Chris Gill

Posts Tagged ‘London’

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Oracles under City Lights: Preface

In Literature & Poetry, Personal on June 3, 2013 at 6:15 pm

Oracles under City Lights

On the eve of the release of Oracles under City Lights, I’m exclusively sharing the book’s preface online

A few months before moving to London, I started a blog. I hadn’t created one sooner because I’d always thought blogging to be self-indulgent, sloppy writing. I thought it was a fad that would soon blow over.

Nevertheless, it made sense for my writing to have an online presence. Despite a life-long obsession with physical books and printed journalism, it was clear that times were changing and in no way did I want to be left behind before my career had even begun.

Before starting my blog I had a conversation with a fellow writer. She explained how many of the blogs she had come across lacked a personal touch; they all blended into one another.

I knew what she meant. So many blogs out there had that ‘copycat syndrome’, simply reproducing the same content and, more often than not, relying on visuals over writing. I set out to make my own blog relatable, personal and as in-depth as possible.

So when I moved to London my blog became a salvation in many ways. Almost like a diary, I would record situations both on a social and emotional level and draw conclusions from my experiences. However, instead of tucking this diary away into a drawer, I decided to share it with the world. Or at least to the humble Twitter following I had accumulated at the time.

From my initial months in the city trying to find my feet, to momentous political and environmental events that were taking place; I realised I had a fair amount of content that ran like a captivating story. These pieces felt like significant stages in London’s recent history that I didn’t want to lose in a soon-to-be-forgotten blog reel.

Thus, I made a decision that I would revisit my recent work and pull it all together to produce a memoir on my London life – warts and all. Reading through some of my early pieces was painful at times, as it was evident how much I had developed technically in terms of my writing. It was also clear how much I had progressed on a psychological and spiritual level, encouraging me to create a guidebook on surviving modern city life while remaining sane.

I had moved to London in the summer of 2010 with the ambition of ‘making it’ as a writer and getting myself noticed. By the time of writing this, I have become a completely different person who has experienced what I consider to be an inner-city rebirth. Whether it was through the characters I came across working in fashion writing or the lies that we were being told by the government, I learnt many lessons during my first few years living in England’s big smoke.

Oracles under City Lights is my chance to share these lessons with you. When putting this memoir together I cast my mind back to the moment I moved to the city without work, experience or money. This book is what I would have wanted to read at the time I was struggling to get my foot in the door (and also what I would have wanted to read once my foot was in and it felt nothing like I thought it should).

I have written this book for me three years ago; a person that I think represents so many others then and now. Hungry, ambitious and yearning… yet completely disillusioned. I want to help others reach the spiritual awakening I experienced despite the noise and havoc that constantly surrounded me. I want this book to encourage others to defy what the system has made us believe to be important and remember what it is to feel true happiness.

I realised that no matter what we disguise it as – whether it be money, success, fame or power – all we truly want is to find the light. The purpose of this book is to show you how you can find yours.

Oracles under City Lights is split into five main parts. The first, City Lights, focuses on my initial experiences when I first moved to London. The second,Creative vs. Commercial, explores the ups and downs of professional life as I fought my way into editorial work.

The third and fourth sections, An Alternate Vision Part One and Two, run like a timeline of experiences drawn from my blog. Here I cover everything from the London riots in 2011 to the global Occupy movement, all the while drawing understandings from each experience.

The final section of the book, An Inner Light, concludes my story with ten important lessons I learnt during my London era. By reading my journey up to this point, you will have unlocked the secrets to experience an awakening of your own; one you probably didn’t even realise was possible.

Read the full preface on my Facebook page.

Order your limited edition of Oracles under City Lights now.

Published by PRNTD © 2013 All rights reserved

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Same Goal, Different Paths

In Personal, Spirituality on January 6, 2013 at 4:15 pm

Chris Gill with Rob Carmier

An encounter with an old friend made me question how city life has affected my own spiritual journey 

On the first day of 2013, I randomly bumped into one of my oldest friends. This friend, who I hadn’t seen in years, is actually the first person I met at school when my family moved from New Zealand to England in 1996. I was eight years old.

