On community

Where would we be without it? Happy Sunday. Last week I wrote about the purpose and role of friction in modern life and the creative process. The essay highlighted how, in a bid to reduce day-to-day friction, we’ve simplified modern life to the point that we spend way too little time with others, thus causing…

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What’s the deal with friction?

Should we consider it friend, foe, or frenemy? Happy Sunday. This week I’d like to explore something I’ve been thinking about for a while – the role of friction in modern life and the creative process.  What comes to mind when you hear the word “friction”? Sometimes, my mind conjures up the image of hands…

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What’s the point of humanity?

Once in a while I get asked a question that makes me stop and think, really think about something. When this happens, the answer tends to come gushing out of me like water from a collapsed dam. I experienced this a few days ago when I woke up to a message from my brother which…

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Yet another hopeful post

Much as I know I shouldn’t, I find myself regularly reading the news. Sometimes I just can’t help myself. I almost always end up regretting it because it reminds me of all the things that are going wrong in the world, and it makes me think of all the things that could be better.  It…

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Who needs a deadline?

I’ll let you in on a little secret, something I don’t know if I’ve ever admitted publicly. I have this perpetual fear, more like a constant worry, that I’ll never create another piece of art ever again. When I talk about creating a piece of art, I mean writing a song, short story, novel, or…

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Flowers (Short Story)

Happy Sunday. This week I’m back with another short story, the third one of the year. I do this from time to time, and you can find the last short story here, and lots more in the back catalogue of this blog (I recommend Maisy and Not Long For This World if you’d like pointers…

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First Day of Spring (Song Spotlight)

Happy Sunday. I’ve had a fruitful and eventful couple of days gigging and engaging with my art, and it’s been a very encouraging couple of weeks as a musician indeed. Over the last few weeks I’ve had some fulfilling performances and some lovely, uplifting encounters, from in person conversations at gigs to messages I’ve received…

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Messages in a Bottle

Happy Sunday. As I write this we’re on our way home, having had the loveliest time visiting family in St Albans, which is just what the doctor ordered after an eventful week of gigging and writing. On Saturday, the sun shone as we strolled through the city markets as the scents of assorted foods, coffee…

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I See You (Song Spotlight)

Happy Sunday. I’ve had a fruitful and eventful couple of days gigging and engaging with my art, but nevertheless, this week I bring you another song spotlight from my new album, Hope on the Horizon. I love the way this song came about, because it has serendipity written all over it. One afternoon, I was…

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On Serendipitous Discovery

Serendipity: The faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for – Merriam-Webster  This is a story about that one time, not long ago, when I – we, really, my wife and I – found something we desperately needed, when we weren’t looking for it. It happened while we were on holiday…

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