Thanks for being with us for season two of The Download! This is the final episode of the current season.
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Paper and Pen Gallery
Episode Transcript
Intro
Pema voice-over (VO):
Welcome to the final episode of season 2 of The Download! I’m your host, Pema, and today we’re talking about those amazing tools, paper and pen. Coming up, we hear from artists Arthur and Blythe about their creative processes, Jake doodles, and in Teatimers, Tiger looks for signs of spring on their farm.
The Download is an audio magazine, so feel free to pause after listening to a feature, and come back to pick things up later on. Let’s turn the page.
[PAGE TURN SFX]
Tell Me More! Paper and Pen, with Blythe and Arthur
Pema (VO): Hello! For this episode of Tell Me More! I wanted us to think about something that is personally very important to me… ahem, notebooks! But, not just notebooks. Rather, the things we can do with paper, making things on the page and making things with pages too.
I use notebooks all the time, for my work, for my personal projects, to write down my thoughts and to keep track of things I want to remember. I draw, I glue stuff down, and I write, write, write.
And, let me say, something magical happens when I work out my thoughts on the page. I have new ideas, I make connections, I can work through problems, and I have fun, much more fun, than when I type. And then at the end of a notebook, I have a physical record of all those things that I can keep forever and reference whenever I want. A used notebook feels amazing.
But beyond notebooks, there is something about making things with my hands in general that gives me huge satisfaction. Handwriting is just the start. Making things with my hands helps me think.
I’m not the only one who feels like this, by any means! I spoke to two extremely creative siblings with a great love for paper and pen, and for making things in general. Blythe is a writer and an illustrator and Arthur makes incredible paper models.
…
Pema (00:00.45)
Tell me about the things that you guys like to make using pen and paper.
Blythe and Arthur (00:21.954)
So I like to make sculptures of animals and sometimes animals that aren't real. I love to make animals from the Greek myths like dragons and seraphs.
Blythe and Arthur (03:34.686)
I also like twisting and scrunching paper and then curling masking tape around it so it makes like a firm model that then you can paint.
Blythe and Arthur (01:00.962)
I really enjoy drawing and I like writing stories as well.
Blythe and Arthur (01:39.261)
Last year I entered a free writing competition and I was actually shortlisted for it but I didn't win.
Pema (01:45.933)
wow, what was that story about? That's really incredible. What was it about?
Blythe and Arthur (01:50.153)
It was called The Wings of Forever because the theme was flight and it was about... Well I was inspired by this tale, this folk tale I'd come across in a book.
Pema (02:24.908)
What sort of myths and folk tales do you guys read?
Blythe and Arthur (02:45.953)
So I love reading Percy Jackson and that's all about the Greek gods and myths. So I like making the dragons and I like making snakes and seraphs which are like snakes with wings.
Pema (03:54.131)
What was the first model you made? you remember?
Blythe and Arthur (03:57.536)
Yes, I do. It was an aeroplane because it was in Covid and I couldn't get, like we couldn't go out to buy stuff so I started making them and my mum introduced me and it was an aeroplane that had an elastic band so the propeller could turn round when I threw it.
Pema (04:22.754)
That's really smart. And so the scrunching and the masking tape, where did you get the idea for that?
Blythe and Arthur (04:32.262)
We were redoing our house a bit in Covid so and there was a roll of masking tape and my mum said you can go play with that and here's some paper if you want to play and I started mixing them together.
Pema (04:48.654)
And did you just experiment? Did you know what was going to happen in your head before you did it? Or did it just come out?
Blythe and Arthur (04:53.392)
No, it just came out, I didn't know what was happening but now I'm 10 and I can imagine what it's going to look like, I can plan it and then I can almost 3D print it with my fingers.
Wow! I love that. I asked Arthur what the best model he’s made is.
Blythe and Arthur (09:51.543)
I've got a bigger, better, cooler thing, which is this crane made out of cocktail sticks.
Pema (10:04.18)
Whoa. My goodness, that's so cool.
Blythe and Arthur (10:10.34)
And if you, it's... So when you twist it, the string goes down.
