There’s a lot to be said for inspiration, and the motivation to do something with it. I’m currently feeling very inspired, artistically, and politically (and I stress as always, in a non-party political sense). You see, I’ve begun to undertake a number of projects, both small and large, putting the blogging and photographing simply for the sake of it to the side for a moment.

These projects are about getting things done locally. Stemmed from my time at a couple of Slugger O’Toole events last year, the documentary work and research done in my degree course, as well as a complete turnaround of my own ideas and perceptions of all things local.

Going back a bit, I always despised “local”. I put this primarily down to the fact that I despised local politics, and still do. However, I know very few people who do care about the tribal politics, instead, they want to resolve these issues, make nice, move on, enjoy life and meet new people. It is the small minority who think otherwise, we’ll call them social outcasts, they fuck it up for the rest of us. On telling my Mother of my adventure on the Falls and Shankill Roads on Friday morning, I received no less than the response I expected. I was essentially called stupid, at one point the remark was made about how it was in her day.

We know perfectly well how it was quite literally during the Troubles, and I’m not exactly Naïve, though it isn’t the same today as it was. Nor am I stupid enough to go wandering to any estates I don’t know, not only due to any prejudices I may be faced with, but because it isn’t something I ever do, anywhere. Point being, exploring areas of the city I’ve lived in all my life is fun. As is exploring the very area which is local to me today.

While I’ve discovered that, it is magazines which get me the most. I’ve always loved them, and no doubt always will. Yes, the web is good. Great in fact, but little can beat the range of inspiration and choice as much as the magazine wall in Eason or W.H. Smith. My own personal heaven. The idea of lifting a magazine that I “shouldn’t” be looking at, you know, the ones about architecture, or fashion or health, rather than tech, gadgets, movies etc. Finding a new or little known publication, with brilliant writing and beautiful design and treasuring it. In turn delving into a whole new world.

My new favourite magazine is Oh Comely. A beautifully simple magazine which, in their own words “is a magazine about people and their quirks and their creativity, rather than money and what it can buy. It’s nice to see you here.“.

This post is mostly an effort to write in a more ad-lib style, getting down of ideas in my head, whether or not I explicitly say what they are. I’m currently filling my head with as much inspiration as I can, in the hope that many of these can be transformed to ideas.

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