6 OF OUR FAVOURITE CREATIVE READS

Having grown up living in an antiquarian book shop, books and print have been a long held love. Nothing beats the thrill you get when you open the pages of a crisp new magazine or the joy of finding some beautiful well thumbed antiquarian treasure to transport you to another time. As a closet creative my favourite past time is reading about beautiful work other people are making! Our shelves are crammed with books by talented makers, artists and creative business people, here I have rounded up a selection of some of our most read in hopes they inspire you too.

91 Magazine

A bi-annual independent interiors and lifestyle magazine.

I have to start with 91 magazine, I have been selling it in the shop for many years now and it has always been the most popular often selling out within days of hitting the shelves. Two beautiful editions are produced a year packed full of creative business stories and inspiring spaces. This is one to collect and keep on your shelves to refer back to time and again.

This summer they brought out the most beautiful 10th anniversary edition, a bumper selection of their beautiful content; studio tours, instagram edits, recipes and more.

Lionheart Magazine

The sweetest little magazine, another one I chose to stock in the shop as I loved reading it so much.

An independent lifestyle publication full of positivity and creativity. It's brim full of articles on things like travel, style, culture, craft alongside fascinating stories and interviews from interesting and creative folk. It also always has so much cool illustration in it and awesome cover designs. It's pure feel good and leaves you feeling super inspired. We have the current edition and back issues in the shop if you want to check it out.

They now also do a magazine for children called Leopard which is seriously lovely and full of creative activities.

Delicate Rebellion

Another bi-annual magazine, but a little bit different.

Delicate rebellions pages are soaked with creativity in all its forms, a real breath of fresh air.

In their words, 'our vision is to help create a shift in the cultural landscape and challenge the perception of women in mainstream media with our printed page'. With articles about artists, photographers, small business owners and creatives pushing boundaries in their fields.

​I highly recommend you give this magazine a try.

Make:Cornwall - Rice & Sorrel 

I had to include this book, one i'm in it, ha! But that's not the reason I swear!

It's focus is on Cornwall which I love, it's so nice to have a book dedicated to all the wonderful modern Cornish Craft that's happening in the far south west. But most of all it's a fascinating collection of interesting and diverse makers talking about their craft from their own studio spaces.
The book is beautifully photographed and it's a joy to see the process behind the products. I absolutely love looking around other peoples studios/homes/offices! Because i'm nosy but also because it tells you so much about how people work and their style and order or lack of it is often mirrored in the kind of work they produce. 

​Rice and Sorrel look at makers from a wide range of disciplines, there is much to inspire in this book.

Hashtag Authentic - Sara Tasker

Hashtag authentic is a beautiful book produced off the back of the hugely popular blog/instagram account @me_and_orla.

Sarah Tasker takes absolutely beautiful photos in a distinctive style she has become know for, this makes each page an aesthetic pleasure. Hashtag Authentic aims to help readers create better Instagram content when it come's to their photos. The book is full of practical advice and its easy to read and follow. One day I will actually implement some of it!!! That's not the books fault I just have a terrible fear of social media. 

​'Hashtag Authentic' and 'How to Style your Brand' below are the two books I have read the most when thinking about taking my business online. 

How To Style Your Brand
- ​Fiona Humberstone

Does what it says on the tin really!

​I have included this book because although it's not perhaps the book I look at so much these days I think it was one of the most useful when we started our own paper goods brand. I only had a vague idea of branding at the start and I think this book is a brilliant introduction. It really makes you think about how important a strong brand identity is even for the smallest business but also how to start building one. I think this book combined with some Pinterest boards and your favourite Instagram accounts is a brilliant place to start when thinking about your businesses aesthetic and all round vibe. Again I still have much to learn but it greatly helped us in the early days of Miel Studio.