I have followed Karen Vermeulen on instagram for ages. She is a local author/illustrator, who holds workshops and writes and is altogether enthusiastic.
I have somehow always been unable to attend her workshops, but recently during Open Book Cape Town‘s workshop week, I was able to attend her one go her workshops… and it was just as fabulous as I had expected!!!
I got to make a mini-graphic memoir, and I loved it. I realised while I was sitting there, admiring all the pens and pencils, not to mention the markers… that I haven’t created anything for the longest time. My creative spirit got up and walked away, as I became busy with all that is raising teens and young adults, and looking after elderly parents. I kid you not – this is the actual busy season.
Creating a Mini-Memoir
In a three hour workshop that felt like fifteen minutes, we were provided with loads of tips and techniques, food for thought and ideas to spark our imagination. Some folk arrived ready with a plan of action, others arrived (ahem, me) with no direction… other than an inkling to write a book some day!!!
After a solid hour or two of doodling and dabbling… it was time to dive into the process… hello loads of colourful materials and even more blank paper!!!
I was guessing that if one just starts… and a lot of listening to what other folk were doing, my little book got underway.
I knew to focus on a snippet of life, and not to use every single marker in the box (it kind of killed me to leave so many colours behind).
My First Book: 10 Degrees Celsius
My night time Robben Island Crossing in ten degrees Celsius, the whole time I was telling myself that I was not cold, but in retrospect, I was really freezing.
Onto rubber ducks in the middle of the night and off to the island, with a bag of drinks and a chocolate bar, in case of a desperate times.
Swimming under a canopy of stars, from Robben Island to Big Bay, there were loads of jellies, and the stars quickly turned to mist. The poor skipper in his boat beside me was fairly dying of cold.
And I made it, as the mist lifted and the sun rose to a gloriously and unexpectedly cold day…
And I have been wearing a beanie, for recovery purpposes, ever since!!!
Good Luck to Us All
And while I was there, I got to buy a signed copy of her book… Good Luck to us All.. And I love it… Her quirky style is just part of the joy of reading along to the high highs and the low lows of life. Looks like a middle grade read, so perfect for crazy busy ADHD moms to dive into, but definitely a book for adults, as the author takes us on a personal journey through her adulthood, her loves and losses.
It is serious, it is laugh out loud funny, it touches on topics that will reawaken parts of you that you have forgotten, and all the way through will be her delightful character: Sir Henry Baba Ganoush the Bohemian.
If I ever write a memoir, this workshop of mini-memoirs will definitely be the workshop that actually got the process rolling… and I will be happily following The Open Book Festival for future events… and Karen Vermeulen for inspiration.
