Costas
Bonny Snowdon 00:06
Hello, I'm Bonny Snowdon, ex corporate person, a mother turned successful artist entrepreneur. It wasn't that long ago though that I lacked the confidence, vision and support network to focus on growing my dream business. Fast forward past many life curveballs, waves of self-doubt and so many lessons learned and you'll see Ignite, my thriving online colour pencil artists community, a community that changes members lives for the better and gives me freedom to live abundantly whilst doing what I love and spending quality time with my beloved family and dogs, all whilst creating my best artwork with coloured pencils, and mentoring others to do the same. But this life wasn't always how it was for me, it used to only exist in my imagination. I've created the It's a Bonny Old Life podcast to help increase people's confidence, share mine and my communities experience and hope through fascinating personal stories, champion the other amazing humans in my personal, professional and membership community, and create another channel through which I can support others to realize their dreams. If you're a passionate colour pencil artist, or an aspiring one who's looking to create their best work, and a joyful life you love, you're in the right place. Grab a cuppa and a custard cream, let's get cracking. My guest this week is all the way from Crete in Greece, freshly back from picking olives. The most fabulous chap and a really wonderful part of my community. Amazing sense of humour and incredible artist with actually an awe-inspiring story to tell as well. So, this week, I am very pleased to be speaking to the wonderful Costas. Costas, good morning. Thanks so much to see you.
Costas 01:55
Yeah, I’ve disappeared for a bit but I'm here now. It's the time of the year that I have to pick my olives like a true Cretan.
Bonny Snowdon 02:08
Oh, my goodness, what a brilliant start to our podcast. Oh, wow. We're just going to dive straight in Costas. We're just going to dive straight in because there's so many things, I want to talk to you about. And I'm just so glad that you said that you come in and chat to me because honestly, you're such a lovely person. And you've been such a brilliant member of my community and everything and coming in and saying you've been away for a while because you need to pick your olives. It's just wonderful. Well, I'd love you to just introduce yourself, tell us a little bit about you, who you are, we definitely need to know about the olives and you and the area of where you live.
Costas 03:01
I'm in Greece, in Crete in the area of Hania. I’m 47. I have a great son who is 15 right now and knows everything so saves me time. Because he knows everything and he knows everything like what to do and whatnot you know teenagers and boys. And I have three sisters older than me. I'm the youngest in the family, the only boy. I come from a family of farmers; my dad was a farmer that's why the olives. And I spent my childhood in a village next to the sea. And it was great. It was really good and farmer's life as a kid you hate it. You don't want to wake up in the morning, early in the morning and run to the fields to either pick olives or grapes or orange juice or whatever. You absolutely hated as a kid but then you grow up and it's a different connection, it's going back to nature and do what people were doing hundreds of years before you and it's a love and hate between me and olives. I don't want to wake up in the morning and go and pick them but when I'm there it's a whole different story. I don't know what else.
Bonny Snowdon 04:12
Do you have your own farm, olive farm?
Costas 04:39
Yeah, I have my own trees. I have about 350 trees that I have to collect. It's not many. People in cretin can do like 3000, 2000, 4000 trees. It's a process that we do every year and It's a good income at the end. for a couple of weeks.
Bonny Snowdon 05:06
Yeah. And you sell the olives?
Costas 05:07
Yeah, I have the kind of, it's not olives to eat, it's olives for olive oil. So, they have to go to a factory to produce the olive oil.
Bonny Snowdon 05:20
Right. Okay, so no snuffling a few when you're picking them.
Costas 05:25
No, they are horrible sweet like that.
Bonny Snowdon 05:32
Brilliant. I am right in thinking this out like because when I see you on Zoom, you're always in. You have an art shop, don't you?