Pema (10:19.054)
That's so cool. They look like, you know, Leonardo da Vinci's sketches.
Pema (VO): Blythe shows me a page in her journal covered in detailed little drawings of people, all of whom have great personality and are busy going about their daily lives.
Blythe and Arthur (10:30.877)
I often create characters and then I draw them.
Blythe and Arthur (10:59.416)
I made these people called Journeyfolk…
Blythe and Arthur (11:11.165)
… who just have like all of their medicines and food and remedies come from nature and I mean just like camping in tents and like dyeing their clothes with berries and stuff so I like using just
I don't know, just, something appealed about it to me and then I just wanted to create them.
…
Pema (34:47.278)
Why do you make stuff?
Blythe and Arthur (35:06.123)
…In me there's just often a yearning to make something, to use my hands to create and it's just like, I find it a way of expressing myself, like if I'm stressed I'll crochet or I'll read and I find it really regulating and relaxing and… I really enjoy sharing my stuff with other people. Like, if it's someone's birthday, then I usually, I will cross-stitch them a bookmark. It's become my thing.
Blythe and Arthur (13:32.057)
Like certainly both of them I think, like my mind's like I want to create something, like I want to make this. Like I might have a story in my head or a character and I'll be like either sometimes I think I really need to write this down or I want to create it. Like I often use inspiration like Pinterest for crochet ideas mainly and I'll see a character and then I think, I like that. But I'm going to adapt it and I'm going to change it and I do that both in writing and in my crochet.
Pema (14:08.994)
Does it give you the same feeling when you've finished a crochet or when you are crocheting as when you're writing or have finished a story? Or is it a different feeling?
Blythe and Arthur (14:21.819)
I've never thought about it that way, but I think it does.
Pema (14:25.814)
And what do you think the feeling is?
Blythe and Arthur (14:28.986)
satisfaction.
Blythe and Arthur (14:31.939)
I just, I always feel calm and just relaxed and then at the end I'm really pleased with myself. Like, I made this this... Yeah.
…
Pema (VO): Let’s get down to the basics. What tools do Blythe and Arthur use to write and draw their stories and construct their models?
Blythe and Arthur (05:36.351)
I'm rarely found without a pen. I really enjoy pens and pencils. My favourite pen is a mushroom with a face. And if I'm sketching or drawing landscape, I'll often have a camera. I'll often take a photo of it if we're moving on from that place to keep it in my memory bank.
Blythe and Arthur (06:05.235)
and then when I get home I'll look at the photo on the camera and sketch it.
Pema (06:09.294)
And does that, the photos and your sketches, do they come through in your stories as well? Do you, when you think about writing about a setting or a scene, where does that come from?
Blythe and Arthur (06:22.857)
That often comes from the style of books that I read and listen to, but I'm certainly inspired by the Lake District and oceans and the way that light will fall on water. My settings are often very natural.
Pema (18:36.078)
Do you have notebooks for different notebooks for different things? you tell me about your notebooks?
Blythe and Arthur (18:39.574)
a lot of notebooks.
So I have one for my everyday journaling, which is the Positive Planner. And I do a monthly page and then every day I'll write in a week page about what's happened today, what I've thought, what I've felt, know, ideas. Like this was March and then I have goals, that kind of thing. So it's kind of keeping on track of things.
Blythe and Arthur (19:12.958)
and setting goals for the month, like what do I really want to focus on? And then I have another notebook where I write down my favourite recipes so that I have a big collection of whatever I want. I've got waffles in there and I think farinata. And then I have a poetry notebook and a writing notebook.
Pema (19:36.046)
I have notebooks like that too. have like a different notebook for all and it doesn't often make sense, I think, to other people why this notebook is for this thing and this notebook is for other things. Why do you feel like you like to separate things like that?
Blythe and Arthur (19:49.75)
I really like being organised and also for me it's the type of notebook. So when I draw, I like to draw on plain white paper but then when I'm doing journaling I like to the dots. Do you know what they are? Like the dotted rows. I find that useful but then when I'm writing I like having lines.
