BEN CRANE
Author of the acclaimed Blood Ties, talks to Lynne Hackles about his totally immersive creative process
“On a day-to-day basis my mind is dysfunctional, hyper-sensitive, anxious and confused when in contact with the human world. Applied to the correct activity it becomes a powerful tool.”
Artist, author and falconer Ben Crane says he doesn’t consider himself solely a writer. ‘I create “art” full time in one form or another – writing, painting, drawing, filming or taking photographs’, he says. ‘When not doing these things then I’m flying and hunting with my hawk and dogs. I also spend time fishing and foraging. Everything interconnects, all of my work revolves around nature in the broadest sense and birds of prey specifically.
‘Writing from an autobiographical angle means my whole life is research. Ideas and inspiration come via the most obscure things. I’m like a magpie, a turn of phrase, a leaf, a dawn, birds, bees and beasts, a headline in the local newspaper, a Radio 4 production, books, my own mind, my own past, nothing escapes, all are picked and pulled apart.