The Art of Travel

A few years ago my roommate lent me her dad’s copy of Essays in Love, the first novel of the pop-philosopher turned entrepreneur, Alain de Botton. It was the first work of fiction that I mentally consumed after what I can only reasonably describe as an unplanned hiatus from reading for pleasure. I read it in less than a week on my commute to and from work on the tube. One morning, standing on the periphery of a socially constructed circle of loud American tourists, I chuckled so audibly that one of them turned to me and asked jovially, ‘Is it a good read?’

Euphonious - Macmillan Cancer Support Fundraiser

In the morning of May 4th of this year, my father passed away after battling Colon Cancer at the age of 49, just a shy month before celebrating his 50th. His death was not only a big loss to my family and I, but also our extended family, his friends, his colleagues and his community. He was a very popular individual, with around 700 people attending the funeral, and so many other people showing their love and support over the grieving period.

However, I still hadn’t felt as if I had given him my personal send off.

Fears of an Artist

Photography by Peter Pascucci

My dad always asks me when I’ll get business cards. I’ve been pushing it back for a while because I don’t know what to write as a job title. I’m at a point in life where I don’t feel the need to limit myself with my interests and what I do.

From Death, Comes Life

Photo credit - Sherelle Thomas

It's probably not every day that a blog starts with a sincere apology to its audience. However, you most definitely deserve one after all the support that you have given to myself, The Artistic Collaborative, and its writers. The last thee months have been easily been the most difficult that I have ever had to endure.

What It Means To Be A Writer

When my pen makes love to paper, that sound it makes

Is a visual echo of the rhythm my soul creates

You're A Worrier, And Not The Good Kind

A PERSONAL ACCOUNT OF ANXIETY

After reading George Bell’s article on depression, I felt that I should say a thing or two about anxiety. But I was reluctant at first, as we can see from the fact that I’m writing this anonymously. I wondered if it would be relevant to the three things that The Artistic Collaborative is a celebration of: art, travel and culture. I have a lot of time for art and travel in my life, though I don’t think this has anything to do with the anxiety I face. However, I then realised that anxiety is incredibly culturally relevant, particularly the kind that I experience. My worries in recent years, have been a lot to do with how others, and by extension, society, view me. What is and isn’t socially acceptable.

But do you know what, when I hear of how the government is trying to address the fact that mental health is hugely underfunded, I think, do I really need a reason to justify writing this? The reality is 1 in 4 people experience mental health problems every year, and I firmly believe that the more we openly talk about it, the better chance we have of tackling it.

If anxiety was an artwork. Or maybe I just chose this because it looks quite jokes

Confidence of a Child (Part 2)

For Part One - click here

Confidence of a Child (Part 1)

Dancing is a strange thing isn’t? Like... you swing an arm that way, move your foot this way, shake your head like this and wiggle your body like that, to sounds that you hear (or think you hear). Yet it’s so freeing, it just feels right. It’s a very personal thing, this strange thing we call dance. Like singing, everybody does it. Everybody has that little person inside them that just wants to break free, run amok, dancing and singing. Unfortunately, the majority of us leave that person caged within the confines of our bedroom, shower, whenever we’re alone and away from the judgement of others. This is the story of how I grew the confidence to break away from my own self-imposed prison, accomplishing a dream, an ambition, to perform live in front of an audience.

How it all came down to this one moment.

Photo courtesy of Sophie Stevens Photography

For Those Who Are Lost

You there: stop. Are you happy with where you stand right now? And I don’t mean behind your screen reading this, I mean generally with your life and purpose. Not crazy happy but do you feel like you are on your way?

The Importance of Travel

Story by Francis Henderson

“Travelling and exploring the world teaches you more crucial and long-lasting lessons than you could ever learn in any classroom”. 

A bold statement and one I fully believe to be true. And by "travelling" I don't mean simply visiting different places, but immersing yourself in the experience of being there.

Face to Face with the Frog

Ali (left) during a photoshoot for the show "Celladour" showcased in the festival "Shift"

Imagine this: 

Lost and Found

Where are you from? I thought I knew. Until the day where it all clicked. Suddenly, reality as I had known shattered. I was lost. Where are you from? That wasn't the question anymore.

"Who are you?"

Last day in Wimbledon College, photo courtesy of Jervis Amfo, check his awesome work here

Depression, Work & The Freedom of Travelling

Sunset in California

Travelling was something I'd never really thought about doing before. I'd had plenty of holidays and have seen more than my fair share of countries all over the world; the generic 'I'm off to Thailand for a gap year' thing just didn't really appeal to me. But after a particularly tough couple of years suffering from depression, I kind of realised life's too short.

A Difficult Question

Before I start I would like to thank everybody for their support of this project, we have had some incredibly talented people come forward to tell their stories and I'm honoured to be able to share their stories in this blog. My last post can be post here (Top 5 Moments of 2015). Now back to regularly scheduled story... 

This is the first official story of the series, and thought that there would be no better way to kick things off than by releasing a story from my own memory vault. This is a 2 part story due the size of the story and I want to be able to go in depth as I visit my memory bank. This story is one close to my heart, a part I have previously tried to escape from but have since embraced. It's my heritage.

"Where are you from?"

Me at 4 months old. Yes, 4 months. No really, that's me... Stop laughing!

Year in Review, 5 Moments of 2015

Happy New Year

Happy New Year and I hope you have all enjoy your New Year Eve festivities. As we are taking our first steps into the 2016, I wanted to post the first official blog post of the year and flex my blogging muscles. With a lot of projects lined up this year, both written and video, I first wanted to acknowledge and reflect on some of the most memorable moments. Particularly, I wanted to highlight the top 5 moments that have impacted my life the most, but with any list, there are going to be some notable absences. So in advance to I want to apologise for those that I have missed out. 

Notable Absentee: Filming at Couleur Cafe '15 with Urban Kingdom

Now without further ado (forgive the cliche) here are the top 5 in no particular order.