Pema (20:14.51)
Does it help you organize your thoughts a little bit? you're like, also, you know that this is a different sort of paper, so you're to have a different sort of feeling when you use it or a different sort of experience.
Blythe and Arthur (20:26.579)
Yeah, I mean, like, definitely, if I was to draw over lines, I think I wouldn't feel as satisfied because I would be able to see the lines underneath and be annoyed. But, like, I do all of my doodling on just a plain piece of paper in my doodle book. And then, you know, like the smoothness of the pen. I mean, I'm left handed, so it's nice not to have it smudge with the right pen on like the smooth white paper is nice and then when I'm writing on lines I'm like I can see it all laid out and it almost looks like a real book.
Pema (06:39.906)
And what about you, Arthur? So you, what's your main tool that you use aside from masking tape?
Blythe and Arthur (06:46.335)
My main tool is probably, apart from masking tape and paper, is sticks.
Blythe and Arthur (06:54.942)
I like to use the masking tape to stick the cocktail sticks together and then I can make all sculptures and frames.
Pema (07:10.638)
So they become the structure that you build around. That's really cool. So quite a lot of like found home stuff that you use to build your things, just things that you might find in any home really.
Blythe and Arthur (07:23.837)
He uses split pins a lot.
Blythe and Arthur (07:30.746)
I used the split pins to make these bits on the dragons.
Pema (07:35.894)
Wow, I love that. It's so amazing. your dragon.
Pema (VO): Arthur shows me his dragon. It’s got dainty wings, with cocktail sticks functioning as a bone structure under masking tape, and an articulated tail - that means that the tail is made of joints that move in a lifelike way. Some of the joints are made of pushpins, and then towards the end of the tail, the pushpins become cut pipe cleaners.
Blythe and Arthur (07:52.348)
Yes I did and then I got some more split pins like two days after but I felt but like we had a discussion and we all felt like it gave quite a bit of personality to it so
Pema (08:07.904)
I agree. Texture. It's really cool. And then the wings. Can you tell me about the wings?
Blythe and Arthur (08:13.822)
The ones are, they're cocktails, two cocktail sticks and they and then I stuck them onto paper and cut around them and then I put a little wire claw at each end.
Blythe and Arthur (09:02.362)
I just remembered that there was a video about how to make like the vertebrae on a snake so you can make it move with split pins and toilet paper. So toilet roll.
Pema VO: Another sort of toolkit, not to be forgotten, is inspiration, like through the work of other artists and writers.
Blythe and Arthur (15:08.026)
I like David Hockney and Cezanne because David Hockney never uses white. His paintings are all colour and I like Cezanne because he does lot of pastels and blending. I just really like his artwork because it's mainly of nature.
So I really enjoy Henry Matisse. I think both his paintings and his drawing with scissors, his cutouts, have a lot of life behind them and character. And also in literature, my favourite author is Tolkien because the way he paints his stories is so vivid to me and the characters are so funny and believable.
Pema (27:36.302)
So what are your favorite books guys? Can you tell me?
Blythe and Arthur (27:41.235)
Well, I really like the Narnia books and the Percy Jacksons.
Blythe and Arthur (28:08.656)
My favourite book, and it will never change, is Lord of the Rings. I just, I really love it. I listen to it all the time on audiobook. But I really like this one that my friend gave to me recently called, Raising Hair. Yeah, it's about, it's an adult book. So it's about a woman who, it's a true story who finds a lever, which is a baby hair, in the countryside near her house and she rescues it because it would die otherwise. And she has a really busy job and then the lever, just the way it moves, the way it approaches life teaches her to slow down and to go step by step and be more flexible.
Pema VO: Other books Blythe and Arthur recommended to me were Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell and the Little House on the Prairie books, by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Gerald Durrell and Alan Ahlberg.
Pema (16:10.83)
So I feel like you guys have mentioned a few things that you're inspired by, things like nature, light, structure, I think, liveliness and fun and interesting characters, and also then like myths and folklore. What else inspires you?
Blythe and Arthur (16:33.081)
I really like the great outdoors. Other people? Yeah.
Blythe and Arthur (16:42.227)
well I really like walking in the Lake District and I often for fun pack an adventure backpack just in case my parents say, hey a surprise, we're going to Scotland for three days to hike out.
