Soutar Fine Art: Inspiration and Appreciation

Inspiration comes in many forms when you work in media, from the walk to work to the art on our walls, there is always something that catches your attention and as a collector of art, our creative director takes inspiration from the work and many stories of the talented Stewart Nicol Soutar, a fine artist with an extensive back catalogue of work and anecdotes that we wanted to share.

Stewart Nicol Soutar has a creative background that has seen him teach, work on sets with a wide range of TV shows and creating advertising blocks while working on what has been dubbed neo surrealist abstract work that captivates the imagination and sold to critical acclaim in the European and American markets where his work features in the finest galleries and homes.

His newest venture takes some of his iconic work and puts them in limited edition format encapsulating his stellar art and varied collection into a series of beautiful framed images that can be placed in your home as an accent piece or in a work environment as a conversation piece.

*Corporate art collections are now common and can elevate your space from a standard office to a comfortable gallery atmosphere with minimal effort.

Personally we are going to be negotiating with Stewart about hiring pieces that will be used for editorials and film and possibly even adding to our collection of original art work because we appreciate the value of having these stunning images as both art and inspiration.

To learn more about the artist or to purchase work see:

Soutar Fine Art Website.

A New Addition To The Lost Library

A new addition to the lost library is the fantastic book by Begona F Martin titled Special Makeup Effects & Prosthetics - An essential guide, a truly fascinating and well structured look at the potential of special FX and prosthetics aimed at the cosplay market, it offers up a wealth of information, resources and tips that will be beneficial to a wide range of creatives from makeup artists working in media to cosplayers looking to up their game.

With her extensive background in the arts as well as FX, Begona’s (BB to her friends) book is to me, a must read for those looking to expand their knowledge and test the waters of flat moulds and silicone, with step by step images and detailed explanations of each process with cost-efficient recommendations that will help those on a budget looking to get more creative in their work taking you through materials and techniques in a way that is easy to follow and insightful.

From the images to the text, it is all created by Begona over two years showcasing absolute passion for not just the special FX industry but sharing the skills that she has gained over the course of her career.

To learn more about the book or to purchase from her range of ready made FX or just to follow her work see:

Begona F Martin Website and Store.

BBFX Etsy Store.

Begona Martin Instagram.

Cosplay Instagram.

Talking Theatre With HeadlessActing

Theatre is a major part of the cultural scene and we are happy to talk to one of the people aiming to put Scottish talent on the map with a series of shows aimed at the stage and building on their own experiences in the field, from sourcing funding to casting, HeadlessActing is pushing the envelope of the creative arts.

Why don’t you start by introducing yourself and telling the lost audience what you do in the creative arts? 

My name is Brandon Ferguson and I’m an Actor and writer.  Recently, I created the production company ‘Headless Acting’ as a way to produce and perform some of my own  pieces of writing. Currently, HeadlessActing is working on two plays with a third being in early development.

You have been talking on social media about your recent Fringe show and plans to do more stage work from a Scottish perspective, can you tell us more about that? 

Yes, I have just finished my first ever run at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, I was playing ‘Peter’ in “Alba” which was written by Jack Byrne and Jordan Howat of ‘Action Theatre Scotland’. I had a wonderful time working on that. I’d never smiled more in my entire life, on the stage and off.

Once the Edinburgh Fringe was over I was just so eager to jump into something else, I decided it was time to create my own work. The Theatre industry in Scotland is dying a slow and painful death, whether that’s to do with ticket prices or even just that theatre is seen as “posh.” I wanted to fix that. I wanted to bring in a brand new audience, reach people who may never have stepped inside a theatre before. 

I had written a play about an event in Scottish history, but this play was a huge task. I would need a big team and a lot of funding. So,  I chose to start with something else, something smaller. So I wrote “*Smoke Not Included” which is a Stoner Comedy on the Stage. This play is one act, one location and four characters. What better way to bring in a new audience than putting on a stoner comedy haha.

Something we have noticed is you are very theatre focused with stage being a major part of your social media showcase, can you tell us what made this your focus as a creative? 

I’ve always been interested in theatre.  I never got to see much of it prior to being in high school, but I was always so entranced by the theatre. The sets and costumes, the actors! It’s magic! Buy a ticket, grab a drink and sit and enjoy the show. You might see a perfectly executed performance, you might see actors breaking character and causing everyone to laugh, you might even happen to see a story that touches you in a way a TV show or Movie never could. I like to say that theatre is just a live action book. When someone reads a book they can imagine what is happening and what the world may look like. Well, on the stage it is the exact same! The audience has a suspension of disbelief, you don’t need backdrops and a full room of sets. You just need the actors and a few important pieces of set or prop and the imagination of the audience does the rest. It’s great! 

