Creative Showcase: Slowlife

Meet Slowlife (Dan Bowen) an indie/folk act based in Colchester. Dan is kindly coming to perform for our Creative in Colchester event on Thursday 23rd February.

We got Dan to come in and create an ‘I make’ picture for our ongoing photography project capturing members and local creatives in the town. To find out what makes Slowlife tick we asked a few questions:

Tell us a bit about your journey and where you are today.
I spent the first 18 years of my life in the north Suffolk town of Lowestoft and began playing the guitar around the age of 12. I was more of a lead guitarist at first, but started writing my own songs around the age of 15/16, but didn’t really perform them for a few years after, whilst I studied, travelled and lived around a few different places. Having been in a couple of bands, last year I formed Slow Life and played a few shows around Colchester on my own for the first time. I decided that I didn’t really want to be a stereotypical acoustic performer and after an inspiring trip to see Gruff Rhys live, I went out and bought a loop pedal and a selection of instruments to perform my songs as you might hear them on record. So on stage I am accompanied by guitar, percussion and melodica and I literally build some of my songs. I’m now gigging in Colchester regularly and am focussing on performing around the country and getting my music heard.  

What do you think of our membership hub and Colchester’s growing Cultural Quarter?
I think its great! I moved to Colchester two years ago with an offer of decent employment and knew very little about the town, and knew no-one who lived here! I was pleasantly surprised by the active music and arts scene, and made several friends and was able to develop my own music and get involved with events. Its a nice little community really and most people seem to be keen to help each other out, which is nice. For a town of it’s size I think Colchester punches above its own weight in a cultural sense and theres a lot of talented people here….

Give us a sneaky peak of what you are working on right now.
I have just finished recording a debut EP at Long Track Studios with producer Nathan Wacey, which is going to be called BEAR. Its being mixed at the moment, and I’m looking to release it within the next few weeks. It has six songs on it, and I have played every instrument with the exception of the drums. Its a mixed bag of songs really, theres a couple of melodic tracks, with the vocal line leading the song, a couple of reverby guitar-led tracks and also one track which is built up on a multi-guitar, percussion and vocal loop. All songs have catchy hooks and I’d like to think are easy on the ear! Inspiration for the songs comes from protest movements, cross-european adventures and socialist German football teams!

Cheers Dan. Great to hear you are inspired by socialist German football teams. All members are invited to our event on the 24th to hear Slowlife play and enjoy architecture themed talks from Hat Projects & Studio Can Can. Visit our meetup page for more.

Member Showcase: Sarah Banham

Flexi Member
Sarah Banham
For The Love Of Books

Meet our latest flexi member Sarah. She’s signed up to the building to host Creative Writing Workshops here every fourth Saturday of the month. The workshop: ‘Finding Inspiration for Creative Writing’ will be here on Saturday 25th February, 1 - 4pm.

To get to know Sarah a bit better we got her to pop in and ask a few questions for us:

How are you a part of, and use 15 Queen Street?
I am a ‘creative professional’ whereby I use the space at 15 Queen Street to prepare my workshops and work on my clients’ projects.

Tell us a bit about your journey and where you are today.
Over the past 25 years I’ve become passionate about creative writing and since have published several novels.  I turned self employed last year and broke down my skills into bite sized services which I offer the public.  These are ghost writing, proofreading and creative writing coaching.  With recycling in mind, I also sell pre-loved titles for a fraction of the original cost.  I also run workshops on ‘Finding Inspiration to Creatively Write’,’ making books, book covers, book marks and other paper crafts.

What do you think of our membership hub and Colchester’s growing Cultural Quarter?
I think it’s pretty fantastic!

Give us a sneaky peak of what you are working on right now.
I am an author first and foremost so I often have my own literary projects on the go. Currently it is a WIP (Work In Progress) entitled Heart and Soul.  The prelude to the novel is a short story which was published in an anthology entitled PROJECT:HERO which was in aid of Help for Heroes.

Thanks Sarah! We look forward to your first workshop here on the 25th.

Member Showcase: Paul Couling

Meet our latest resident Paul Couling, the man behind Cult Zeros.

How are you a part of, and use 15 Queen Street?
Moved from a (sometimes) chaotic room at home to a shared office with the nice people at The Colchester Circle. Fully operational, I like the flexibility of the 24/7 opening hours. It means I can do the noisier work out of ‘office’ hours and sing along to Falco chunes without any shame or embarrassment.  You’re all none the wiser… whoops!

Tell us a bit about your journey and where you are today.
Did a Master’s in Visual Communications at the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design and then worked for a design agency in London for 10 years. Cult Zeros started as a hobby and then became full-time when I moved to Budapest for 2 years, then moved back to west London for a year. It’s a sign of the times that I decided to move the sweat shop to the far east, so here I am in Colchester!