It’s always interesting to see how people from your past are doing. Social websites like Facebook make this far easier, although it’s debatable how healthy it is keeping characters from previous chapters in your life constantly in the present tense.

Nevertheless, there are the rare few people along the way that manage to withstand time and experiences. These are the people who know you inside out, and vice versa. They’ve seen you at your best and worst over the years and still care how you’re doing.

This is exactly how I feel about Rob. We went from energetic children to tumultuous teenagers, before finally finding ourselves in the realms of adulthood. And although we’ve missed much of each other’s journey in the last six or seven years, seeing each other last week felt as normal and effortless as it ever did.

The differences were undeniably there though. Not only on the surface; but emotionally and spiritually too.

The first thing I noticed about my dear old friend was how he had literally shed a skin. Through the wonders of the online world I had noticed this metamorphosis over the years from guitar-bearing punk to full-blown Brighton Bohemian, but it’s of course when you see someone in the flesh that the changes become paramount.

Of course, I’ve been no stranger to metamorphosis myself over the years. Since we met, my friend has seen me go through countless styles, stages and mindsets under the influence of numerous music, fashion and art movements.

However, these days I find myself making the majority of my statements through what I’m saying or creating and far less with what I’m wearing. It was refreshing though, to see that my friend has found an identity that is truly him.

Once we got past the external, it was what came next that truly fascinated me.

Soul searchers

I immediately noticed how humble my friend had become. He spoke as eloquently as he always had, although I could tell he had grown even more well-read. His tone and body language seemed to radiate an inner-calmness.

Rob’s new-found unconventional approach to life made me instantly think of the Beat movement. Non-materialistic and art-focused, I imagined him drifting throughout Brighton in an almost meditative state. It appeared that he had reached a point of greater awareness; an awareness of something greater than himself.

During our teens, I had definitely been the only one in our circle of friends who had explored spirituality. I became a strict vegetarian, practised Buddhism and came to question just about anything that was put in front of me. I’m sure my friends saw it as another passing phase and just let me get on with it.

Back then, I appeared to prove my friends right. By my late teens I had become completely distracted by my changing taste in music and fashion, which ultimately led me to abandon most of my holistic and spiritual practises altogether.

It seemed that Rob had moved in the reverse way to me. While talking with him as we walked through Brighton’s eclectic back streets, it became clear that through his travels he had been encouraged to ask many of the same questions that I had once asked.

He explained to me how upon entering everyday conversations he had to try and hold much of this “delving deeper” back. I completely related to what he was saying, as even through the havoc of city life and the industry I have found myself working in over the last few years, I have felt this part of my consciousness indisputably reawakening.

City vs. spirit

“How do you keep your head in a place like London?” Rob asked me casually over a peppermint tea.

There it was. The question I’ve found myself asking endlessly over the last two and a half years of living here.

“Well…” I started cautiously, “it can be quite a challenge at times.”

The truth is, in many ways the chaos of city life has brought me back to my spiritual roots. It seems that the more I experience our “buy stuff, throw stuff away and then buy more stuff” culture; the more I come to reject it.

The true test is learning to maintain that inner contentment on an everyday basis when surrounded by so much chaos. To not be part of a constructed society that is meant to be happy and docile, yet learn to live alongside it and see beyond the brainwashed eyes.

I realised that day that I have the same anger and frustrations as I did when I was sixteen, but I’ve learnt not to be governed by them. I’ve begun to reach a point where my inner peace cannot be tarnished by a world that wants you to consume more and ask less.

I bid farewell to my friend with an authentic feeling of content. I felt happy he has found the courage to step beyond the parameters of society on a quest for enlightenment, as well as proud of the all-embracing man he has become.

We may have travelled different roads and taken on many guises along the way, but our eventual destination has remained the same: to find a reality we can live in that’s filled with light, love and creativity.

Happy New Year to one and all.

Check out Rob’s music on Flash Bang Band’s Facebook page.