Costas 05:40
Yeah, I have art supplies as well. I have a bookshop and stationery and mostly kids’ books. Because they are more colourful and brighter. And plus, I get to get little customers that come in and they want to look and they want to play with the books because they have all these colours and all these lights and noises and it's fun. Sometimes they'll come in and they have this bag full of coins that they collect slowly and then they come in and it’s like what can I buy and it's brilliant. And I have some art supplies. I used to have a lot more. I don't right now because of COVID and lockdowns having a stock became very difficult. But now I have the most common things like paints and brushes. But I don't have the big variety I used to have. But it's a shop that I love. Originally, I was an interior designer and draftsman. But with the economic crisis, I lost my job. Basically, I quit my job because things got difficult. I was a year unpaid working in office. And then I decided that that's not for me. And I had a family support. So, I had to go. And for two years I was doing whatever I could find basically picking olives or pruning trees or cleaning pools, working in small certain summer or whatever, summer job is fine. And then I decided to open a shop. And the only stuff I could imagine myself in it was art supplies, books, because I love them and toys because I'm just with a kid.
Bonny Snowdon 05:58
And when was that? When did you open your shop?
Costas 07:44
It was August 2013. Nine years now and something. Slowly I started building up the shop. Again, I’m starting to pick up again because after two years of lockdowns it went down and I was thinking whether I should keep it or close it. But slowly, it's coming back and I hope for the best. I was there like 20 minutes ago. I was sorting diaries for next year and now I'm here talking.
Bonny Snowdon 08:25
I think it’s absolutely nice. Are you four hours ahead?
Costas 08:31
Two hours ahead.
Bonny Snowdon 08:33
Two hours ahead?
Costas 08:34
Yeah.
Bonny Snowdon 08:35
Right. And obviously I went to Corfu, this last year, which was really lovely. Vicki, and I keep saying we need to come and have a trip to Crete come and visit you.
Costas 08:46
Yes, you do. Because Corfu it's nice, but it's not like Crete.
Bonny Snowdon 08:54
Isn't it funny? Well, it's not funny, is it? But you know, you kind of think of Greece and the Greek islands as all being very similar. And they're really not, are they?
Costas 09:04
No, actually I'll say differently. Some I was watching an interview of Greece singer I liked. And at some point, he said that Greece is like a theme park. It's like Disneyland. That you have different areas with different vicinity around just getting different. It's everywhere you go. Like Crete is more wild and big mountains but you cannot go ski on them because they're very rough. And then you have the Greek islands that you see all over with the White Houses and the blue doors. But then you go up at the centre of Greece is big forests and lovely forests. Then up north is getting different again, like you'd have all these stone houses and rivers and lakes and it's always different. Like if you're driving around, it gets different every two hours. You have a different look.
Bonny Snowdon 10:13
Yeah. Amazing. When I was younger, I lived at home we spent every summer in Greece. Usually, we did come to Crete as well. We had a boat, we had a motorboat, in Corfu. It's like to eight, it was quite a big boat. It wasn't particularly fancy. But it got us from A to B. And it was just wonderful. And we just go around the Greek islands in the summer. Honestly, my most loved memories, I think are from when we were in Greece. When you can kind of recall funny things or being with family and stuff it was always in Greece, which is just fabulous. And going back there this year was wonderful with my children. It was really nice. So, yeah, I'll tell Vicki, we need to set a date, come and visit.
Costas 11:08
I'll be here as always. Crete is a great place. To be honest, after school, I wanted to escape Crete. I want to live Crete as every teenager, I want to go to live somewhere else. And I went to Athens for my college. And in the beginning, I had no intention of coming back. But then you grow up, you see things differently. And see in the beginning you get all this freedom. And for me because growing up in a village here in the 80s, it's not ideal for a kid in a way. Because we don't have like cars and stuff, to go to the city to watch a movie or go shopping. And so, I felt a bit restricted here. And when I finished l high school, I went to Athens. For me it was paradise.