“There’s also what I said before about the theatre industry in Scotland dying. I don’t think I could just stand back and watch that happen. I had to create. I had to try and show people that theatre isn’t scary, it isn’t too posh for you and it shouldn’t be too expensive.”

You recently talked about a crowdfunding campaign for your projects. Can you tell us more about the project and what is being planned?  Will you focus solely on theatre or expand into other areas of work? 

We are raising money for our first production, “*Smoke Not Included” , on Kickstarter, we still have a few hundred pounds left to raise. I couldn’t even describe this play to you if I tried, it’s quite silly, lighting and sound is used in a way to emphasise humour, there’s a lot of fun moments but at its heart, there’s a nugget of sadness. Neil, Jacko, Lauren and Aaron are our characters. They all have quite interesting relationships with each other. I won’t say too much haha. We’re currently casting for Aaron and Neil, submissions are open until 20th October. We are planning on going to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival next year as well as having a few performances in Fife. We also intend on filming the production and posting that on YouTube sometime after we finish doing the show. This is a way to combat theatre shows being short lived. We’re kind of immortalising it on YouTube haha. 

I do believe that HeadlessActing will remain working in theatre, but that’s not to say there isn’t a short film or two in the works.

What does the future hold for you and your team in media and creative terms?  What can we expect to see from you?

Currently HeadlessActing has a 4-Year plan. We aim to cast, rehearse and perform a show every year for the next four. We want to work with as many Scottish creatives that we can! I can’t say too much right now but we are working with a Scottish Artist and a Scottish Musician on one of our projects right now. We are also aiming to cover a wide range of genres. Starting with Comedy, then Horror, then History, Then Noir. If you’re following our Instagram (headless_acting) and our Twitter (@HeadlessActing) you’ll see we post updates all the time! Right now we are casting for *Smoke Not Included. We’ve received a lot of submissions and the self tapes are coming in now. We’re very excited for what the future holds.

To learn more about HeadlessActing or to support their work see:

*Smoke Not Included Crowdfunding Campaign.

HeadlessActing Instagram.

HeadlessActing Twitter.

Sons of Adonis Concealer: A Kit Must Have

We are incredibly proud of our association with the Sons of Adonis range, so much so our creative director JamesC, was able to consult and is extremely grateful to have a concealer brush with his name on it as part of the collection. As a concealer aimed at the men’s grooming market we can see the advantages for both the consumer and professional and will address key aspects of this here.

With a current 3 shade range, this is a good pro starting point for mixing and will easily fit into your working kit and offer up a premium product that not only works but suits a wide range of different applications.

In what has become an increasingly HD world, men are more and more expected to be camera ready for meetings and presentations, TV appearances, film work and family photographs to name but a few occasions that are integral to life now.

Something as simple as a touch of concealer can wake up your look for an interview, or presentation in the office, and lets not forget the ever present Zoom calls that we are frequently asked for these days. Yes, I too have had to “Zoom” and give speeches and needed that little extra edge that Sons of Adonis gives to make me look respectable.

From a makeup artist perspective JamesC understands that a product like concealer needs to be pro grade (which this is) and stand up to the rigors of a shoot as well as look natural in the real world.

The Sons of Adonis range is our personal go-to for work across genres and features heavily in the work of the lost for good reason and we plan to show why with a Q and A blog with founder Shakti Sood who developed this range and has put a huge amount of time into the product to meet the needs of his clientele.

To learn more about the range or to purchase see:

Sons of Adonis Website.

Sons of Adonis Instagram.

Timeline Updates

While the blog and other elements have been very quiet of late, we do apologize for this, it does not mean we have been idle. In fact it is the opposite with so much in the works we have had to set deadlines for projects and new launches before time really ran away and we lost track of what is being done.

Some of the domains we own are now due for renewal and we are using that as the baseline for soft launching websites and taking down some of the older work to make things as clean as possible.

With a wedding under our belt, in what will be a two-part package, there is some really beautiful images coming from that which will showcase our creative director and founder working as well as our beautiful bride.

Lost Creatives is going to be changed dramatically as well with new galleries being worked out to match the upcoming Lost Project Media site that will be the home of our video and print work, a mix of editorial and commercial campaigns, more on this later.