What do you think of our membership hub and Colchester’s growing Cultural Quarter?
Being new to the area I can’t compare previous art circles that may have already existed. However it does seem like 15 Queen Street is at the start of something special. I feel fortunate to be a part of it now. There is a good diverse mix of creatives but more importantly everyone is very hospitable and welcoming. I like that.

Give us a sneaky peak of what you are working on right now.
I’m hoping to expand the t-shirt business more this year. Cult Zeros is doing OK but I’d like to get involved in non-football related projects too. Alas at the moment I’m designing a new logo for British Borussen - The British Borussia Mönchengladbach Fan Club.

Thank you Paul. Thanks for joining our membership hub and getting stuck in. We’re sure projects will be winging their way to you soon!

Member Showcase: Erin Summers

Meet Erin Summers, a local writer and flexi member who has signed up to run the Colchester Philosophy Group here every first Friday of the month.

Join her here on Friday 3rd February for the first meetup. There’s no philosophical experience required, just come meet like minded creatives and explore world philosophy. We asked Erin a few questions so you can all learn more about the creative souls based here in Colchester.

Tell us a bit about your journey and where you are today.
Well I identify wholly as a writer so in truth my journey started began around the age of five.  As soon as I realised I could make linguistic magic appear on paper using only my ABCs I became power hungry.  As I got older I began to use writing as a means to explore ideas within a safe and contained space, i.e. a piece of paper. 

In 2001, I moved from St. Louis to England, finally settling in Colchester.  I began to write for other people and to blog regularly and gradually I became more confident that I did indeed have something worthwhile to offer potential readers.  It was always very important to me that I not become a vanity writer; in this digital age of blogging and micro-blogging everyone has a voice - which is as it should be.  But I felt that unless my words carried a weight heavier than just a pretty rhythm I should abstain from publishing them rather than arbitrarily add to the din that we all live under.  It took a long time for my book to prove its right to live to me but now I feel as if writing it was a bit like childbirth; I was really just the vehicle that a stronger force used to get into the arena.  Also I will need to forget how much of a pain in the a**e it’s been before I agree to do another. 

During the last several years I have gained some recognition for my writing, but simultaneously I’ve become more incompetent in nearly every other practical application in my life, thanks to a little brain hemorrhage.  (Tends to slow one down a bit).  The upside to being bedridden was that I finally had the time to write the book I’d been waiting for. I’m about halfway through its final revision and it feels like the last length of a marathon. I really just want to get it over with! It should be published mid-2012.

I’m also beginning to run monthly philosophy meetings here at Queen Street. Each month we’ll focus and discuss one aspect or another that falls under the great umbrella, Philosophy. I believe that philosophy should be accessible to everyone and intimidate no one.  In taking the time to consider some of the great (and infinitesimal) ideas and questions philosophers have asked for centuries we can better understand how to shape our present and future. So I hope to see you there! 

What do you think of our membership hub and Colchester’s growing Cultural Quarter? 
I love, love, love 15 Queen Street.  I initially discovered it through the brilliant Colchester Circle Magazine whose office is located in the building.  I’ve been overwhelmed by the great sense of community there is at Queen Street, and how warm the welcome has been to a new member. Every time I come away from Queen Street I’ve got some new idea or activity to pursue; as a writer who works very long and solitary hours this has been invaluable to me. Value for money I’d have to say paying for my membership might very well be the best £15 I’ve spent in the ten years I’ve lived on this fair isle. 

Colchester is a brilliant town. I see so much potential here in addition to those things that are already thriving. It actually reminds me a lot of my home town, St. Louis so I’d like to start a campaign to get them twinned. Colchester is an open-minded, friendly town with lots of variety, so there’s always plenty here to play off of and use. 

Encouraging Colchester’s awesome sense of community and growth in its cultural hub to flourish has to be the way forward.   

Give us a sneaky peak of what you are working on right now.
Oooh rotten question to ask me!!  I’m notoriously bad at talking about my book.  I did make a serious effort to find a few sentences I could give here but it’s over 116,000 words so not terribly easy to scan.  I’ll tell you this, it’s called The Lemay Leveller and even though I can’t tell you (or me!) what it’s about, I really, really hope people enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.  And that does count as a sneak peak because I’ve never announced the title until two sentences ago!  I plan on hibernating as soon as I chuck it out into the world.  Or paying someone to speak for me. 

Thank you Erin. Your support means a lot. We plan to continue expanding, growing and improving our community. It’s support from creatives like you that keep us going. This cultural quarter can only get better.