I could go see movies and theatres and I had exhibitions. I was always crazy about art. And it was great. It was a freedom I didn't have before and being in college and doing something I loved. And it was great. But the reality comes after college when you have to find a job and be in the subway every day going up and down, up and down and you work from home. And all of a sudden you realize that this is not what I want for my life. And the reason we moved with my ex-wife now, back to Crete because I didn't want to raise a kid in a big city. We wanted to have a baby and I want my kids to grow up in an environment like I did. Close to nature and close animals and to be able to go and walk to the beach every time you want and not get into a bus or getting into a subway, living in a cement world. I wanted something else. And that's why I came back. And I'm here ever since
Bonny Snowdon 13:16
That 15 years ago then that you move back or was it a little bit longer?
Costas 13:21
No, I came back around close to 30. But I left at 19 from here and I was almost 10 years when I was away. And I came back before 30.
Bonny Snowdon 13:39
And you say that your art, you've always been sort of passionate about art and everything. Is that something you've done throughout your life? Or is it something that you've sort of picked up a little bit later? Is it something that's just been constant, I guess?
Costas 13:56
No. Basically, art for me was I always love drawing and making things and creating incident crafts or whatever. This is something I don't see very often. Art for me became my hideout, the place to hide, the place that I can close my doors and be in my own world. And as a kid, and I still do I have ADHD, ADHD is hyperactivity and lack of focus and concentration. So, that meant for people that don't know what ADHD means is when you cannot stay still. When I had to move my legs all the time, or move my body back and forth, sitting on a chair and I couldn't stay still. Not because I wanted to, but my body needed to do that. And I couldn't stay focused. And growing up and then going to school wasn't easy. There was a lot of bullying because kids didn't understand that. I didn't know what I had.
People thought maybe it was a type of autism or something else. I had no idea how to face it, and what to do with it. So, drawing, I was hiding from people. Because for me, it was embarrassing to be like this. Slowly growing up, I'm still being in primary school, I realized that people like to watch my drawings. And I thought for me, it became my weapon. Because I thought if people focus on my drawings and not of my problem, you'll be great. And this is what I was doing. And I was trying to make people focus on what I'm doing and what I'm drawing and what I'm creating and not how I'm move and my body. But it was not easy at all. Especially than in high school. I moved to high school and bigger school, different school, a lot more kids. I remember every day going to school, I had to give an enormous fight with my body to keep it still. And because I didn't want to let other kids know what I'm doing, my problem. And I'm always asking teachers to excuse me to go out, I was finding an excuse like I’m at the toilet, to get out for five minutes and get this energy out of my body and then go back in and come down.
But I still didn't know what I had. I found out what this condition is growing up and after when I went to college. And by accident, actually, because I wanted to research about it. But there was no Internet back then or anything. And accidentally, I met a doctor on a dinner night and we talked and I asked him and he told me all the symptoms. The lack of concentration, that you want to hide and close your doors to everything about my body. But now it's not that large of a problem anymore, because I know how to control this. And growing up, you don't have the need to do this as much as a kid. I'm normal in quote but the rest of me is not normal, just my body is normal.
Bonny Snowdon 18:13
So, what did you build? I'm guessing you've built strategies then to be able to cope with over the years, you built those strategies. Do you still have to get rid of that energy in some way? Or have you just kind of settled into who you are?
Costas 18:37
I settled into who I am and accepted it. I don't have that need anymore. I don't have to fight with my body. Sometimes I will sit down and I'll just move my legs. But that's normal. And people think I’m just nervous. So, it's the perfect camouflage basically. And it's no longer in my brain. I don't think about it. I don't see it as a problem. It's part of who I am. And I accepted it and I moved on.
Bonny Snowdon 19:10
That's actually a really lovely thing to be able to accept, because there are so many people who can't accept who they are, their bodies, whatever. And actually, when you just go, you know what, this is me and I actually love who I am and it doesn't matter. That's quite a big step, isn't it? It's like a big deep sigh of relief.
