Join Si Homfray on an interactive and vibrant journey of discovery with his debut in book publishing—a colourful exploration of wellbeing and mindfulness.
The Magic Forest and the Nature of Wellbeing marks the debut of British artist and designer Si Homfray into the world of publishing.
Drawing from his love for the great outdoors, extensive travels, and meaningful connections with people from all walks of life, Si distills his insights into this unique and vibrant book.
Describing The Magic Forest as a “visual system for wellbeing,” Si uses the metaphor of a forest to represent the essential areas of life. The system is simple yet profound, comprising seven trees and 49 keywords, offering a clear and intuitive framework for achieving holistic wellbeing.
“It’s my concise take on what truly matters for living your best life, and I’m incredibly proud of it,” says Si.
What inspired your latest book?
It was an itch that I had to scratch. It’s been an ongoing project for nearly 30 years. I was a lost soul. I was always trying to find some sort of answers and meaning, for myself and more latterly, for Max, my son.
The Magic Forest is my life’s work. It’s the distilled summary of everything I feel is important for living your best life.
Can you walk us through your writing process?
It’s been a very long process, but very thorough.
It was cathartic – but not for the faint hearted!
I started with a skeleton plan, an outline. Then there was lots of making notes and collecting them. I’d sit in cafés and draw and sketch and ask questions…
Lots of sleepless nights, constantly questioning.
Eventually I started showing my writing to my gallery patrons and customers who were a captive audience, which was wonderful. I made miniature dummy versions for customers to read and spent about a year and a half having fascinating conversations with people about the meaning of life. It was a really useful part of the editing process.
What kind of impact do you hope this book will have on your readers?
As an artist, you just hope that somebody gets something from the work that you do. You never expect it; you’re never sure where it’s coming from. Because the things that you really love, other people don’t necessarily love. And vice versa. You never know. If you get any response, that’s gold, that’s what you do it for. You never know whether you’re going to. You don’t expect it. It’s the humility that keeps you going.
Were there any particular challenges you faced while writing this book?
One of the biggest challenges was to be completely neutral. No opinion. It wasn’t about me. It was about everybody.
The broadest edit was writing for everybody. I wanted the book to have a universal appeal because we’re all fundamentally the same.
The sheer weight and responsibility of writing about the biggest subject that affects us all, our wellbeing. Making absolutely sure that I’d got the science right and the research right, that I haven’t missed anything.
How would you define success as an author?
Not money. It’s about human reactions. I call it making friends. If people like what you do, for the right reasons, not superficial ones, then you’re fine. It’s that bank of gorgeous friendships you’ve made.
My success is making friends, all those lovely golden moments you have with people that have read your book. The emails from people who the book has meant something special to. The success is the good stuff that comes back.
I’ve made some incredibly good friends and had some scintillating conversations and that is the joy of life. Some of those bonds are going to last forever. It was wonderful.
What made you decide to combine your art with writing?
It felt like a very natural progression, and part of the same creative process. It’s one big pot of spaghetti that you’re unravelling!
I’m doing what I love now, which is wonderful. My work involves free expression, unhindered by other people. I’m just doing what I want to do.
I’ve found the creative processes of art and writing very similar. Both are about expressing what you want to say primarily, and then finding all the different ways of saying it and doing it.
You’re using your words as paint.
How would you describe your artistic style?
Evolving! It’s always evolving. You’re always trying to find something new and something nobody else has done. Whether it’s simplifying something, like developing the icons for the book.
For instance, one of the biggest challenges, how do you create a smiley face to represent happiness, an icon that’s been well documented and well used for 70 years. How do you create your own? There’s a challenge! And for hope – how do you create an icon that represents hope?
Where do you find inspiration for your visual pieces?
Inspiration for my visual pieces is mixed. Over the last thirty years or so, my art has been about the outdoors and outdoor pursuits (mountaineering, climbing, running and cycling) in beautiful places.
Developing the iconography for The Magic Forest was about drilling down to the essence and the truth of what you want to say. The inspiration is the process. Constantly asking myself, “Can that be better?”. Continual refinement. And that feeling when you get it right is wonderful.
How do you choose the medium for your art, and does it vary depending on the message you want to convey?
My principal media is digital. I do draw, and work in pencil constantly. I also do a lot of work using paper. Cutting paper, printing paper, folding paper, for instance to produce paper visuals of the products we’re making, I find that quite exciting.
Painting is something I’m saving for retirement!
What’s the relationship between the visuals and the narrative in your book?
The story in the book is very straightforward. It’s almost a list of inspiring quotes and messages about all the big aspects of life. The narrative is live your best life and live your life together. It’s all about being together. We’re all as one. We’re all in the same boat.
Do you approach creating art with the same mindset as writing, or are they completely different processes?
It’s the same process really. You’re looking at the end point of what you’re trying to say. Whether you’re doing it with words, key strokes or pen strokes, stringing things together in the right order is the challenge. Getting the sequence right, so it really flows. And being patient enough to edit ruthlessly.
How do you see your art and writing, complementing or contrasting with each other in the future?
It’s a long term project, but I’m working on some really big pieces that encapsulate the philosophies of living your best life. That’s where my ambition lies. At some point there will be an exhibition that curates a fusion of graphic design, art and my writing about wellbeing.
It’s going to be fun. I’ve got some grand plans. Watch this space!
Si Homfray is a professional creative, artistic designer, general adventurer and now author.
Si has a keen love of the outdoors and an adventurous spirit, loving fell running, mountain biking and rock climbing. Previous adventures include running all of Britain’s long distance footpaths before his 25th birthday, and running across the Himalayas in 1986.
Today, Si is at his happiest, both in terms of his work and his life – hence writing the book.
He has been involved in producing pioneering graphic designs for most of the UK’s most famous outdoor brands including Rab and the National Trust.
Today, Si runs a bijou gallery in Hathersage in Derbyshire’s Peak District displaying thoughtful, contemporary and colourful artworks. In addition to The Magic Forest book, the gallery sells high quality, design-led giftware, soft furnishings and ceramics, and is focused on sustainable local manufacturing and strong ideas that resonate with customers.
One of Si’s most loved work is The Contour Range based on the geographical contours of UK National Parks.
Website: parkdesigns.co.uk
Author: Si Homfray
Location: UK
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