Every couple of years or so for the last twenty years, I’ve remembered that this website is here and how much I miss writing something; sharing something. Every time I come back to to it with a great intention to start writing again, to share my art on a platform that I control and to take back some ownership of my own online identity, I face the quandary of whether I should address the fact that I’ve been an absent parent to my personal website. Should I write a think piece about how modern social media has eroded my desire to share anything meaningful? Should I talk of the cycle of trust and distrust that we experience with these platforms? Should I even write about what I’ve been up to for the last 24 months since the last post?
Well, I think what I’m going to do is tell you, dear reader, some things that I’m proud of achieving in the last couple of years.
Since I last checked in I’ve recorded and released my debut album “I Told You A Story”, a ten track collection of mostly introspective numbers loosely in the Americana genre, and more strongly in the sad songs genre.
The album was received very well critically, attracting high scores and glowing reviews in outlets such as Ready to Rock, Fatea, Liverpool Sound and Vision, and a fantastic four star review and a feature on the cover mounted CD in the prestigious R&R Magazine.
I played a sold out album launch show and I opened for my teenage heroes, The Bluetones. I‘ve also since opened for Robbie Cavanagh, Bella Gaffney, The Weeping Willows and bona-fide 80s pop stars, Big Country. I’m very proud of these achievements and I’m excited to take this adventure further.
Speaking of adventures, I got into wild camping, taking myself out on hikes and camping in isolated spots in the hills. I accidentally did the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge one Saturday when I went to hike up Ingleborough but got carried away.
In the past two years I’ve visited Florida, Chicago, Oregon, Amsterdam, Austria, Skiathos, Fuerta Ventura, Maldives and Leeds. I’ve got around a bit.
I’ve taken a lot of photos. In fact I’ve really got back into photography. I’ve specifically discovered a love for street photography - documenting the world from the pavement. I’m really enjoying the storytelling aspect of it.
This coming year I intend to take my photography further. I’ve already started taking on some commercial shoots, I intend to travel more for street photography and my big creative plan for the year is a book - but I’ll hopefully write more on that in another post.
Anything else? Oh yeah, I got fit again. After my weight loss and all the cycling in my early to mid thirties I kind of discovered country music, got sad and got unhealthy again. For the last year I’ve been in the gym very consistently, taking it seriously and really enjoying building strength that I’ve never had before. I’m specifically into powerlifting and as I write this post, my big-three lift total is 1,008lbs (and no, I don’t use the imperial lb weight measurement for anything other than for this total - it’s just that the ‘1000lb Club’ is sort of a thing in weightlifting). But I’m fit and strong again and mostly happier for it.
So that’s where we’re at. I want to start writing here again. Ideally, I’d like to be using this site to add prose to my photography. I’m making no promises. We know what I’m like. It’s just as likely that I’ll be posting something similar to this in two years time.