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Living in London in 2012

In Personal, Politics on December 16, 2012 at 5:40 pm

London Sunrise

From the Olympic Games to my own career, I look back at the highs and lows of London life in 2012

2012 has truly been a year to remember for London. Whether it was the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in the spring or the Olympic Games over the summer, there have been many reasons to celebrate this year.

After the London riots that took place in 2011, the city was undoubtedly in need of a good year to follow. Many feared that the scenes of destruction would put tourists off visiting for the Olympic Games, however this definitely didn’t turn out to be the case.

2012 has been my second full year living in England’s capital, and it’s definitely been my best to date. It’s been the first year since moving here back in the summer of 2010 that I’ve really started to understand how the whole place works. I guess it’s finally starting to feel like a home.

Perhaps the general mood of the city this year has played a big part in this adjustment. Although I would hardly consider myself a royalist, the atmosphere in London during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in spring was certainly uplifting.

That community feeling I had yet to experience in London occurred yet again when the much-anticipated Olympic Games finally arrived. I am in no way a fan of sport or competiveness, but always of unity and togetherness. Thankfully this feeling is exactly what London 2012 managed to achieve.

Finally, it was announced at the beginning of this month that the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton is pregnant with her first child. The news, which came just over a year and a half after her wedding, excited people all across the world.

Low points

Of course, with the highs there must always come the lows; and London has definitely had its fair share this year. The coalition government has continued to receive mass scrutiny for its decisions, while the country’s economy seems to have gone from bad to worse.

Meanwhile, Australian activist, journalist and founder of Wikileaks Julian Assange has been living inside the Ecuadorian embassy since June, with UK police waiting outside to arrest him.

He was granted political asylum by the Ecuadorian Foreign Minister, Ricardo Patiño. Patiño stated his concern that Assange might be extradited to the US, which could lead to his execution following the leaking of many confidential diplomatic cables.

I find it sad that someone who has fought so hard to expose corruption and lies has basically been imprisoned for fear of his own life. I also find it sad that it is here in London that he is trapped; a city that is meant to stand for diversity and freedom.

Even the year’s final piece of good news has sadly been laced with negativity, following Kate Middleton being rushed into hospital with morning sickness. The nurse who answered the phone to two Australian DJs playing a prank call was found hanged three days later, leaving her husband and two children behind.

Professional rollercoaster

2012 has also been a year filled with ups and downs on a personal scale. For the first half of the year I continued to work at the fashion company that had given me my first editorial break. I had such high hopes for my development within this company, as well as the direction it was moving in.

Early in the year our CEO, a woman highly established within the fashion industry who I respect immensely, presented us with her three-year vision for the company during an “away morning” at the top of the skyscraper we worked in.

Once we had heard the speech, we all went back down to our desks feeling incredibly motivated and inspired. I remember thinking how rare it must be to have such a clear goal laid ahead, and how enjoyable it would be trying to reach it.

However on that very same day, the huge high was followed by a hard-hitting low. By the afternoon, everyone was called into a room where a corporate-looking man stood in a formal grey suit clasping a single sheet of paper. He had a stern look on his face and his words were cold.

The man read out a message from the company’s owner, stating that our current CEO would no longer be working at the company from that moment forward. He gave no explanation, but said that from tomorrow it would be “business as usual.”

Everybody walked back to their desks in complete shock. Not even the team leaders, like my editor or the art director, had been made aware that this would be happening. We had gone from a morning feeling on top of the world, to being in the gutter by the afternoon.

After this, my time at this particular company was never the same again. Rumours began circling, and one by one several other team leaders in the business either jumped or were pushed.

Looking ahead

Thankfully by September I landed myself a similar role in an ecommerce team for an established fashion brand, which I am thoroughly enjoying. I feel like I have finally received recognition for all the hard work I have put in.

Strangely enough my previous CEO, who had been so insolently discarded from the company, is also now working at this brand. It’s funny how things turn out in the world of business.

Meanwhile I released my debut book of poetry Verses on Kindle, relaunched this website which has now reached over 40,000 views and am coming to the end of my next exciting project that I am planning to release next year.

