My inspirations

Inspiration has been the driving force behind everything I do for as long as I can remember. So much so that I went through an identity crisis during my early teen years. I came to the realisation that I was nothing but a walking amalgam of everything I loved and everyone I looked up to. Picking out pieces of my inspiration’s personality and their opinions that I liked and using them as my own.

I soon realised that EVERYONE is shaped by the things and people they admire. It’s impossible not to be. We see things we like and we naturally try to make them a part of us; seeking to improve ourselves constantly.

I can’t get enough of the feeling of inspiration. It’s the high that I chase. It rushes in at full speed and leaves me feeling giddy. I find myself so happy to be existing at the same time as these people, I smile to myself and my faith in humanity is restored. It’s during these times that I feel I can do and be anything. The possibilities are endless. I scribble in my journal about all the things I want achieve and how I can really do it if I just. keep. going. One day I can be just like the people I admire.

"I put in hour after hour let’s be crystal clear. I’m gonna get there if it takes a day or fifty years" - George Watsky

I am so inspired by the hard work and commitment the people I admire put into their work.

These people want to create and they just do. It's as simple as that. They don't let anyone tell them no and they don't use busy as an excuse. They’ve taught me if you really want something you've got to put the hours into it until it's done.

Some of my biggest inspirations at this point in my life, despite being a ‘writer’, are musicians. Allow me to explain why.

MUSIC / SOUNDTRACKS

Soundtracks have such a powerful effect on me. I often feel that a soundtrack can make or break a film. A good soundtrack ensures that the emotion hits ten times harder, whether it be sadness or joy.

I’ve recently become interested in music theory, I want to understand how soundtracks and music work. How can a combination of sounds come together to create images and emotion?

I just love music so much. My music taste has changed dramatically throughout my life, going from pop to rock and heavy metal, back to pop, indie rock to now rap, R&B and K-pop.

However I feel I have never been as passionate about the process as I am now.

I love listening to remixes and mashups and I keep making mashups in my head and then getting frustrated that I have neither the skill nor the tools to bring them into fruition.

Music is such a huge part of my life no wonder most of my inspirations make music.

BROCKHAMPTON

“They don’t know how to ride the tidal waves that crash in your thighs” - Dom McLennon

Brockhampton are a 14 strong boy band who live together, in one house in LA. They all took a huge risk moving to LA with almost nothing and it payed off. They are constantly working on music together in their bedrooms, bouncing ideas off of each other and sharing early demos. They produce, rap, sing, write, direct and film music videos, short films, and documentaries as well as design and sell clothing. Recently they have been getting so much (well deserved) recognition from many other musicians and celebs. I can’t express how happy it makes me to see other people appreciate these genius’. Their music is so iconic and the lyrics and themes within their songs are so refreshing. I could talk about them all day.

BTS AND K-POP IN GENERAL

“I’d rather die than live without passion” - Jeon Jungkook

I am fairly recent to the world of K-pop. I started getting into K-pop around the end of November 2017 when my friend from university introduced me to BTS.

I was very impressed from the start. K-pop music videos appeared to be so much more polished than the videos I had experienced in western culture. Every group I came across had phenomenal talent. Their voices, cinematography and choreography dazzled me.

Having been obsessed with K-pop for almost half a year now I think it’s safe to say I know a lot more about the industry than I did before. It is clear that the hard work that begins pre-debut continues through debut and indefinitely. K-pop idols do not stop. They are machines.

They are constantly working to please fans, to be the best they can possibly be. They are working day and night on new music, learning dance routines, performing on shows, attending interviews and award shows then using whatever little leisure time they have working on personal projects in hotel rooms and on air planes. They have ‘breaks’ but in those breaks they are creating their new album and preparing for the next comeback - so in reality not a break. I really don’t know how they do it but I will be forever grateful for their hard work and endlessly inspired to work as hard on my own goals.

J-Hope’s release of his mix tape ‘Hope World’ sparked my idea to write about my inspirations and how hard they work. Hearing him discuss the process behind it was so awe inspiring to me. The dedication and discipline he had to create a mix tape alongside everything he has to do as a part of BTS is unbelievable. You can really see the passion.

DONALD GLOVER / CHILDISH GAMBINO

“See now I don't wanna see an era, an era, an era. See now I just wanna live forever, and ever” - Childish Gambino

I don't know if there has ever been a time since discovering him that I haven’t been inspired by him. This man is unstoppable. He is a man of many talents that never ceases to inspire me to be absorbed in many different forms of art. I don't have to restrict myself to just one medium.

I found Donald first through his music as Childish Gambino. At the time I was just starting to get into rap through Watsky. Gambino’s music sounded more like the rap I was used to hearing on the radio but with the same clever lyricism I was learning through Watsky.

Since then his song ‘Redbone’ became a meme and I love it. I discovered he was in the show ‘Community’ and binged all the seasons over summer. I watched all the stand up routines of his I could get my hands on. His album ‘Because the internet’ helped me survive a tough time living away from home. Now I’ve watched every episode of Atlanta,

‘This is America’ broke the internet and everyone is praising his genius. I am beyond excited to see him play Lando in the Star Wars spin off and hear him sing alongside Beyonce in the Lion King remake.

I love Donald Glover and if you know me, you know I don’t shut up about him.

GEORGE WATSKY

“I think the universe is great. It's like God just chucked a bunch of candy into space” - Watsky

George Watsky is another person who constantly inspires me, through lyrics, creative collaboration and work ethic.

I found Watsky through my friends trying to learn the rap to ‘Whoa whoa whoa’ probably one of his most well known songs. I decided to listen to his music too and discovered he got started through spoken word poetry.

I love spoken word and the fact he was a poet and a rapper made me extremely excited.

Now I have all of his albums, have listened to his audio book twice and am still very much in love with him.

I only recently discovered the website mentioned in his song ‘Don’t be nice’ was real and features alternate versions of the songs on his album ‘X infinity’. I just about lost my mind. I was home alone at the time, I sat up in bed out of disbelief and started talking to myself out loud. I filmed my reaction and I still have the video. It's gold.

NATHAN ZED

“Growth begins with accepting yourself as enough” - Nathan Zed

Nathan Zed isn’t a musician but I had to mention him because without him I wouldn’t have found Donald Glover or Brockhampton. He is still in college yet has created a very popular clothing line ‘Good enough’ that encourages self love and confidence.

I own a t-shirt and a hoody by him.

His YouTube videos are thought provoking while at the same time being so hilarious all without cursing or being offensive to anyone.

He’s just basically one of my favourite people ever to exist.