Costas 19:34
Oh yeah, it is. And to be honest now I can talk openly about it. And going back to drawing I was always drawing but I stopped at some point. I stopped for several pencil health reasons, I stopped drawing. And I didn't like it. But I did. I picked up my pencils four or five years ago, again, it was a difficult time for me back then I was going through some issues, I got divorced. The same time I opened my shop, basically. I got divorced, and then my son moved to England and I lost my dad around 2016. So, for a period of time, I was not in a very good mood, basically, I was a bit depressed. But one day I decided that I can no longer be like this, I don't want to be like this. And in the back of my head, somehow remembered art. And I was like, one afternoon, I just pick up a couple of pencils from the shop and a pad and I started drawing. And I haven't stopped. And this was the best thing I did, basically.
Finding art again and drawing again and finding a new passion. And then not only I started art again, but I wanted to explore different mediums. So, I went from graphite pencils that I loved and I was always using, I tried acrylics, I tried oils. But with brushes, I couldn't achieve that detail that I wanted. And because one of the things not always but basically, it's the you want to put everything in order and you want details and you want small things to be fine. For me, it was always really similar with the details and details was pencils. But at some point, I got bored of black and white. So, I wanted colour.
I wanted to find colour. And I went to YouTube and saw some videos, but I didn't like them. I didn't like the people I found there. It wasn't the thing that I was looking, I was looking for a more relaxed way of explaining things. And it was like a year that was drawing, not always but sometimes I was going through YouTube trying to find a bidder that I liked but I couldn't find anything. And one night I found you. I saw a video of yourself and I remember it was the tabby cat. They look out. Or you were drawing like how to draw fair with an intention tool. And from then I realized, oh, this is for me. This I can understand, this is helpful. So, I was watching all your videos to the point my son got really sick of me. It's like dad, not this again.
Bonny Snowdon 23:06
Not about surfing Englishwoman again.
Costas 23:08
I was like, be quiet, or go to your room, you are distracting me. Actually, it was a perfect timing in a way because when I found out about you and your videos, I saw that the Academy is opening. And I felt great. And I was playing with my mind because I'm working too many hours of work. I'm in the shop in the mornings. Im in the shop in the afternoons and plus Saturdays. And I only have Sunday and Sunday want to always try to do something with my son, and have fun. And I was like, well, I'll find the time. But at the end I said I'll go for it and whatever. And I found the time which is great. And something that I really never regretted joining you and the Academy it's an amazing thing and amazing people there.
Bonny Snowdon 24:14
Yes, we really do have amazing people, don't we? We really do. And its all very well sort of saying oh yeah, it's a great community. But I think like attracts like, and I think we share very similar values, family values, the nature being around animals, all of that kind of thing. It attracts people who have got very similar ways of wanting to live. And that I think is what makes a fabulous community. Obviously, we're not all exactly the same. But we're all kind of striving for peace and calm and just have a nice life basically. And that's what makes our community just so wonderful. So, I'm very happy that you found us, because when you've been a part of the art clubs and everything like that you always contribute, which I love. And you have a very lovely way of writing things quite humorous. Which is really nice. And having a space where you can actually be yourself and you can share stuff that is about you. That, to me, is wonderful because it means we have created this space that is safe, that people feel they can write what they need to write and ask for help and everything and nobody's judged or anything like that, which I think is really wonderful. So, I'm really happy that you picked those pencils back up again, and your art is wonderful as well.
Costas 25:50
Thank you. Me too. And, yeah, as you said, we all have this respect for what we do. And we all understand because we all been through all the steps of learning. And because it's not like many people think it's just a talent, it's not a talent. Because, okay, maybe you have a talent, but you know, the surface is all the different tools and pens, pencils that you can use. Somebody has to show you how to use them and how to create our own realism or whatever you want to create. And because we all understand that, that's why we all have a great community. And okay, we're not all the same. For sure you find people in there that you like more, in a way like --
Bonny Snowdon 25:58
Connect with.
