comment any correlations you have made between 16th - 18th century stock characters and modern day TV & film characters.) It just cements the notion that we can't seem to escape the idea of stock characters within screen writing.

Furthermore, I read a really interesting view on typecasting from the Golden Age director Michael Curtiz (Casablanca, Mildred Pierce).

"It was Mr. Curtiz who spoke to me about the idea of typecasting. I knew it was the way, but I hadn't understood how difficult it would be to fight it. He explained I couldn't go totally against the way audiences saw me without wrecking my career." (Bergman, quoted by Chandler 2007 p.83)

This piece of advice / opinion shared with Bergman from the well-respected Curtiz was perhaps shattering for her as an actress. Her response was initially "No, no, no, no, no, no." and she admits she was "thinking how she could get around it" (Bergman, quoted by Chandler, 2007 p.83). But how could a young, undeniably attractive actress like Bergman, who fit so perfectly in the role of an Innamorati, get away with passing as a stock character such as Il Captinao (a character of lower status)? Even if you take gender out of the equation and make the stock characters gender-neutral - they still possess innate character and physical traits which, on paper, suit only a certain type of actor.
Furthermore, Curtiz goes on to explain:

"Ingrid, you are beautiful... They [the audience] do not want to see you play a girl with a harelip... Your audience wants to see you, to recognize you, to see you looking beautiful, wearing beautiful clothes, dresses, and accessories they would like to wear. They like to see you on screen in parts in which they recognize you. In other words, you have to play Ingrid Bergman. This will not tax you too much, it will make your audience happy, and it will make a big career."

If we are going by Curtiz' opinion - society want typecasting (at least in the Golden Age they did - and I'm still not sure have we progressed as a society that much since then). They want to see actors placed in the box they expect to see them in. If that was the recipe for a successful actor at that time - why wouldn't she play into her typecast in order to be acknowledged as a great actress? Even though she evidently struggled with the concept of typecast as she believed her creativity and capability as an actress should not be inhibited by typecast. In my lifetime as an actress -  I would love to play a variety of exciting and testing roles. Whether or not typecast will allow me to do this is another thing...
Now, for me, the question is the following:
Is the acting industry playing into the hands of what society wants; or is society falling into the trap of viewing what they see on screen / on stage as "the norm"? Either way, it appears to me that typecasting continues to happen over and over again. I don't know whether to view this as a good or bad thing or simply just a factor within the acting industry, cemented by a history of stock characters - neither good nor bad.

Whatever the fact of the matter is: it certainly appears that, for a lot of people, "Typecasting is everything." (Curtiz, quoted by Chandler, 2007 p. 83)


Chandler, Charlotte (2007) Ingrid (Ingrid Bergman, A Personal Biography), Applause Theatre & Cinema Books
Rudlin, John (1994) Commedia Dell-Arte: An Actor's Handbook, Routledge

Director Michael Curtiz' views on the idea of "typecasting" (Bergman, quoted by Chandler, 2007 p.83)



Reflect, Report, Respond & Role of a Researcher

Perhaps the essential part of my study that I seem to forget is the learning part. Learning is very much part of the study process. Towards the end of our Inquiry journey, we have to write up our inquiry experiences - a critical reflection including literature reviews.
I am now aiming to view this as a 'Reflective Report'. This means documenting what I have processed during my period of study, which includes my learning and the experience.
As well as this, I have learnt it is key to report my response to the data I have collected. My response is the vital part within the report. Cross-referencing data collected with literature and my experiences will also add to the tiered levels of my learning.

Student Voice Meeting

My role as a researcher has been consolidated by my tutors - I need to find meaning and my interpretation of the literature. Literature and observations I make need to be meaningful in my practice - as a researcher, I need to be able to link and correlate.

Why should your physical appearance inhibit you from having a sense of humour?

