Psalms for the City: Original poetry inspired by the places we call home

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Emily B. is doing a brilliant job securing publicity for my book. She got me a commission to write 800 words for the Guardian. Perhaps because of that] he’s incredibly prolific. But everyone comes up with stuff. It’s like, when you’re in the bath it doesn’t take a lot of effort to daydream, does it? You just imagine. It’s relaxing, when you can get yourself into that state.

Best of all, I wrote a book – about finding peace in the places we call home – and I illustrated it too: 50 full-colour drawings, plus the cover – showing the view from my hospital window. Can you imagine how good that feels? I wanted to make art for a living. Forty years passed. And now I do. Now, now in a moment I’m going to ask you to do something. I’m going to ask you to turn to that neighbour and say something awesomely original He was downbeat. Said something about it being “hard to be an artist” – may have used those exact words, or something similar. I’m not sure. It’s a long time ago. But whatever the words he used, I remember the feeling: it felt as if he said: “You, Flintoff, cannot be an artist.” I like the idea that the grotty area behind some bins on an unremarkable street might be the space where something cosmic is, was and ever shall be taking place”, says John-Paul.Okay, thank you. Wow, what a lot of happiness comes from saying something really obvious. Maybe I should leave at this point.

This happened at school. It was the end of the day. Teachers sat around the hall, behind tables, waiting to help us chose our A Levels. Publishing lunch, from left: Me, Peanut (schnauzer), Elizabeth (editor), Emily (publicity) and Mike (marketing). Picture by my agent, Jaime Marshall The word inspiration comes from being breathed into by God. If you find any of this difficult, just pretend there’s a God. That way, it’s not all about you. “I didn’t do it. It was God.” Blimey, what a reputation to live up to – “a master of improvisation”! That doesn’t allow me any room to fail does it? And we’re over here. This idea of a genius comes from the Enlightenment. If you think about so called primitive societies, where everyone’s really creative, it’s often because they believe that they’re doing the work on behalf of God – they’re sort of transmitting something. So there’s a lovely story, a true story, about people who live in Greenland and carve walrus tusks. And they don’t blame themselves if it comes out badly. They say “God put a not very interesting thing inside that tusk.” It’s not their fault. They’re relaxed, detached. They’re transmitting for God.

A bit of context

What a beautiful collection. Thoughtful profound, funny, moving. The religious theme is so perfectly handled. And I adored the art - the whole thing is so charming.’ - Anthony McGowan, author