What guides the painter’s hand? Where do our new ideas come from? How is inspiration born?
The unfathomable mysteries of creativity are like an inaccessible wall for a mountaineer.
And then one day, meeting a guide opens the way for us to get around the obstacle. And so we can continue on our way on the other side of the mountain.
I have been interested in artistic creation for several years. It is even one of the major themes of this blog you are currently reading.
So I was ready to receive Rick Rubin’s book, The creative act : A way of being
Words are easy, like the wind; faithful friends are hard to find
Britain inspires a wide variety of feelings in us Frenchies.
Sometimes they are seen as historical adversaries. At other times, they are France’s best allies. For example, when the 2 countries worked together, they built the fastest commercial aircraft in the world.
Ah the roast beef ! Our best enemies? Our worst friends?
The history of Franco-British conflicts is as long as the arm. As my surname sounds more English than French, I’m looking at this history of rivalry between the two countries from a particular standpoint.
As I’m wrapping up a sequence centred around this country, it’s a good time to put together a blog about everything that inspires me about it.
From Toulouse to London
Let’s go back to the source of this British sequence. First of all, it is the story of a friendship.
I met Jibirila 22 years ago when he was studying at the Toulouse School of Economics. Today he has been living in London for many years, working for the British government. It’s an unusual way to start, my main link with the UK is a Cameroonian.
Like almost every year, I called him on January 1st to wish him a happy new year and a happy birthday at the same time. But half an hour of palaver wasn’t enough, we had to get together again and reunite our families. Especially as the new baby, Akim, had just filled his parents’ days (and even more their nights). A visit to London was essential.
Tzik and Tadzouk, 3 days later the plane tickets were taken. 40 days later, we were finally able to hug.
Family photo at Greenwich
Tourism in the World City
London remains a fascinating city in many ways. The World City par excellence. There are probably few places on earth where you can see so many different faces.
Tourists we were, so we took the classic tour. Special mention should go to the Tower of London, which took us back in time.
I also loved the elegant pubs. However, one look at the menu and the prices put me off going in. This city is so expensive!
I’ve never been so receptive to children’s requests for burgers and burritos. Hurrah Chipotle!
Chipotle, the Mexican fast food
Another negative aspect of London for me is the proliferation of surveillance cameras in public spaces.
It’s a veritable society of total control that’s at work there.
It’s not necessarily noticeable to the average tourist. But Jib explains to me that the cameras capture many traffic offences, such as crossing a continuous line. You then receive the fine at home after a few days.
In France, the range of fully automatic fines is much more limited.
Hurrah for the resistant Frenchies!
We must be vigilant against this all-security model.
Shakespeare
In general, to enhance the pleasure of travelling, I like to immerse myself in my future destination by reading about it in advance. Learning more about the culture makes discovering another region or country all the more enjoyable.
When you think of England, the imposing shadow of William Shakespeare quickly comes to mind. So I set about reading the poet. With a bit of anxiety, I must admit. You don’t take on such a monument without trembling. I admit that it was an effort to get into the text, because of the ancient language.
But it was worth the effort.
It was our guide at the Globe Theater who gave me a few keys to understanding Shakespeare’s genius.
The theatre’s tiered structure reflects a society divided into different social classes. The best and most expensive seats were sold to wealthy merchants and other rich people. While the little people crowded into the pit.
The new Globe Theater
And in fact, Shakespeare’s plays appeal to all sections of the population. The stories are lively, with lots of twists and turns, and told in a straight-forward language. The words, flayed by the many apostrophes ‘, are those of the spoken language of the time.
But there is also a subtext, a second meaning accessible only ‘to those who have the code’. This extra dimension, whether humorous or moral, breathes life into the work.
Shakespeare’s plays reveal an intimate knowledge of the human condition. I’m thinking of Cleopatra, who is enraged and wants to have her messenger whipped when he tells her that Antony has married Octavia. Later, when the messenger returns to tell her that the bride is in fact very plain, if not downright ugly, and that Antony is not in love, Cleopatra is delighted and sends him off to be showered with gold.
To be understandable and accessible to as many people as possible, to remain simple and popular. All the while delivering the sharpest truths about humanity’s failings. Wisdom like a sharp katana blade. Great art.