Elizabeth Banks, Actress

Can you tell if this lady is funny or not solely from her photograph?
I can't.
So why do people find it acceptable to state that pretty women cannot play funny roles? An article I read recently which quoted comments from Nikki Finke appalled me. After actress Julie Bowen won her second Emmy (in 2012), Nikki Finke's backlash was:


"Only women who grew up ugly and stayed ugly, or through plastic surgery became beautiful, can pull off sitcoms or standups. Bowen wasn't a comedienne just like Brooke Shields wasn't and a zillion more. Because it's all about emotional pain and humiliation and rising above both by making people laugh with you instead of at you. So stop casting beautiful actresses when you should be giving ugly women a chance." (Finke, 2012)


I am going to dissect this statement...
Firstly, are beautiful women exempt from feeling 'emotional pain' or 'humiliation'? I think not. I believe human beings, of every kind, experience humiliation within their lifetime. Peoples' appearances do not exclude them from feeling human emotion. Furthermore, Elizabeth Banks says, while humiliation can be funny, “it is not a state of being reserved solely for the ugly, whatever that means to Nikki Finke.”


In regards to 'stop casting beautiful actresses' in comedic roles and 'giving ugly women a chance' - casting comedic roles should be entirely down to the actresses' comedic and acting skills and not how 'beautiful' or 'ugly' they are. Of course, there is the issue of character breakdown - and part of that is physical. There are factors that limit the casting type of actresses up for a role.
However, it is utterly outrageous to make a statement as blunt as 'stop casting beautiful actresses' in comedic roles.


If that comment was reversed - 'So stop casting ugly actresses when you should be giving beautiful women a chance' - there would have been an uproar in counter attacks. So why is it somehow acceptable to slander 'beautiful' actresses? Can they somehow cope better with the attack because of their 'good looks'?


My commedia dell'arte teacher in drama school is one of funniest people I have come across - and she also happens to be a highly attractive lady. The two aspects, appearance and funniness, have no correlation. Since I was a kid I have wanted to make people laugh. It is the simplest of things. It's not an experience or talent specific to an 'ugly' or 'beautiful' person (whatever the line is between those primitive generalisations...)


“Wouldn’t it be great if older, more experienced women like Ms. Finke were kinder to her fellow females in the entertainment business?” Banks retaliated.




http://ew.com/article/2012/09/27/elizabeth-banks-women-funny/

Human Nature - The Theory of how we are Judged

Yesterday I set out to gather together all of the previous research and 'quote-collecting' I have done during my literature study. I wrote them all down collectively in my reflective journal. This gave me clarification of where I am going with my inquiry - in other words, it helped to theorise my inquiry.
My topic of 'appearance within the acting industry' is heavily surrounding the theories of human nature - culture, historical epoch, textuality, class, ethnicity, sex, gender, age, degree of social power.(Lopston, 2006). From this stems my study of what we deem as 'popular', 'correct' or 'good'. My research led me to an article by journalist Martha Gill - "Should we be judging people by their looks?" in which she alludes to the possibility of phrenology (a 19th Century theory that the contours of the skull are a guide to an individual's mental faculties and character traits). Judging someone by their appearance is an ethical issue as it verges on the edge of being deemed as discrimination. Equally, when reviewers comment on actors' appearances it may be damaging to the actors' confidence as they may take 'appearance' comments as a lack of acting talent. Below is a quote regarding actress Vivien Leigh's performance in the film "Dark Journey".
"Vivien photographed exquisitely, a fact that no reviewer could overlook. But vanity was not one of her character traits, and she despised the idea that she was being commended only for her beauty" (Edwards, 1977 p.57)
I am collecting first hand experiences documented in distinguished actors' biographies. These help me to identify with the acting industry and to draw links or differences with other peoples' experiences. My inquiry and analysis will be framed with educated articles from industry professionals i.e. Joseph Pearlman's concise article on the subject of what makes a "winning" self tape.
These will be added to as I progress with my literature studies and find more relevant information as well as aspects which my topic of interest may need to touch on.

https://www.newstatesman.com/science/2013/11/should-we-be-judging-people-their-looks

https://www.britannica.com/topic/phrenology

https://www.backstage.com/advice-for-actors/backstage-experts/10-tips-winning-taped-audition/

Group Discussion 20/02/18 - Refining what I need from Literature studies

Within my feedback I learnt that there is a high importance of linking literature to my practice. It is vital to gain clarification of themes already validated in literature.
Today in the Skype discussion with Helen, she referred to the literature reviews as a map to the field of research within our topics. Once we have read over a spectrum of various literature sources, it then gives us the opportunity to outline and refine our questions surrounding our topic. These questions I develop make my inquiry unique to me.
It is also important to recognise a body of voices and link different opinions within literature. During my literature studies I have been focusing on biographies of established actors (e.g. Joan Crawford, Vivien Leigh and Ingrid Bergman). This gives my research an opinion-based, personal approach. To compliment this direction I have also drawn from modern articles from industry professionals aligned with specific acts from actors' unions to add a theorised basis to my work. This gives a 3 dimensional quality to our work.
- I plan to sift through the literature I have studied over the last 2 modules, as well as scanning through old notes I have made on literature in my reflective journal, in order to make sense of the themes, questions and theories in my inquiry topic.