Pema (17:00.792)
What goes in the adventure backpack?
Blythe and Arthur (17:05.497)
My binoculars, some spare clothes, some rope, a camera, a blanket and some various other essentials. Pen knife, pencil case.
Pema (17:21.208)
Blythe, tell me about other people.
Blythe and Arthur (17:26.497)
Well, a lot of my friends also enjoy being creative. And I do this club at my school called Dungeons and Dragons, where we almost create board games and stories using dice. And I really enjoy getting together and sharing ideas with people. And my friend also does journaling and writing.
Blythe and Arthur (17:54.954)
she'll come up with an idea and I'll be like, I need that idea and then I'll adapt it to be my own idea and use it. like my friends also do crochet and sometimes we'll come to school and share our projects together and work on them.
Pema (VO): I think creativity is catching like that! And when you surround yourself with other artists, you can exchange it like electricity. Make sure to note things down though, so you don’t forget your ideas.
…
Pema (33:02.574)
If you guys were going to suggest somewhere for somebody to start journaling, writing or constructing things, what would be your starter kit for them? What would you put in your backpack for them?
Blythe and Arthur (33:25.188)
Well, a piece of advice that I was given when I went to an author talk was it's quite difficult to keep a diary but it's still a good way of getting into literature. So they recommended writing one sentence a day. So that's what I do. I write a single sentence, no more, in my journal every night before bed and I find that a really nice routine thing. It doesn't take long so… You can always fit it into your day, no matter the time. And it can get you thinking and reflecting about what did happen in your day, what can I write about, and then eventually what other things can I write about.
Pema (34:10.552)
What about you, Arthur? How would someone start doing the things that you do?
Blythe and Arthur (34:17.02)
well, same as Blythe, that I think starting to do a diary, getting like into writing, and that turns out into like your life story. So then you can think about someone else's story and you're like, how do they react to this? What problems are there? And when do they, like when do they get frustrated?
Pema (32:00.13)
How do you feel when something doesn't turn out exactly how you expected or how you wanted?
Blythe and Arthur (32:07.217)
Usually I do get like annoyed with it and I'm like, oh, I wish this could be better. And then I'll take a break usually and do something else. Or sometimes like learn how can I do this better? You know, what's the reason why it's going wrong? But, you know, I do find it really annoying. I normally just get really frustrated and sometimes if it's like… gone really bad and it's beyond fixing point, like I can put it in the bin or I can be like, alright, start again, get a new one, is there any resources that you can use from the one that isn't usable anymore? Yes or no? Alright.
Pema (VO): Thanks to artists Blythe and Arthur for their thoughtful observations on their creative practice and for talking to me about the joys of pen and paper! If you’d like to see examples of the things they make and the way they use their journals, you can ask an adult to go to the episode listing on yoto.space/the-download where we have photos. Check them out there for your own inspiration.
[PAGE TURN SFX]
Yoto Matters: Jake Doodles
Hiya folks, Jake here with Yoto Matters… I would like to take a few moments to chat about one of my favourite things to do. I do it every day, I do it whilst I am doing other things, I do it to relax, I do it to keep my fingers busy, what is it I do do exactly? Well… I doodle… yes I love to doodle… I like to draw simple shapes, simple pictures, or patterns without really thinking too much about what I am doodling.
I looked up the definition of doodling in a few dictionaries and one of the words that featured in most was ‘aimlessly’ to draw aimlessly… and I like that idea, the idea of doing something without an aim. I like the idea of doing something without worrying about how perfect it will be, about even what it will look like… being creative without the stress of completing something perfect - and this is actually when we can be our most creative.