Costas 26:25
You connect more with these people. And I did. Beside you and Beside Vicki that she is fabulous. Vicki is an amazing person. And I cannot say enough about you too. But I also found two little sisters, I call them little sisters, because they want me to call them little sisters, but anyhow, which I love them very much. And it's Jay Dre [Inaudible] we chat almost every day and we help each other and we encourage each other. We talk about everything and this is the great thing about being in that community because it's you, at the end is the company, I think. You post your provenance not as only as an artist. Because to be honest, when I first joined the academy, my goal was to learn more about coloured pencils and surfaces and tools and techniques. And through you and through the confidence sessions that we do and through the community and getting all these lovely words and comments from people, they help with my confidence.
After that because it was so nice for me, I wanted to give it back and help other people in the community whenever I could. And give feedback on their work. So, basically, that goal of becoming a better artist in a way for me changed a bit because to be able to help other people it's such a wonderful feeling. Either be helped or helping others. So, I was thinking that what a wonderful world would be if we were all thinking like that, like help others and do something for others. So, at the end might go in a way to become a better person and not just an artist and through the academy and through all of you slowly I'm getting there. I can still be old devil sometimes but I'm trying to be nice.
Bonny Snowdon 29:39
I love that. I love that you put that in
Costas 29:41
Well, I'm a Gemini and you know they say there is a devil side and an angel side.
Bonny Snowdon 29:50
I'm really open minded and I don't really know about star signs and stuff. I'm cancer so I am very like my star sign, I kind of retreat into my Shaolin. I'm definitely similar to you. You say where you kind of hide behind your drawing. My drawing is my time, and there is nothing better than just going into my studio, shutting the door, sitting there with Harry Potter playing. And off, I go with my drawing. And it's just the most fantastic place. And it never gets boring ever, you know? When you were talking about talent, and everything people do sort of thing. You get to a point where it just gets boring, or you get tired of it and whatever. And for me, it's always continual learning, you're always learning something new. And that's fascinating to me, because I'm big into personal development and learning different things. And I can be drawing a piece and I can learn something totally new.
Costas 30:57
Definitely, we never stop learning. I think nobody knows everything. And if somebody tells me that they know everything, I don't trust them. I don’t want to be friends with them, to be honest. So, we are always learning and we're always growing. And no, it's not boring. When you do something that you love, is not boring. Boring it's something that you don't love. Boring sometimes you don't have a passion for it. I love drawing and I love creating. And sometimes I look at my drawings, and I was like, "Oh, my God I did that? When did I do that? It's not me, somebody else did it." And so, it was like that with every drawing, with everything that I'm making. And even if you do the same thing again and again, every time you make it different, every time you make it maybe not better, but different.
And you learn, basically. And you need to explore. If we talk about coloured pencils, for us now, there are so many papers, so many pencils, so many tools that you can use and so many subjects that you can draw that cannot get boring. It gets frustrating when the paper it's not right. Lately, the last drawing I did, it was like five weeks ago, oh my god, I have to get back drawing. I have to find the time again. Now the walls are finished, I will get back to my drawing. I wanted to try new things and I found this paper that was a horrible paper and put me off and I didn't want to do it. But still, it's part of learning, like the success and failure it's going together.
Bonny Snowdon 32:57
That's exactly and treating those mistakes or something that hasn't quite worked out, right, whether it's to do with paper or whatever. It's all a tool for learning. It's all, "Oh, well, that hasn't worked out." So, I'm not going to do it again. Or that paper is horrible so I'm not going to buy that again. Inevitably, you probably will end up buying it again. Because that's why I do. Six months, I'm like, "Oh, just get that paper out." No, I still hate it.
Costas 33:27
I do exactly the same thing else. Like you won't beat me. I'll find a way to do it. And use the same tools that I don't like and I will do it again and then I'll put them in a drawer and then out again. But it's a good thing to be stubborn with things like that. Instead of giving up and say, "Oh my god I want to do."
Bonny Snowdon 33:49
Exactly. I do you have quite a step inside I have to admit. My father used to call me borrow. My dad is Swiss. So, sometimes still has I mean, he's been in England 50 something years, but he still has a bit of an accent every now and again especially if he's reading. But when I was younger yeah, it was borrow because I was very stubborn. I’m just like, "No, I'm doing this."