Before the storm...

January kick-started with a whole host of exciting and practical plans regarding improving myself as an actor. I booked to start a Meisner Stage 1: Emotional Connection course with the Salon Collective at the beginning of January. This week marked my third class on the course. For fear of sounding terribly pretentious - this week I had a 'break-through' moment in regards to my exploration and study of the Meisner technique. The Meisner teacher advises:
- to act on an impulse
- to retain simplicity, detail and honesty
- to repeat a line before you accept or reject it
- whatever your partner states - you must accept it's their truth
- to bring the tension you may feel onto your partner
- to use less work, less effort and take less responsibility
- to do nothing - explore more
- not to deny anything
The pure human connection which takes only two people repeating realisations / observations is utterly exhilarating. I want to take these techniques with me whilst filming self-tapes.
As well as the Meisner course, I have started to attend Shakespeare Practice Group every second Sunday. The first workshop style class last week opened my eyes to a stripped back, effective set of principles when working with Shakespeare script. The main focus being on the text and delivering that coherently and effectively. I know I have a lot more to learn and apply with this technique and I am happy to be able to attend these sessions over the next few months. I feel as if they will be incredibly helpful to me as an actor.
Last Monday night I attended the premiere of an episode of a comedy series called 'The Expert' that I was in at The Constellation Creatives CoLab, The Hospital Club Covent Garden. This was a lovely experience as other film and series work were screened. After the showings, we got a chance to talk to various film makers, actors and script writers. I think these types of nights are highly beneficial for actors.
Today I began workshops on the play 'Eris at the Wedding' by John King with director Robbie Taylor Hunt. Workshops are a fantastic 'safe space' to try out new things and collaborate with actor and director alike. They also keep me practising my craft which is always a win.


Entering into February and the beginning of Module 3 - I can only hope to keep up this proactive lifestyle alongside solidifying a worthwhile and interesting inquiry.

Book Worm; Book Club

Yesterday eve myself and a few friends had a long overdue debut book club meeting. We had been planning it for a while - but due to busy timetables etc it was difficult to find a date that suited us all. The first book we had simultaneously read and studied was 'Surfacing' by the incredible Margaret Atwood. Atwood infamously uses feminist undertones in her writing. We all felt this rang true with this book. The protagonist, whose name we, weirdly, don't know, is hard to empathise with. Collectively we felt confused by her actions. It is generally easier to relate to a protagonist we can empathise with. Therefore, said protagonist was hard to read even though we had first hand insight into her brain. From a previous Meisner class, my teacher claimed 'There is nothing humans crave more than affection'. I was understandably flummoxed when this character didn't seem to attain basic human qualities. My friends agreed that we wanted to relate to her - through the course of the book she goes through some horrific moments, and we know she is not inherently bad - but her 'other-worldliness' made it hard to connect with her.
Last night re-established the joy you can get from discussing a book in detail - including view points, feelings and opinions. Not only that, but going to bed looking forward to winding down by reading a few pages of your latest book is a truly lovely feeling. Also, substituting iPhone scrolling with book reading on your commute can work wonders for your general wellbeing - especially lifting your mood for the day ahead or relaxing you en route home.
I have been reading the biography of actress Vivien Leigh over the past few months and it has had a big impact on me. I can identify with her mind-set and I have started to make parallels with descriptions of certain moods that I have experienced. In turn, this has helped me cope better with some scenarios because I have found someone I can identify with and empathise with her life and art form.
The next book on the book club reading list is: 'My Brilliant Friend' by Elena Ferrante. I have just ordered that, but in the meantime I am currently reading 'How To Stop Time' by Matt Haig, which is proving to be an engrossing fiction novel.