Hello again!
Thanks for joining me for this second edition of ALIGHT. The topic this week plays the dual role of being a neat creative challenge, as well as general life update! Before we get to the heart of it - a reminder that if you like what you read, please don’t hesitate to share the newsletter wherever you can. I have some exciting plans for interviews and collaborations in the coming editions, and those only get better with all of your engagement.
Venturing Outside the Jewellery Quarter
I’ve been fortunate enough in my life to be able to bounce around a lot and live in some neat places, so when I got the opportunity to move to the UK for work and live in Birmingham, it seemed perfectly reasonable to just go and not think too much about what that would actually be like. I’ve heard of it, watched Peaky Blinders, it’s probably got some neat spots and weird spots just like any other place - what more do I need to know? Besides, being in unfamiliar places usually helps creative pursuits, right?
The first day that I was allowed out of the hotel, I took a walk to the area of town that’d been described to me as the best area to live in. What I usually like to do to get a sense of a new place is just wander aimlessly and make a mental map of nearby landmarks. About 12 minutes after I’d entered the area, I was back where I started - I saw it all. Small park, a few offices, nice pizza place; uh oh. I was already bored. Here I was thinking that I’d get some grand new inspiration to reignite my photography, but instead I’m being warned not to have my camera out in certain parts of the city.
I have a lot of truly awful photos of Birmingham. Stuff no one will ever see - and you’d better believe that right after seeing those photos for myself, I questioned why I ever took them in the first place. Looking back, some of them have value in allowing me to approach Birmingham expectation-free, with some sort of tenderness. A thread of connection, albeit strained from a general unease about the place, and a willingness to be surprised. (The others that don’t fall under that category are still pointless. Deep breaths.)
It is funny to admit to ‘learning’ something that seems like such an obvious lesson, but how you feel about where you live does seep into your everyday life quite a bit. I don’t have the same kind of generational pride for Birmingham that I can totally understand that locals hold, so the things that I tended to focus on were negative ones. How many dead pigeons I could count on my short walk down nice part of the canal, for example. It took me ages to get the energy to even try to photograph Birmingham, outside of the Jewellery Quarter, where things were even more hectic and even less inspiring.
About 6 months after moving, during a lull in some travel, I did force myself to try to make some photographs I was proud of in Birmingham. I leaned heavily into capturing the people instead of the city, because I just naturally felt more positive about them compared to the surroundings. Having something to focus on, a mini mission for the days I felt creative, gave me a better sense of accomplishment with the outcome — even if it didn’t line up with the kind of work I wanted to be doing at the time.
Something I didn’t expect was the impact moving from Colour to Black and White would have on my perception of Birmingham. I started to exclusively use the greyscale palette for anything I shot in the city, because it gave me fewer variables to worry about when I was out looking for photographs. While I did shoot some colour in the city, I always tended to find that they didn’t fit my impression of the place — as if I was trying to overcorrect for it and paint it in a different light than I actually saw it. They all felt a bit fake.
You Gotta Do You
Without the experience of living in Birmingham, I can’t say that I’d know how to describe what I like and what I don’t like as well as I can right now. It’s not always the easiest thing to do, but when your brain says ‘wow, I hate this’, asking it ‘okay, but why?’ can lead to some pretty interesting paths. The same thing has been as true for my photography practice as it is for real life, and applying it to both aspects has only made me incrementally better every day.
Ultimately, it was unavoidably clear that I had to get out of Birmingham, and I’m really excited to move to London and see what’s in store for me there, personally and professionally! London’s not the easiest place to photograph either, but at least I have a few more tools at my disposal to figure out how to get out of a creative rut than I did last year.
Assess, experience, ask questions, and re-assess the answers. Repeat!
If you happen to be in the London area, get in touch! That goes for friends both new and old. I’m on a mission to keep making new work, and lots of it, and that’s so much more enjoyable to do when surrounded by good people.
That’s it for this edition! Next month, I’ll be back with a fun one - some super summer vibes from a trip to Mallorca where I talk about Taking Great Vacation Photos. ✌️❤️
ah super!! Excited for you.
My girlfriend wants us to move to Mallorca sometime, so I'm excited for a sneak peek 👀
Smooth movin ✌️
Loved this. Give a shout when you wanna grab a pint in London, man!