It’s a slightly strange sensation that runs through me in the crowded Globe Theatre shop. The best lines are engraved on mugs. Does poetry lose its grace when it is overtaken by commercial exploitation? I console myself by telling myself that I’ve found a good souvenir for Mama Juliet.
My foreign friends
In the end, it was the discussions with our friends that were the best part of this trip. Sharing precious moments with friends from the other side of the world, who have chosen to live in Europe and strengthen it.
Jibirila the Cameroonian and Botsa the Indian both work for the British public sector.
For me, they are the best example of the benefits of immigration for Europe.
Contrary to the stupid nationalist rhetoric that is becoming increasingly prevalent, I believe that immigration is also an opportunity for Europe. It simply needs to be regulated and not stigmatised.
Patriotism is love of one’s country. Nationalism is hatred of others.
Charles De Gaulle
It’s one of the side effects of writing this blog. It allows me to determine afterwards what matters most to me.
Of all the ideas that cross my mind, which ones are going to stand out enough to lead me to write a few lines about them?
Obviously, my site has taken a political turn lately. I added the political tag, in March 2023 to be precise. That’s 3 years after its launch.
It’s a growing concern for me.
One of the major ideological battles of our time is between liberals and nationalists. This tension currently runs through all European societies, and even all countries of immigration in the world. The camp of openness versus the camp of withdrawal.
Of course, the reality is more complex and cannot be reduced to such a Manichean opposition. However, if I simplify it here, it’s more than just for the sake of clarity. I believe there is something fundamental at play in the background.
The European motto ‘United in diversity’ is being put to the test in an unprecedented way.
The opposition of ‘Us’ versus ‘Them’, fuelled by arsonists of all kinds, is sweeping across Europe and the world.
And it has to be said that this is an electoral recipe that has proved to be successful in many countries.
The Brexit
Brexit is the best illustration of this head-on opposition between 2 visions of the world.
Whether it is a good thing or a bad thing, the Brits are for real on big things.
When it comes to divorcing Europe, they have put into practice the promise made by many other nationalists on the continent. At least they are following their logic to the end.
10 years ago, the United Kingdom was about to embark on a long period of kicking us in the teeth (replace with the word that suits your sensibilities). One of the least inspired leaders of his time was embarking on an extremely perilous gamble.
The country negotiated hard with the European Union to obtain better terms of membership. But all the time spent in difficult negotiations proved to be in vain, as the agreement disappeared with the Brexit. Once again, the UK has sucked the energy out of the European Union for many years for negative reasons.
Visiting London in 2025 gives the impression of finding a great kingdom, but in convalescence, recovering from a painful ordeal. Or even still struggling with it.
Brexit had all the makings of a good drama. As in a family torn apart, the Leave and Remain camps were irreconcilable.
Homelands, a personal history of Europe
In 2025, what is Europe’s place in the world? What is the UK’s place in Europe?
A masterly book has come up with some answers by going back in time. Timothy Garton Ash’s book traces the contemporary history of European integration from 1945 to the present day.
It is coupled with the personal journey of the author, who has travelled the length and breadth of Europe since 1969.
I learnt a lot, for example that the British were the driving force behind the establishment of the single market in Europe. With all due respect to Renaud, Mrs Thatcher has risen in my esteem.
A historical book that challenges your preconceived ideas while supporting your ideal of life (harmony between peoples) is powerful.
And it’s piquant to find such a great declaration of love for Europe from a British citizen.
It’s a pleasure to be writing this at a time when a whole new dynamic has been set in motion on the other side of the Channel. Today the British government is participating militarily in the war effort to protect Ukraine. The country least exposed geographically by the Russians is ready to send troops to secure a country under attack on the far borders of Europe. It restores that European solidarity that seemed doomed to oblivion.
Life is cyclical. Every cloud has a silver lining.
Popular wisdom and its sayings always have something to teach us.
I’m ending this article dedicated to our neighbours across the Channel, so far away, so close, with an open mind of course.
It’s an opportunity for me to publish my first text translated into English on this blog. Because my friends deserve a translation that I have proofread and refined.