Costas 34:24
Yeah, exactly. I am like that and I am stubborn. I want to do things my way. Even if somebody comes and tells you no don't do it like that. It doesn't work. I have to figure out for myself. I have to try it. But that's the way I am. I want to know by myself what I like and when I don't like for everything even for food. I will try every food on the planet. Even if they say, "Oh my god this is disgusting." I want to try it. I'm curious. I want to know and have my own experience about it.
Bonny Snowdon 35:17
Yeah, I'm with you on that. My dad was a chef so I grew up in a restaurant, I really liked my food. We grew up having the opportunity to experience all sorts of different foods. As a child I remember been given horse and which we don't eat in Britain, usually. But I'm not averse to try at least anything. And like you say, if I decide I don't like it, I have tried it first. And that was always something that my parents said, "Well, you can't just say you don't like it, you have to try it and then you could say you don’t like it."
Costas 36:01
Yeah, something like that. I think my parents were the same.
Bonny Snowdon 36:09
I think British people quite a lot of the time, particularly when I was younger, we are brought up in a slightly different way to how I was brought up, because I did have a father who wasn't British, and who had different ways of cooking food and all of that kind of stuff. So, my food was always beautifully seasoned, and we always had lovely sauces and all of that kind of thing. So, my children have very eclectic tastes in food. Apart from my youngest son who only eats pizza. But the other two we go into a restaurant and they will try. They'll have the fish dishes; they'll have different things. And it's actually really nice to have children who will try different foods.
Costas 36:57
Exactly. And especially with food, food is a huge value of the food. But exactly whenever I go, like if from another country, I want to try the local food. And at some point, I was in Australia, and people were like, okay, let's find a Greek restaurant to eat. I said don’t want a Greek restaurant. I don't want a Greek food. For me. It's just food. It's something I eat every day. I want to try different things. I was trying to find a crocodile to eat but I couldn't. They wouldn't take me. I was upset but it's wherever I am. And that's why even though I grew up with Greek cuisine and Crete cuisine, basically that my mom's cooking, now when I cook with my son, and this is what my son loves as well. I will try to cook different things from different countries. I'll go to India and I'll go to Mexico and I will go to food from Morocco or whatever things, different things. I don’t have just one variety. I want to try everything. I said if I ever go to China, I’ll eat insects and stuff like that. I know it's not nice but I want to try them. My son won't follow me but I'll go alone.
Bonny Snowdon 38:31
Do you have any TikTok they're eating like frogs and stuff?
Costas 38:39
That's the only thing I'm not going to eat. And you said frogs, frogs is the only creature on the planet I don’t like. So, I will never try that. I have limits.
Bonny Snowdon 38:53
I have eaten frogs again in the restaurant frogs like snails, I didn't really like snails actually. But again, you know if they're cooked properly and they're beautifully seasoned, like covered in garlic.
Costas 39:04
Yeah, I live in Crete snail is a food that everybody needs except me but I don't say that because I'm kind of a disgrace here in Crete. Other than snails Detroit will be happy that I don't need to pass nails. Restaurants here are funny because we have all these sometimes people come like tourists and go through restaurants that they see all these goat heads being in a state and they're thinking what the hell is that? Or octopus hanging from a cloth line to sun dry and it's all weird. But it's lovely, and it’s our culture and I love that. That's why Have visiting other countries because I can see different things and how people live. It's fascinating sometimes.
Bonny Snowdon 40:06
You've been to England?
Costas 40:11
Many times. More times, I wanted to be honest. But when my son moved to England, I was coming to England three times a year. I was coming to pick him up and come here to Greece for Easter, for Christmas for summer. I was back and forth all the time. And I love it. I like England.
Bonny Snowdon 40:34
Where did you mostly go to?