Hey, you can do it now if you like… I am going to carry on talking about doodling for a little bit, so if you like, I invite you to doodle whilst I talk… up to you
Doodling is a very instinctive, almost automatic process - I know when I doodle it’s like my hand starts drawing before I’ve even thought about it. Often I might start with a simple shape, a circle, an oval, a triangle, a square… but usually those shapes develop into something else… an oval might become a face and eventually a person… a circle might turn into a hot air balloon, I like drawing hot air balloons… often one shape, like a triangle, turns into many shapes, triangles within triangles within triangles and I end up with a big geometric pattern all over my page… I like to draw flowers and kites, ladders and fruit or sometimes even just big splodges… and like I say all of this is so often done aimlessly
Why do we doodle? - well it’s a little bit like daydreaming, it’s something we can do to engage the subconscious part of our brain… let’s just think about that for a moment the subconscious part of our brain
Think of your brain like a big iceberg
The top part (above the water) is your conscious mind — the part you use when you’re thinking, solving a math problem, or deciding what snack to eat.
The huge part under the water is your subconscious mind — you can’t see it, but it’s always working!
So what does the subconscious do?
Your subconscious mind is like a quiet helper that:
Stores memories — like your favourite birthday or how to ride a bike
Controls feelings — like getting nervous before a test or excited for a trip
Runs automatic actions — like walking, breathing, or tying your shoes without thinking
Builds habits — like brushing your teeth every morning
A simple way to imagine it:
It’s like an assistant inside you
You don’t tell it what to do all the time, but it remembers things and helps you without asking.
When you first learned to ride a bike, you had to think really hard.
But now, you can ride without thinking much — that’s your subconscious doing the job!
Doodling can help us access the feelings, memories, thoughts and ideas that are bubbling away in there - our subconscious. And some people believe that our doodles can tell us a little bit about the person who has drawn them - what they are like or how they are feeling
Drawing faces might suggest a people person
Busy, complicated doodles with lots of shapes and squiggles might suggest that person has a lot going on - maybe they are stressed
It’s not an exact science and different people may interpret the same doodle differently
And anyway for me, it’s not necessary to dig in to what my doodles might mean, I like to do it, I find it relaxing, it’s a mindful process - allowing me to focus on something without worrying about achieving something or making it perfect - there’s always a bit of room to do something aimlessly once in while
Have you been doodling while I’ve been talking? What did you end up doing? Whatever it was, I hope you enjoyed the process, a little time to just relax, listen and doodle… Thanks for listening folks, let’s turn the page
[PAGE TURN SFX]
Slow Down
Pema voice-over (VO):
Hey, we're almost finished with this episode of the Download. But first we're going to slow down, take a breath, and get cozy to listen to today's instalment of our fiction serial, Teatimers. If you're ready to listen to the story, play on. If you need to come back later, no worries, hit pause and come back when you're ready.
Teatimers, Episode Six
It was the end of August, and a long season of rain and thunderstorms had just begun to turn up occasional sunny days. Out in the sunshine one morning, Tiger shivered. It was still cold, the earth was clogged with rain, and the trees on the farm were whirling with the wind.
Tiger didn’t mind the mud or the intense weather, but they’d lately found themselves hoping for signs of Spring to show.
They were doing their usual tour of the yard, Glow, their dog, at their heels, when they came upon a mound that sat a little away from the house. The shape of the mound was interesting, so Tiger hadn’t levelled it for vegetable planting. Actually, they’d scattered a packet of local native wildflower seeds on it a few months back. They’d not worried much about it, just raked the seeds under the soil and then forgotten.
But now something amazing was happening. Amongst the muddy grasses, spindly green plants had started shooting up tall. Looking closely, Tiger thought they could see little buds, still clutching tight, but preparing to relax and unfurl sometime soon. What were the seeds they’d scattered here again? Tiger couldn’t remember. Better just see what happens, they thought.
Tiger knew all about the life cycle of plants. They knew that dry little seeds, in the right conditions - the right location and soil type, the right amount of sun and water, would open to reveal a living green plant. That plant would push its way to the surface of the soil, searching for more sun, more nourishment, so that it could grow healthy and strong. When ready, it would flower, and maybe a pollinator would spread its pollen and allow it to fruit, or maybe the flower itself would contain seeds, which would spread somehow, on the breeze, or via a small creature. If it fruited, perhaps an animal would eat the fruit and then pass the seeds via excrement, so it could all start again. There were so many ingenious ways the plant kingdom used to regenerate, come back, start over again. But it never failed to spark wonder in Tiger, that something they casually planted months ago, or a year ago, could suddenly spring from the ground.