James will be launching a fresh new site which as a makeup artist he wanted to be a whole set of new work all tailored to the lost identity and brand and completely different from his previous site with a focus on the commercial.

In the next week we will be doing a very interesting set of blogs piece about indie brands that popped up on our radar and will be playing a part in the working kit of our house artist. Both of which are interesting and will offer very different perspectives on a makeup kit as well as product usage and placement.

With an end goal of updating not just the websites but our other networking sites such as Vshowcards, by August we will be well on our way to the whole new look and entirely different brand identity than when we started and it is truly exciting to see how things have developed from where we began.

Talking Politics and YouTube With That Preston Journalist

Building on his early success, Ashley aka That Preston Journalist, has opened up to The Lost Creatives about his journey as a podcaster and journalist in the YouTube sphere.

Since we first talked to you about your You tube channel and political commentary, what has changed for you as a podcaster and how has that affected your channel? 

When we first spoke, my channel was very much in its infancy. Since then, it has grown bigger than I thought and continues to pick up around a thousand new subscribers each month. As a result, it no longer feels like a hobby or a past time, it is now something that is very much part of my daily routine. As the audience grows, the content I put out has to be taken more seriously as well. When I first started, I was talking to maybe 100-500 people, now the channel generates 50,000-100,000 views per day so it has to be good. 

Working to YouTube restrictions on what you can talk about is difficult, but when it comes to politics, most things are OK. I have also been asked by other channels to appear with them as well which I have done on many occasions, but the main passion is always with the daily content. 

“It is also quite nice to be recognised by people in the street, I am by no means a celebrity, nor do I wish to be, but it does happen sometimes and it is always nice to hear that someone enjoys the channel because it takes up so much time and a lot of effort goes into it.”

One of the things that stands out about your work is you talk from a working man's perspective rather than the usual political bubble stance. What do you think makes this important and how can people be more involved in the discussions? 

One of the biggest compliments I get is that I am a working class man from a working class background. I am not part of the establishment, I live and work in the same streets and towns as the people who watch me, this means I am far more relatable than someone sat in a studio in London who knows nothing about life outside the M25. 

I am very lucky to have an active audience who leave thousands of comments on my channel every week. Its fantastic to see so many people engaged, it shows that the content is interesting and thought provoking, which is exactly what I want. Also, in terms of YouTube, the more comments and interaction you get, the more it aids the channel algorithmically.

Are there political aspirations in your future or do you have other goals in mind that you can share with us?  

I have harboured political aspirations in the past, but to be honest, I, like many millions of people in this country, am politically homeless. This, I feel, helps the channel because it gives me some impartiality. I can never say never about maybe standing for a party one day, but it won’t be any of the current parties, they all represent the same things and do not represent me. 

I would like to do further media work, perhaps radio or even TV discussion shows, but they are such a closed shop to anyone who isn’t, or hasn’t in the past been a part of the media scene. I am in no hurry to do either really, my channel gets more views a day than some organisations who spend millions of pounds on presenters etc… such as GB news and Talk TV. IF any opportunities did come my way, there is no way I could sacrifice my YouTube channel, it has taken a lot of dedication and hard work to build it up to the position it is in now and I wouldn’t throw it away for anyone. 

What message would you like to convey to your viewers and potential viewers in terms of what you are doing as a podcaster highlighting the political realm?  

The idea of starting the channel came to me because I was so frustrated with the group-think media we have in the UK. Whoever you watch on the TV, whether it be the BBC, ITV, SKY etc… They all say and think the same things, it's just a big echo chamber. 

I wanted to present a different side to politics in this country, what I would consider to be the opinions of the silent majority who are not represented, but these are the people who decide elections, they deserve to hear news from all different aspects. 

If anyone reading this is wondering whether or not to give it a watch, I would ask them to ask themselves, do you believe everything you are told by the mainstream? Is there not another point of view out there to consider? If the answer is yes, then my channel is the place for you. 

I discuss all sorts of subjects in relation to politics and try to remain impartial most of the time, but I do it with passion, so the impartiality lapses sometimes, but I feel that adds character to the videos and debates. Some people who watch my channel don’t even agree with me most of the time, but they keep watching, so I guess that means I am doing something right, if people keep coming back for more, the content must be worth watching. 

To learn more or to subscribe to “That Preston Journalist” Channel see:

That Preston Journalist YouTube.

That Preston Journalist Twitter.