As we bid farewell to another year and get ready to welcome the next, as always it’s essential that we learn from our experiences both on a personal and wider social scale.

Here’s to a happy, healthy and hopeful 2013.

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Introducing my Verses

In Literature & Poetry, Personal on July 10, 2011 at 5:31 pm

Verses

One of the first things that drew me to poetry was how hard it is to actually define. To me, poetry is a way of seeing the world far beyond its literal form. It is a form of art, in the sense that it comments on the world and provokes emotions from within that help us to connect with one another. It is this connection – writer to reader, songwriter to listener, painter to viewer – that excites me the most. In a world where all connection is made through screens and wires, I think it is essential that literary arts are resurrected and kept alive.

We are all touched by poetry at one stage in our lives; whether it is as obvious as studying prose in our English Literature classes at school, or through the plays we see at the theatre, or even verses sung by our favourite singers; but it is only once we become aware of poetry’s metaphysical presence that we begin to notice it everywhere. The graffiti on a bus stop. The conversations we have with interesting strangers. The dreams we have that we try to unravel but simply do not understand. Poetry is everywhere. It is in the very air.

Putting together and producing this book felt like it had been a very long time coming for me. It is my deeply personal, ambiguous yet unabashedly open, fragile yet unafraid letter to the world. It is a collection of poetry, lyrics and stream-of-conscious psychobabble dispensed from the corners of my heart and soul over the past four years. It journeys back in time to my earliest memories and moves through the many different chapters of my life so far, right up to present day. It touches on my family life and significant moments in my youth. It expresses the feeling of being an outsider in the town I resided as a teenager. It paints a picture of my university life and all of the highs and lows that came with it. It then comes right up to date and expresses some of the lessons I have learnt through moving to London to chase my many dreams.

The book opens with a section and poem titled Catacombs. Sounding like a direct letter of confession to God, the poem sets the tone for the whole book with its promise to reveal all skeletons and ghosts, “Through every cataclysmic betrayal / that has torn my delicate world apart / I present myself to you fully / I give you the catacombs of my heart.” Creases uses the symbol of wrinkled clothing to represent defiance against the corporate machine that tries to straighten out the curves that make us interesting and unique. Here I figuratively quote a figure high upon his or her “corporate throne” who questions the marketability of my writing, a consistent paradox I have been faced with upon reaching the city as an adult. It became blindingly obvious to me when writing this poem how the parasitic world of marketing and advertising feeds from art and expression.

The second section is titled Escape to the Docks. This focuses on my life as a student and the lessons learnt through leaving home and shedding many skins. Undoubtedly the darkest section of the book, it opens with the heart-rending Trapdoor Moon that speaks of a friend’s suicide and the impact it had on the house he left behind. This was by far the hardest poem I have ever written for I could barely see my journal through the tears shed. I will never forget the experience of writing Trapdoor Moon; it was as if the words spiritually channelled through me. Era of Hades continues where Catacombs left off with its confessional tone and religious references. The poem is about the moment when you catch a glimpse of your reflection in a hedonistic haze and cannot recognise yourself. I was compelled by the image of a wild party juxtaposed with the Apocalypse and wanted to experiment with a haunting, Sylvia Plath inspired feel.

The third section of the book, Home, is an exploration of my earliest memories and relationships with my family. In many ways this section feels like the ‘heart’ or ‘core’ of the book as it touches on some of my most personal and treasured memories. Kicking off with Rotary Washing Line, I set the scene in the back garden of my childhood home. Here I explore the innocence and naïvety of childhood; we escape reality by climbing into our heads and getting lost in our imagination. I contrasted this with the harshness of growing up and facing adult pressures and responsibilities, “If only I could / climb back into my mind / the way I would do as a child / block out all the billboards / banners / and skyscrapers / all the advertisements / halfs and quarters.”