Costas 40:36
In the beginning I was staying with friends in Kent visiting. But then when my son moved to England because he moved to Peak district. I was going up there. Which is a very, very nice area up there. I love being in England, basically. The first time I was in London, I went to visit some friends. The first time I've ever been to England I went to visit some friends and I wanted to go to London said I want to go alone the first day. And they were worried that I'm going to get lost. And I said, I cannot get lost in a city. It's pretty simple. If you get the wrong bus and you take the same bus, you can go back to where you were before. But I was walking all day, up and down. I was going to museums; I was going to everything. I couldn't walk the next day. I spent the next day on a sofa because my legs were aching so much. But it was amazing. And of course, I visited to art shops and I was carrying bags with paints and pencils.
Bonny Snowdon 42:01
Yeah, I guess we're probably more like the peak districts, Yorkshire.
Costas 42:09
The further north up.
Bonny Snowdon 42:10
Further north yeah. And yeah, it's absolutely beautiful where we are. We've got the moors and it's lovely where I am. I've got the views over the moors one side and then views over sort of like woods and fields and everything. The other side is very, very lucky. But I'm very much a country person. I was brought up in the country. And I can't even imagine living in a town or a city. I'm very close to a little city. But I'd like to have my space. I like to be able to look out and see trees.
Costas 42:47
Oh yeah, yeah, definitely. In England this was the first time I saw horses in the fields running up and down and not just one horse. Because usually in Crete or Greece you see, like one or two horses. I have some many unknowns. It is a herd? This is what it called many horses together?
Bonny Snowdon 43:09
Yeah.
Costas 43:09
Sorry, my first language is not English, it's Greek. So, sometimes I get confused. But that’s the first time I saw so many horses running in the field it was amazing. And the same I saw cows. Because in Crete we don't have cows, mostly its goats and sheep. But when I went up to northern Greece and I saw cows, I was running like a lunatic between them, it’s like I want to be a part of the cows. It was so nice. But yes, I cannot imagine myself now living in big city. And even if I go to hanging out here, I select the closest big city. I want to get out as soon as possible. I want to go back to nature. I want to come back here to my trees and my river and my sea. And I like to hear the birds, to hear dogs, to hear the sheep.
Bonny Snowdon 44:07
I love it in my house I've got all the stocks, sheep and birds in abundance.
Costas 44:21
Great.
Bonny Snowdon 44:25
Your English is absolutely brilliant. I always get really embarrassed sometimes you know when you go somewhere and I don't speak another language at all which is a shame because my father was Swiss. We could have been brought up bilingual. I have a few words of French but it's very limited. It's more sort of like school French. And then people from Europe, you tend to all speak the most fantastic English. Is that just something that you did at school or something that you did?
Costas 45:01
No, I did English at school but I couldn't speak after that, because it wasn't a class. And I was an okay student, but I wasn't a nice kid in a way, I was always in trouble in school. And didn't want to pay attention and blah, blah, blah. Because when I met my ex-wife, she was Greek Australian, and see just came from Australia to Greece. So, she can speak very well, Greek. And when we got together, and we started living together, the deal was that I will talk to her in English and she will talk to me in Greek. And we had to do that I wasn't allowed to use Greek language. Not allowed in restrict, but I was trying to use only English with her and she will use Greek to me, answer in Britain. And this is how we both learned the language. And then with friends, of course in movies, and because I'm a huge movie fan through all these, I learned to speak English. And because I have so many friends now in around the world, I can pick up accents as well. Like, Irish or Scottish, or English or Australian or from Canada. And I love learning all these little expressions and like tea time. When I first heard like, I was talking to a friend, it's like a tea time, can I have tea now? It's like it's late. It's not tea. It's like dinner. That's like, what you're going to have to for dinner? It's like, "No, we call tea." I was like, oh, my God every day was something new. And I love that. I love getting always learning about all these expressions.
