Another Year of Writings and Ramblings

Truly understanding who I am as an artist is something that I’ve always struggled with.

The nature of being a creative is that I dabble across the creative arts but the nature of society is that we're encouraged to stick to one thing, to have a clear identifier. We’re expected to label ourselves, to put ourselves into a box that makes it easier for other people to make sense of us, but as an artist, it can be difficult to understand and define the parameters in which you work because exploration, experimentation and fluidity are so instrumental in what it is that we do, so much so that those parameters don’t really exist at all.

I first discovered art in the realm of illustration and drawing before taking an interest in the written word and eventually going on to study graphic design at university. Nowadays, I consider myself a photographer, first and foremost, but I still choose to work in other creative fields.

If I had to identify one thing that I’ve learned in my practice over the last couple of years it would be that there’s always room for growth and learning new things. You don’t have to confine yourself to one medium, to one art form or to one way of creating. The beauty of art is that it allows you to explore everything at once in a way that feels right to you.

When I look to the future, this exploration of art and life is something that I hope always exists within my practice. There are so many styles, mediums and ideas I want to explore and I hope that I find a way to channel this desire in a way that feels like me. I hope that I can develop a style that runs through all that I create, even as I learn and grow as an artist.

Art and expression, in my view, are one and the same. All that we're looking to achieve through art is to express the feelings, thoughts and ideas that exist within us. The medium, the output, doesn't have to be confined to a singular thing.

There are little corners of my world where I choose to express myself artistically. Vocal is one of those places. A place where I can find synergy between everything that being an artist is to me. I can write for the sake of writing or I can write about photos that I've taken or I can write about how I feel as a creative, as an artist.

The way I use Vocal is probably most similar to how people use a diary, or a notes page on their phone. I write without ever considering an audience, or that these posts might ever actually reach someone, but also without the fear of someone reading my words if that were to happen. If there's one thing that I hope that I bring forward with me, from previous years, it's the idea of writing transparently and without the trepidation of judgement.

But I also hope that I find new ways to use Vocal.

I hope that I use Vocal more as an expression of my artistic self. I hope that I can use it as a sounding board for my thoughts and ideas that might never see the light otherwise. I hope that I remember that Vocal is a place that exists where I can be unapologetically artistic, that I can share any and every part of being an artist, and that by doing so it might just encourage me in other aspects of my life as a creative.

Vocal is a place that's changed a lot since I started using it, four years ago. One of the things that, in recent years, has come to the forefront of the platform is the sense of community.

The community that exists on Vocal is full of encouragement, of talent and of inspiration. Ironically, my first post on Vocal was about the importance of community, but since then I feel as though I've lost my way with engaging in one.

In 2024, I want to take a little bit more from the community and give a little bit more. Interaction and engagement with other artists is one of the best ways to broaden our horizons, to feel other's experiences and to learn from them, and not utilising this exchange that Vocal has available would be a true tragedy.

So here's to another year of writings and ramblings, but hopefully with a little more community spirit to go alongside.