The final section of the book, and perhaps the one I am most proud of, is titled Wires. I decided to finish Verses on a less personal note, choosing to turn outwards by writing about a mixture of global issues and concerns. The main theme of this section is how technology and social media is damaging human interaction; it also investigates the omnipresence of the government and how it is consistently  looking over and controlling us. Although this part of the book has the least amount of poems, it manages to keep its length with the exceptionally epic Wires.  Wires is an ambitious closure to the book that I wrote over a couple of weeks; I found myself continually revisiting the poem right up until just before going to print as it’s a compelling subject on which I could write indefinitely.

In exploring my past and present, I wanted to address issues that feel very much a part of the future for my whole generation. As we move forward into the digital age and spend most of our time staring into pixels, a beautiful vision came to me of everyone coming together and suddenly disconnecting from “the machine and the machines.”  I delve into exploration with the pressures of being “remade right” and “gaffertaped” by youth culture and the media, “Every hipster fashion magazine / wants me hysterical and hexagon / wants me polished dazed and confused / ready to fold up and reuse.” I felt an enormous sense of release being able to put the feelings I have about these subcultures into words. In writing this verse I began to realise how growing older has altered my perception of self-identity and how less willing I am to let mine be assembled by others.

Being my debut publication, it was important for me to take the design and production into just as much consideration as the poems themselves. This included avoiding the clutch of a big literary power-house and publishing the book independently. I photographed the landmarks I notice on my every day journey from Camden Road to Mornington Crescent. I then used these images to accompany and illustrate my words. From the ugly communal décor in my block of flats to the grand design of Greater London House – I felt that such contrasting settings would somehow represent the highs and lows expressed in the poems I have pieced together for this collection.

As I shape shift through each section of this book and journey from childhood to manhood, it is so gratifying to finally have a place for all of these weather-worn poems to exist beside one another. Whatever you take from my memoirs, I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed freeing them. These are my treasures. These are my scars. These are my verses.

Limited editions of Verses are available to pre-order now: http://chrisgillverses.info
Published by PRNTD © 2011 All rights reserved

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Post-Uni Apocalypse

In Arts & Culture, Personal on October 27, 2010 at 3:42 pm

I read an article recently that stated one in four people suffer from depression through their university life, a fact that didn’t really come as a surprise to me.

In a time where you are surrounded by strangers who are quick to call themselves friends, not to mention the strenuous workload and money pressures, I found university life to be all about balance.

At times I really struggled with this and took far too much on, meaning when it came time to leave I felt utterly exhausted (although extremely satisfied). Further to this, not much is ever said about the post-graduation period and the emotions that are felt in the aftermath of the party…

Feeling tired, restless and with a general loss of interest in life are all characteristics a sufferer of depression will know well. Leaving the structure of educational life properly behind for the first time can be a real shock to the system, particularly when the job of your dreams is not out there waiting for you with open arms. The flipside to this however, is when you are one of the lucky ones who does find work somewhat related to your chosen career path and once again face a sharp contrast to the life you have just left behind.

For example, I have found myself in a constructive routine and a job that embodies the start of a new, ambitious chapter in my life with many dreams to live and things to achieve. However I am reminded everyday of a life I was living only six months ago, when I log in to Facebook and see the random pictures at the side of the page of myself and my crew drinking, dressing up and generally taking things ‘too far’.

Like little advertisements of my own life a year ago, where despite the fierce work load and deadlines, there was a care-free feel to life that can only really be explained as a student during your own unique university experience. You also realise once you hit the working world how uni life is in a lot of ways a personal development, and very much about your own ego. Once you reach the corporate world, people do not care about who you are or what you have to say about things.

As well as the exhaustion from flat-hunting and holding down a full-time job, moving to the big city and becoming part of the big machine really made me realise how easy I had it back in university, and what the true meaning of the word “poor” is. Therefore weekends like the one I have ahead in Manchester with some of my nearest, dearest and oldest friends from the Southampton era fill me with such excitement. Reminiscing about all of our crazy adventures and the mischief we got up to makes all the distance and time that has already passed worthwhile when I realise how unique and special that time really was.