The next morning, Tiger returned to the mound. Things looked pretty similar there, but maybe there are some hints of pink winking, suggesting to Tiger that they try again tomorrow. That maybe there would be something to see then.
Tiger went about their tasks.
They fed the chickens vegetable scraps from last night’s dinner and checked the egg hatch. Twelve beautiful eggs from the fifteen chickens. Tiger scratched some of their heads, gently.
They potted seeds for seedlings in the greenhouse. Every year, Tiger tried new varieties of their favourite vegetables. Heirloom tomatoes, cucumelons, squash and eggplants. They had splendid names. Rosa Bianca, little fingers. Those were eggplants. They were working on building a trellis arch, to grow loofahs over.
Tiger helped Poppa work on the crazy paving he was laying in the backgarden, a new terrace for them to have their lunches on in the summer. They’d need to put in more grape vines up over the old greying wood slats that made a pergoda, to get nice shade in the coming years.
Planted out the dahlia tubers with Nonna. Chopped up the vegetables for an early spring soup with Poppa.
Took a cold dip in the river that shared the land with them and made notes about what they’d done in their notebook.
Poppa had laid out the soup on the table with a new loaf of bread. My bread guy came past! He said. Poppa’s bread guy made amazing fruit loafs and sourdoughs, as well as swirly cardamom buns, but he didn’t have a regular schedule. You could never be certain when you’d hear the toot of his tiny van outside your front door. It was always a good day when Poppa’s bread guy turned up.
Poppa, Nonna and Tiger each grated a heap of parmesan on their soups. Nonna added her favourite shrimp chilli paste. Tiger loaded butter on their fresh bread. They ate, chatting about the garden, the chickens, the dog, the news and what they were going to do later that afternoon.
Nonna and Poppa were getting older. Tiger liked to help them around the house and their little farm as much as possible. They were both retired. Nonna was an artist, and still spent her afternoons in the big shed, swirling browns and raspberries and cool blues on giant canvases, dotting bright pastels here and there to illuminate the canvas. Poppa and his friends were in a competitive board game league. They trained most afternoons, and competed in championships.
Tiger wanted to spend their own afternoon relaxing. They took a book out to the old shrugging couch on the verandah. Glow came with them, and they curled up together to read. The wind was gusting through the trees, but they were protected on the verandah, and it was nice to look up from the page and see the trees waving. Reading on the couch turned into a nap. Nonna woke them for dinner. Nonna was quiet like Tiger, and Poppa kept them entertained while they ate. They watched an old movie together. Bed.
Tiger woke to the smell of sun. The yard outside their window was glowing with the morning. Magpies were warbling happily. Nonna was up already, and had made a pot of tea. Tiger took theirs out to the garden. They turned the corner that led to the mound.
It had transformed. Pink and white papery flowers covered the mound entirely. They looked like they were grinning; so warm and cheerful their colours, so flush and feathery their petals. Everlastings! Tiger thought. I remember, I sowed everlasting seeds!
The mound looked like it belonged to fairies. Spring fairies, that might dart around the long wiry stems, shaded by pink and green and white and yellow. Tiger ran for their grandparents, letting out the chickens as they went; the chickens should enjoy the flowers too!
Nonna, Poppa and Tiger stood together by the mound. Well, said Nonna, that’s beautiful, I’ve got to use more pink in my paintings. Poppa said, Springs here! and punched the air. Glow, less interested in flowers, lazily watched the chickens chasing each other around the lawn, very happy they were all outside together. Tiger felt a joyful little fire burning in their chest as they thought about the coming season. Warm swims with Glow, clear night skies filled with stars, delicious meals and all sorts of new growth in the garden.
Outro
Thank you for listening to season 2 of The Download, written and hosted by me, Pema, and Jake. The Download is produced by Yoto. Original music by Tom McCarthy.
Adults can check out yoto.space/the-download for more info on each of the episodes from this and the previous season, and there is also a survey there, if you’d like to give us any feedback on the show! Catch you soon!