The Story
From the Gravel Pitch to Chasing the Walrus.
The Origins
I used to think there was something seriously wrong with me. I was a silly wee dafty who cried all the time, was rubbish at football, and stared at the ceiling in chapel thinking about dolphins. I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb. I never took art at school because my guidance teacher told me I was "too intelligent to waste my life drawing pictures." I now know this was total and utter nonsense. The problem I had was I didn't know what my "thing" was, and I was completely lost in the what.
The Evolution
Then at the age of 14 I found skateboarding, music, and graffiti. I fell in love with them because they gave me a feeling — an indescribable shiver that let me know I was on the right track. But I still spent years getting in my own way. I worked zero-hour contracts, tried to be a rockstar, and got so lost in the what of what I was doing I forgot what the question was. I was frantically chucking buckets of water out the front door without ever stopping to fix the burst pipe in my own head.
The Philosophy
One day, I realised the only person standing in my way was me. Now, I follow the feeling. I call it Chasing the Walrus. I became a youth worker and an artist because I want to help young people who feel like they stick out like sore thumbs find their why before they get lost in the what. My rules are simple: the people I love come first (Rule Zero), and don't be a jerk (Rule Zero.5). The rest is just making it up as we go along.
"Meaning is meaningless until you add the meaning."
— Tragic O'Hara
