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.

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

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?

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.

Welcome to The Artistic Collaborative

First and foremost, I hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas yesterday, and for those that do not celebrate it, I hope that you had a fantastic day nonetheless. This break from university and work gave me the opportunity to focus and relax, reflect on 2015 and focus on 2016.

I have been fortunate to have travelled to many different places, learn about different cultures, their respective histories, and heard the personal and intimate stories of different people. On my return, I share what I have seen and experienced, but I can never truly replicate the stories that were shared with me. So, why not provide them with a platform for them to share their stories the way they would like it be told.

And so... The Artistic Collaborative was born

The Artistic Collaborative is a collection of stories from people wanting to be heard, and allowing them to tell it the way they want. Every person is an artist in their story, and here we celebrate the diversity in each person respective stories and experiences, particularly within art, culture, and travel. Each post will be a personal and intimate (sometimes sensitive), chapter of its author, that they are passionate about.

Art

From music to photography, film to dance, we share our experiences in the arts. Along my journey, I have met creatives whose lives had changed the moment they played their first instrument, wrote their first verse, danced their first step, and captured their first photograph. Along with sharing their stories, each artist will showcase their work so you have the opportunity to enjoy it just as I have.

Emma Campbell in the studio with Matt Kibble recording an amazing song

Culture

Celebrating the diversity in the world we live in, each story will showcase the uniqueness of their culture, from cuisine and language to relationships and everyday mannerisms. Culture stretches far beyond the boundaries of nationality, ethnicity, religion, and sexuality; and we hope to shine a light on some of the hidden aspects of our culture.

Carpet maker going about his craft in Abu Dhabi, UAE

Travel

From the sandy beaches of Los Angeles to that restaurant down the road, the Eiffel Tower to Table Mountain, Glastonbury Festival to the Chinese New Year; we share moments along our journey that are engraved in our memory. This page will also be an opportunity for people, from restaurateurs to festival organisers, to tell us about their livelihood, its history, dealing with obstacles and adversity, and keys to their success.

Myself on top of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE

Our Mission

The Artistic Collaborative is a project aimed to share the passions of myself and my contributors. We hope that you enjoy our stories, and hopefully you can relate (maybe even inspired) by particular subjects and/or even discover something new. We are all the artist in our own story and through collaboration we can reach greater heights. We encourage our readers to get in touch and comment on our work, offer suggestions (we are new and have a lot to learn), or even just say hello.

Welcome to The Artistic Collaborative, Join the Collaboration