Further to this, after meeting an even older friend in Soho Monday night after work for dinner and a few glasses of wine made me revisit even older times when we took a moving yet slightly hilarious trip down memory lane, right back to ‘shag wrist bands’ and rare Incubus demos played from our Walkman (remember those?) in our secondary school playground. All of this reminded me how many times I have left lives behind, and the characters I have shape-shifted into from one chapter to the next.

 So next week is my graduation and I guess more than anything for me, particularly on a personal level, it is a celebration of the absolute ending to a time that I hold so dearly in my heart, with none of the bitterness and running-away-from factor that surrounded so many of my previous departures. When I throw that silly hat into the air with a couple of the most important people in my life by my side, it will act as a reminder that nothing is permanent but change and it is what keeps things interesting. It will also be a reminder that on this wavering, confusing path that we each must take alone - we must never forget to have a fucking good time along the way.

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Make Yourself

In Arts & Culture, Fashion, Personal, Psychology on June 28, 2010 at 8:29 pm

A long hot coach ride back to London from Southampton last Friday had the potential of being Hell on earth. However, getting to spend the time with none other than my dear friend Jen made it far more heavenly. Our conversations went from discussing how hungover we were feeling and how surprised we were we had both actually made it onto the coach so early, to discussing everything in existence and putting the world to rights. This is the way it tends to go when Jen and I get to spend time together and our tongues begin wagging. It is also what I needed right now in a time when my everyday brain stimulation is close to zero and the amount of time I actually get to think creatively, well, you could probably fit it in a shoebox.

As the coach got closer to my recently found home, the subject got on to scenes. What is it about them that people seem so drawn to (whether they admit it or not)? It appears that most of us have a built in longing for acceptance from our peers consequently leading to us feeling like we belong. I still remember vividly how important the whole MySpace scene appeared five years ago and although Facebook may have added a layer of sophistication to the concept, it still plays its part in creating certain scenes or ‘networks’.

Before I left home and went to uni I lived in a small market town called Hailsham which didn’t even have a train station, leading to a real feeling of being cut off from reality living there. However, through all of its imperfections (and believe me, for someone who always dared to step outside of the norm visually, there were plenty), I look back now with fond memories of sitting in the woods with my friends creating our own world and enjoying being young misfits. I look at kids now at that same age and they already have Blackberry phones and use Facebook chat to organise their weekends. I do hope they still go outside.

However, when Myspace eventually did come along it did kind of serve as a vortex for me into different worlds (or cities) and of course scenes. Before I knew it I was no longer on the outside looking in and I found myself swept up in the ups and downs of the social scene in Southampton. If there is one thing I learnt very quickly when I first arrived in that city, it was how easy it can be to lose yourself in the search for yourself. However, its amazing what a couple of years can bring, and along with many life long friends that each have a very special place in my heart, came a feeling of my own identity that I had come to terms with.

As a teenager I idolised Brandon Boyd, the artistic singer/songwriter from the band Incubus. He represented everything I aspired to be: poetic, creative and of course unique. One of his main beliefs which inspired me greatly was the idea of being your own person entirely, and having the guts to ‘make yourself’. This can of course become a tiring, full time occupation. Particularly when you are being scrutinised and put under constant judgement  from the people around you. But being true to yourself really does have its benefits in the long run.

These days it appears that the only way to step outside of the norm is to have a ‘gaga’ sense of style, or hang around East London wearing a kitchen sink on your head. However in my eyes, Brandon Boyd never had to wear a kitchen sink on his head to appear unique. This thought reminded me of how important what we have to say and create is compared to the ‘must have’ clothing people seem to spend their days thinking about obtaining.

Once again, a spanner is thrown into the works and by leaving what had very much become my comfort zone I find myself in a large, noisy new city where I hardly know a soul and once again I am questioning who it is I am. As I discussed different areas of London with Jen on the coach journey debating where it will be I will find myself next, I began to realise how unimportant it is where any scene may currently reside.

The Southampton scene appears to have found East London, many East London cool kids are apparently now heading South, and I’m sure by the time winter arrives it will be somewhere else entirely. But who really cares? I have found myself in so many different clubs and parties in my time, walking through rooms of people having meaningless conversations just to hear themselves talk. I have worn many different looks, had several hair colours and attitudes but the only one that remains the same and constant is the need for genuine, interesting people around you and a clear focus of what it is you want out of life. This is the one sentiment that remains the same no matter what network, scene or zone you find yourself in.

