Creativity Displayed at Beats & Eats

Creativity runs deep into my heart and soul, so I tend to gravitate towards anything involving the creative arts. I think this is why I like going to the quirky and unique music event, Beats & Eats, so much, because it is one of the most special displays of creativity in Croydon.

Absolutely everyone is welcome to experience a melting pot of music by artists of various ages, who perform different genres in their own distinctive style. Not one performance is the same.

This past Saturday, I heard the amazing voice of Kate Thomas for the first time, who sounded like a mixture of some of the artists I love listening to, including Norah Jones, Paloma Faith and Florence Welch. Her sound is current and you can imagine her songs being played on mainstream radio stations today.

Watching 24-year-old Tubby Boy perform is always fun, because of his vibrancy, energy and ‘old skool’ hip-hop sound. He is also acts as a great host for Beats & Eats – you can definitely envision him as a presenter for an entertainment show in the near future.

Regular performer Muna always brings her sultry soulfulness to the stage, with a timeless voice that can bring many songs to life, while John Paul Butler, accompanied by his friend Thili, provides a bold, raspy folk sound. It is a really great mixture of musical creativity.

However, at this particular Beats & Eats, I was really excited to see a selection of art and photography on display. I loved being able to view the work of local artists and experience even more of the talent that Croydon has to offer. I wish I had the courage to hang up my art for all to see, but I don’t think that my skills are quite there yet.

Everything in this mini exhibition was great and I enjoyed looking back at captured moments in the photos by Rob Wilson Jr. of Fluid4Sight, but it was artwork by two females in particular that really captivated me.

Julie Kaye’s illustration on wood, using mixed media, was delicate and unique with many intricate details that resulted in a stunning piece. I loved the simple use of black and white, with just a pop of red to bring out the colour of the lips. It was also very cool to observe the combination of human and animal features to create the distorted silhouette of the woman in this illustration.

I love a good canvas painting and Emilia Rekawek’s oil on canvas pieces did not disappoint. They were all different and each one of them told some type of story, which I believe makes a piece of art truly special.

I was especially mesmerised by her painting of a woman crying paper tears, as the raw emotion screamed out of the canvas and tugged at your heart. There was anger, hurt and so much pain in the eyes of that painting, and the eyes are key to the soul of any portrait.

Creativity is currently taking Croydon by storm and I love it. I hope that it continues to increase and produce even more great talent, because everyone should embrace their creative side somehow. How do you get creative?

Photos by Fluid4Sight and used with permission.