Madeline Clayton: A Few Of My Favourite Things

As a Brooklyner, my workspace is pretty much any surface area in my entire apartment. 

My husband Jared and I take turns toggling between the table, sofa, kitchen, bedroom, and study. 

Some days our living is converted into a piano room (thanks to my husband Jared), and other days, our study becomes a painting studio. 

The rooms are very fluid and inspire in different ways. So there are bits of inspiration and sentiment scattered all around, rather than these items being contained in one room. It’s a collection from all over the home. 

The Cookbooks

I draw a lot of inspiration from cooking, mainly because it’s a place for me to create freely in a very low-stakes environment. 

I find the intuitive nature of navigating the kitchen an important creative reset as well. It frees up my brain in the process, but sharing a yummy meal is a great way to keep creative conversations alive. 

These cookbooks are a symbol of that; they are prompts and guides that inspire a dinner party idea, an easy weekday meal, or a way to learn something new. 

The latest to the collection is CIBI, a Japanese cookbook gifted to me by my mother. 

She’s the reason I love to cook. 

I grew up watching her magically whip up delicious meals every day for my family while being a professional home cook and food editor. 

Living overseas, I find sharing recipes and photos of meals I’ve cooked as a way for us to stay connected.

The Photograph

This is an original print photograph made by my maternal grandmother (I’m sensing a theme of matriarchy as a huge inspiration for me). 

This is from her first and only public show at the National Art Gallery in Canberra, titled Backyards and Bedrooms. 

She is an incredible photographer, and I have a couple of her original prints hung in my home. 

I also have a tonne of her collected photography books that I shipped out after she sold her home. 

I’m really proud of her as she was a photographer in an era when women weren’t celebrated as much as male artists. 

Her film photography is astounding; she operated out of a darkroom she built in her own home. 

Her eye for composition and capturing these off-the-cuff moments of life has been deeply inspiring to my personal work. 

The Blu-Rays

I can’t take full credit for our stash of Blu-rays, as my husband was collecting them before I came into the picture. 

We’re avid collectors of The Criterion Collection - we live for the special features and behind-the-scenes. 

It’s such a joy nestling into a movie night at home to watch a special film that you might not be able to find online, along with the restorations and special features. 

Jared and I will often become obsessed with a certain director and attempt to watch the entirety of their work... or force our friends into an annual movie night of Salo, 120 Days Of Sodom for fun (yes, fun). 

It’s like we have our own in-home Blockbuster, and “going to the movies” is a saying in our household, which means picking out an old favourite and sinking in for a night of obscure cinema history. 

The Painting

I’m not a painter, but I do like throwing paint on the canvas for fun. 

This is a photo of my first painting, which is hung above Jared’s piano. 

It tells me that it can’t be too horrible, as he’s willing to look at it while he plays music. 

It’s called Forest in the Full Moon. I love trees. And full moons. So I decided to combine the two into this acrylic, canvas-on-canvas mess. 

Kinda like cooking, painting is just a way for me to create in a low-stakes environment. 

Another theme I’m sensing through this assignment is perhaps all these objects are less of an inspiration to my filmmaking and more a distraction... 

The Tea Holders

Back in the kitchen again. 

Tea is such a huge part of my everyday ritual. And the mugs that hold the tea are also a big part of the experience of drinking it. 

Every time I sit down to write, I’ll make a tea. 

If I’m about to watch a movie, I’ll make a tea. 

If I’m about to jump on a call, I’ll make a tea. 

It's probably inherited from my mother. 

Sometimes I don’t even drink the tea; it’s more so the process of making it that makes me feel like I’m about to start something. 

Or end a day. 

It’s a way to get in and get out of the workday, for me.