I’ll leave you with some lyrics from an Ani Difranco song that really sum these thoughts up. Genius.

“I’m torn
rejecting outfits offered me
regretting things I’ve worn
when I was still playing roles
in order to fill holes
in my conception of who I am
you know, now I understand
it’s not important to be defined
it’s only important to use your time well
well time is something nobody can buy
and nobody can sell you
so don’t let anybody tell you
they have the advantage.”

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Free Range Art

In Arts & Culture, Personal on June 20, 2010 at 7:04 pm

Today I took a visit to The Old Truman Brewery down Brick Lane for the 10th Annual Free Range Art & Design Show. The category that I looked at today was photography and was delighted to see some extremely strong and captivating work. If you happen to be around this area from now until the 26th of July, I would definitely recommend checking the show out as it holds such a large and diverse mixture of talent. Since it first began a decade ago, Free Range has become the number one platform and launchpad for graduates to showcase their work both to the public and creative industry. The Free Range exhibitions present the work of thousands of graduates from art and design universities around the UK over 8 weeks.

Here are some examples of the work I looked at when I visited the show today:

For further information and opening times visit: free-range.org.uk

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A Whole New World

In Arts & Culture, Personal on June 20, 2010 at 6:14 pm

In order to pick myself out of the slump I have found myself in over the last fortnight through things simply not moving as fast as I want them too, I realised a splash of art, culture and spending time with the boy was just what I needed to lift myself back up again. I also realised that since I moved to the big city I have hardly had a chance to actually get out and about and explore this whole new world, so the past few days have been the perfect time to do this.

Starting out with Notting Hill, one of my favourite parts of London, Michael & I walked around Portobello Market looking at all the antique bits and bobs that were so English they made me feel like a tourist in my own country.

Below are a collection of some of my favourite findings at Portobello Market:

There seems to be lots of dog owners in Notting Hill which makes me want to live there even more. I saw a woman wearing a casual taking-her-dogs-for-a-stroll-outfit mixing an acid wash denim jacket with floral trousers. Move over kiddies down Brick Lane; Notting Hill dog walkers are where it’s at.

Later on we went to the London Museum which takes you through London’s history from Medieval Britain to present date. It includes an interesting section on The Black Death which I recommend. There was also a collection of fashion footwear from Medieval London. Perhaps Office’s AW collection?

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The Hidden Nook

In Arts & Culture on June 16, 2010 at 4:19 pm

Changing your surroundings and pattern can bring about brand new inspiration and passions you have not felt previously. City life has heightened my interest in the art world even more, from the easy access to galleries and exhibitions to simple street graffiti and illustration on the tube. I have always loved an underdog; a talented individual who is bubbling under the surface yet to reveal their true potential.

Someone whose work has caught my eye recently is the work of Racoon Nook, a 25 year old illustrator and designer from Brooklyn, New York. Here is some examples of his work:

I love the dark, comic book approach to his illustrations that each tell their own little stories of despair, emptiness and longing. What do you think of his work?

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Pack up and leave into the future

In Arts & Culture, Personal on May 26, 2010 at 1:13 pm

So another chapter has closed and the time has finally come: I am moving to the big city.

Moving to London has always been on the agenda for me in the back of my mind but there have always been certain obstacles that have got in my way. If I had gone straight there three years ago from the small town I was living in I would have been so easily influenced and moulded like clay. Now I am more ambitious and stronger than ever so the time is right for the transition.

Coinciding with my move and looking into my own future, I have decided to have a running theme in my blogsite for the next week about the future itself. I am constantly inspired by the future, as it is something so open for interpretation as it has not even happened yet.

Here is a preview of what the brand new London bus is going to look like. I personally love the new model as it looks extremely futuristic itself and I think it is time for England to move out of the dark ages in many ways. What do you think of the new London bus?

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