Building Your Team Featuring Vshowcards

Something I have seen quite a lot of when on social media is the individualist aspect of marketing, by that I mean promotion of just one aspect of what you do as a creative, forgetting that when it comes to a shoot be it film, TV, or photographic it is a team affair.

One of the biggest reasons we say this is because our own creative director JamesC has reached out to the team behind vshowcards and will be working with them to assess a proposal for upcoming projects.

Networking, promotion and just old fashioned relationship building over time can be a difference maker in the world of film and TV, we rely on each other to make a shoot run smoothly and efficiently so having good relationships with the team make a huge difference.

With Vshowcards you have access to the a huge number of professionals within industry that will support your moves and if you reach out are willing to help and support, you just need to ask.

From an industry standpoint there is so much more than just your skillset to consider, you are a part of a team, the machine works because we do and supporting each other is the way to move forward and building your team is a lot easier when you have all your information at your fingertips and know you can reach out to others with questions.

To learn more about the Vshowcards set up or to join see:

Vshowcards Website.

Vshowcards Facebook.

Vshowcards Twitter.

Vshowcards Instagram.

Vshowcards YouTube.

Mykitco Brush Box: The Artist Solution For Shoots

When it comes to kit for pro makeup artists (and aficionados) Mykitco has become the go to brand focusing on brushes, tools and storage, they are an artist brand at heart understanding not just the changing face of the business but being on top of the creative needs of its customers base which is why the latest addition to the range: My Brush Box TM is a savvy addition to the brand.

As we all know, how we work as artists has changed with people being more aware of hygiene and looking closer at the way we store our kit, brushes in this case being one of the most important, the Mykitco Brush box is a real plus on that front for a number of reasons:

Brushes can be packed to suit the work at hand with multiples for a shoot being placed in the box on both sides or *as illustrated above, with brushes and small palettes that can be stored quickly and easily to access during a shoot in a set bag such as the Backstage Buddy available in small, medium and now a large backstage buddy option, without risk of damage as they roll around in the bag.

With its core of artistry led design at the heart of the business, it is no surprise that artists including our own JamesC, have taken the brand on as go-to for their professional needs.

To learn more about the Mykitco range or to purchase see:

Mykitco Website.

Mykitco Instagram.

For details on their pro discount click here.

Reaching Out in 2023

As we are in the first week of a new year, the lost creatives team has been making really positive moves and reaching out to not just new people but spending time talking to old friends in the realm of photography to discuss potential studio and location shoots.

With our first official telephone meeting of the year now done, we are very excited by the potential of what is being proposed and can start really taking stock with a view to moving our own brand forward.

New in the mix is creative director Jamesc, who wants to do not just horror based shoots but go back to freestyle painting (inspired by the amazing makeup artist Linda Mason) for editorial and showcase once again, his creative talents.

Over the coming weeks we will be releasing more news and updates including interviews with actors, producers and other creative talent.

Welcome to 2023, lets make it a good one!

The Lost Creatives Christmas

In the last few weeks of 2022 (where has the time gone!!??) The Lost Creatives has gone from strength to strength, don’t get me wrong there have been pitfalls, but overall we have been able to create a network of people that is amazing, offer PR and other forms of support to fellow creatives that was after all the goal of the site.

Christmas for us, will be a time of relaxation with a heavy focus on what will be done in the new year, with commercial work and PR for clients having been the heaviest part of our workload, our creative director JamesC, will be returning to work as a makeup artist on a more open basis and taking on smaller projects to bolster the public side of his work and spending time on some personal projects that will be featured not just here on the Lost Creative but his own site and our partner site The Lost Agency who will be taking a heavier hand in our own marketing and internal affairs. *This means we will be returning to Instagram soon!

We have had some disappointments lately, with meetings and reaching out to potential collaborators falling through mainly due to scheduling issues which as you can imagine as a freelancer, has been a pain, however that will not stop us from pushing forward and with our ties to HOD TV, we will be focusing on that for the future and tackling things in a much more hard-line manner.

Our passion for the arts is not waning, far from it, we have collated magazines, festivals and other information that we intend to make full use of for ourselves, up until now we have put a vast amount of time into clients and not been able to put the lost concept at the forefront but, we are incredibly proud of the fact people have trusted the team.

In the next few weeks we will be releasing our goals and a schedule for this through the site along with a few snippets of art projects to test the waters.

For the moment we are going to allow ourselves a little breathing space for the festive season and release more information soon and options to get involved.