Creative Showcase: Rhonda Merrick

Meet Rhonda Merrick, our acoustic performance for our Creative in Colchester event this Thursday. She popped in to participate in our ongoing photography project “I make…” capturing our members and local creatives in the town.

We will be streaming Rhondas performance live Thursday evening so even if you can’t make the event, make sure you visit our site to digitally partake in a night of acoustic charm.

Tell us a bit about your journey and where you are today.
In 2011, I wrote songs everyday. The project was called My365. The viable songs will need to be finished/recorded/remixed/sorted into albums and genres/distributed/played live in front of people and used in a variety of other ways over the next several years.

While I taught myself to play the guitar fluently… I dabbled with other instruments, recording hardware and software and started to build a following.

I made my own website and eventually figured out how to connect it to all my other stuff online.

This year I’ve ‘slowed down’ to one song a week that’s shared publicly. I called it Tuesday Tunes and I’m far more organised from day one than I was last year.  I still write several songs a week…but I don’t HAVE to and I can post whatever I happen to like that week… it will give my songs an element of surprise…the one’s I don’t share as they’re created.

What do you think of our membership hub and Colchester’s growing Cultural Quarter?
I’m from New Orleans originally…home of the French Quarter…so I’m all for a bustling arts centre in town.  I like the flexibility in the support that’s available for creative people.  I’ve also found audiences in Colchester have been wonderfully receptive to my music.

Give us a sneaky peak of what you are working on right now.
It’s an open secret that I received an offer from a major record label. I accepted the offer through my lawyer, but with some conditions. It’s now down to them to accept my terms or walk-away.

So, while I’m in this sort of waiting period… I decided to keep going on my own.

I’m working on making my music and gigs fan-driven.  If someone hears my music and would like to have me bring the guitar and come sing in their town, then can book me themselves, right on my website. When 20 or more people in the area want me to come out…then I will.

I’m also thinking of putting some of my favourite original versions of my songs up for sale. A web design and marketing company offered to handle upload and download sales for no monthly fee at all and the lowest fee I’ve ever heard of when someone buys a song.

I used to think I needed to have production and professional instrumentalists before I could do that…but I can’t afford to hire those people, so it’s a catch 22. Sort of like buying your first house… difficult, but not impossible.

I don’t want to impose or expect anyone to do work for free… so if I’m going to move up to the position where I can hire people to do what I need, then I need to tour and sell the product I’ve made myself. I get messages from people all over the world who absolutely love my songs… I think an album or an EP of just me and my guitar will move things along.

Eventually, I plan to work with a handful of producers and sound engineers I’ve met online and musicians I’ve met online and at the Bull.

Thank you Rhonda! We can’t wait for your performance on Thursday.

Creative Showcase: Mrs Swishing

Meet Jenna Gregory (pictured) part of the creative duo with Rechenda Smith behind Mrs Swishing.

Tell us a bit about your journey and where you are today.

Mrs Swishing are Rechenda Smith and Jenna Gregory (pictured), a creative duo from Colchester. Rechenda now works on marketing projects and email campaigns, whilst organising sewing, knitting and art projects as a hobby, including her scheme Crafty Types. Jenna writes for fashion mags, including Marie Claire and Look, whilst geeking out with video editing, SEO and blogging in her spare time. We have worked together over the past six years on PR and media campaigns and have decided to join our creative forces and our passions once again to create Mrs Swishing, a clothes swapping and sustainable fashion community.

What do you think of our membership hub and Colchester’s growing Cultural Quarter?

It’s fantastic that creatives can join together with the membership hub. There are so many creative people in Colchester, but at times in the past ideas have fallen flat as there wasn’t the external support to help them grow or nurture them. Now people can come together at 15 Queen Street to get an idea off the ground.

Give us a sneaky peek of what you are working on right now.

We are putting the final touches to our first clothes swapping event which takes place at Wivenhoe Cricket Club on the 15th January. For those new to the concept of swishing, the idea is people bring up to 10 items of good quality, but unwanted, items that they want to swap in return for something new. People can end up with new clothes and accessories they love whilst their old items have gone to a better home. The whole process will beat those till prices plus promote ecological and sustainable fashion.

We’re culprits to clothes hoarding, but have always swapped clothes amongst ourselves. But when we read over £1.6billion is spent in the UK on more than 500 million items of unwanted clothing, we decided we should be swapping on a bigger scale to get others to swish too!

For tickets, rules of the rails and all other info go to Mrs Swishing on Facebook, Twitter, or email us.

Thank you ladies. Grab some old frocks and get down to the Wivenhoe Cricket Club tomorrow for the first swishing event of the year. Visit the eventbrite for more.