Bonny Snowdon 47:06
It's funny you say that, I was talking to Vicki because Vicki lives down in London. I obviously live up north. And in the north, we call it tea. Well, I don't know whether it is but I’ve always called the tea. It's tea time. You know, we have breakfast, lunch and tea. And other people call it dinner. Or they call it lunch dinner. Is weird. You know, the different sort of places you live have different ways of describing stuff. But for me is tea time.
Costas 47:35
Yeah. And I love that, I never use dinner now. I want to say tea time, except when I'm talking to somebody who doesn't know. But very often I'll use all these expressions.
Bonny Snowdon 47:49
Brilliant.
Costas 47:50
Yeah, and at some point, for some reason, I'll do it now. But instead of my, I was saying, me. My staff, I was saying, me stuff. But that was very English. And I don't know why I did that. But that changed it. I didn't like it at the end.
Bonny Snowdon 48:11
Before we finish, you've talked about your love of books and you've talked about your love of movies. I'd really love to know what's your favourite book, and what's your favourite movie.
Costas 48:26
If I go for a book, I will say the one that I've read as a teenager and got stuck with me. And I read it from time to time. Again, and again. Because it's The little Prince by Atlantis and I love this book. Every time I really like it something else. And I love this book. I will also say Perfume by Patrick Siskin, but I'll go for a The Little prince as my favourite book. And when it comes to movies, the one that there's no doubt my favourite movie is, In the Name of The Father with Daniel Day Lewis. Again, I thought as a teenager, I went to the movies and I saw it and after that my watch chains will see all this injustice and well because it's a true story. It got stuck with me and I couldn't believe it. I was really angry getting out of the theatre with what happened to these kids. And it's absolutely my favourite movie. I've watched it many times and I now want to watch it with my son. But he's still into Rush Hour and whatever. Stupid companies there are up there. By In The Name of The Father and The Little Prince.
Bonny Snowdon 50:04
Oh, God, it's been so nice chatting to you, it really has. I've loved having you in the community and you come across as a very funny chap. And I know you were a little bit sort of, I'm not saying nervous or anything. But when you're on sort of like a one to one and you're thinking, oh, gosh, but you're just so lovely. We're definitely coming to meet you with Vickie.
Costas 50:34
Thank you very much. My humour is my weapon and my seals and just the bolt. I'd rather laugh than cry. And I'd rather love than hate. Because hate takes too much energy and I don't have it.
Bonny Snowdon 50:52
Oh, it really does. Yeah.
Costas 50:55
There's no point. Love is a great thing. I just can't be bothered. I can do better things.
Bonny Snowdon 51:05
Exactly. You've got so many more things to be able to spend your life doing. So, thank you so much.
Costas 51:14
Thank you very much. That was really nice. To be honest, in the beginning, I was moving my legs not because of my ADHD but because I was nervous, but I’ve relaxed and I'm fine. And it was really nice to talking to you.
Bonny Snowdon 51:33
Oh, bless you. It's been lovely to talk to you, Costas. Thank you so much. And hopefully I'll see you in art club or one of the other live streams.
Costas 51:42
Most definitely next Tuesday I’m there.
Bonny Snowdon 51:47
Awesome. All right, bye.
Costas 51:52
Bye.
Bonny Snowdon 51:52
I really hope you enjoyed listening to this episode of my It's a Bonny Old Life podcast. If you did, I'd be so grateful to you for emailing me or texting a link to the show, or sharing it on social media with those who might like it too. My mission with this podcast is all about sharing mine and my communities experience and hope by telling your fascinating personal stories, championing the other amazing humans in my personal, professional and membership community, and to create another channel through which I can support you to realize your coloured pencil and life dreams. If you haven't done so yet. Please help me on my mission to spread positivity and joy throughout the coloured pencil world by following me on my socials at Bonny Snowdon Academy, or by getting on my list at bonnysnowdonacademy.com, and remember, I truly believe if I can live the life of my dreams doing what I love, then you can too. We just need to keep championing and supporting each other along the way in order to make it happen. Till next time.
