Creator Spotlight - @paddingtum

Who are you, where are you based and how would you describe what you do?

I’m Tatum, I’m a Californian based in London, and I would say that I like to write, journal, scrapbook, go to coffee shops and bakeries and markets, collect anything flat and scannable, and turn all of the above into zines, Substack essays, Tik Toks, and digital scrapbook Instagram posts! I also work full time as a Social Media Manager at a record label called Young, and on the side I design magazines and do a few other creative bits for a music publication called Ones To Watch. I usually just tell people I like to make things and that I work in music haha.

How do you incorporate small acts of creativity into your life?

I try to journal every day, even when I don’t have much to write about. Most times, I’ll write about whatever is on my mind, and other times, I’ll doodle. If I have a bad day, I’ll force myself to write a list called “today might not be good but there’s something good in every day” where I list out things that made me smile that day. My journal is a chaotic mix of written entries, junk journal spreads, and drawings, and I’ve been doing it since I was 13! Flipping through my old journals always puts things into perspective, I can highly recommend it.

I absolutely love your social media accounts, they're so well curated. Any tips for making an authentic instagram feed?

Thank you so much :)! For the longest time, I felt stressed out over the idea of not having an artistic aesthetic. But then, once I let go of the idea that my art (and my social media by extension) has to look a certain way, I inadvertently ended up creating a style that has become completely my own.

I would say:

1. Pull inspiration from the way a thing makes you feel, as opposed to the thing itself (my recent zine was partially inspired by old picture books I used to read, like Fancy Nancy and Angelina Ballerina -- the illustrations and stories make me feel whimsical and evoke a sense of childlike wonder and nostalgia, which inspired lots of the pastel colors and messy doodles throughout the project)

2. Post what makes you happy (I like to include random videos that make me laugh or smile. Like one time, in a photo dump, I added a Tik Tok of this guy who grew a massive basil plant because I thought it was hilarious)

3. There are no rules!!!

What fuels your creativity? What stifles it?

A lot of the things I make (or write about) are inspired by my everyday life, so I’d say going outside, seeing loved ones, and people watching fuels my creativity. I feel like most of my ideas come to me when I’m either going on a walk, sitting on some form of public transportation on the way home from hanging out with friends, or (very randomly) in the shower, which I have zero explanation for. Maybe during times of quiet reflection? I think doom scrolling tends to stifle it, as well as the times where I let my ideas remain as abstract ideas and nothing more. Putting ideas down on paper and then trying to make sense of them always helps me.

Who are some cool creators that inspire you?

My ultimate comfort creator who inspires much of my art and the way I see the world is Shayna Klee, aka The Purple Palace. She’s a mixed media artist, writer, youtuber, and musician based in Paris and her outlook on life is just so refreshing and magical! I also love @luludrawww, @filmbymimo, @girlswhocluster, @jordanklancaster, and @maggs_rags. Seeing their creations and posts always makes me happy.

you can check out more of Tatum's work on instagram @paddingtum ★