Creative Travellers
A lot of Travellers are very creative people, there are the obvious, the artists, the musicians, the poets and sculptors but they are also people who have to design a living space in a very small area and devise meals when they might only have one ring to cook on!
Below are some pieces of creative art and links to their pages that some of my traveller friends do.
My friend Alan has been a part of the free festival and travelling scene since the sixties.
Alan has been a writer/photographer/video-maker, presenter, music and arts workshop enabler and publisher for much of the last 45+ years. He’s written and edited over 40 books, literally thousands of magazine articles, many of which have featured festivals, music and free cultural events and work with young people around the world. They include ‘Travelling Daze’; ‘Another kind of space – creating environmental dwellings’, and ‘Alternative Australia’. Currently, he writes and takes photos for ‘Gonzo’ and ‘international times’ magazines.
​
In recent years the festivals/events he has worked at, include:
Free Cultural Spaces Symposia and Independence Days in Uzupis, Lithuania, ADM in Amsterdam and Ruigoord, Nieuw en Meer, Vrij Paleis and Christiania 2014-2019. Street Music international conference, University of East Anglis; Eco/Oko Net conference/festival events in Denmark 2017. Utopia conference at the British Library 2016. Ruigoord Landjuweel , 2013-15 as presenter, photographer/videographer; Christiania 44th Birthday party - presenter, photographer/videographer 2015 in Copenhagen. MSFN (Make Some Fuckin’ Noise) workshop enabler at a variety of venues around the world including the 2019 Street Performers’ Conference at the University of East Anglia, UK. Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival 2015-19; Kozfest, 2016 and 2018; London Re-Mixed 2018, 2019 and 2020; Hapi Festival; Southdowns festi; Wickham Festival in the UK 2017, and Magick Gathering (as co-organiser) in Lithuania 2017-18. Two OZORA festivals in Hungary; Boom Festival in Portugal 2014 as presenter, photographer/videographer; 13 Glastonbury Festivals; EnDorset; a variety of live music events at the Trades Club (Hebden Bridge) and Golden Lion (Todmorden); 4 Big Green Gatherings; Woodford and Byron Bay festivals in Australia.
​
His website is at ENABLER PUBLICATIONS and FREE CULTRAL SPACES and his articles appear regularly in GONZO magazine.
My friend Helen Munday is a Basketmaker, she works under the name of WONDERS OF WILLOW and can be found on Instagram and Facebook. Her Etsy shop is where you can buy her crafts HERE.
My friend Jelly was born on the road, she is a poet who performs at festivals and events on spoken word stages. She has a SOUNDCLOUD page where you can hear more of her work.
Shit! It's the Police
From quite a young age when I heard sirens I thought 'Shit it's the police!'
And that fear is still instilled in me even when I'm all legal and I've got no reason to be
I guess it's from back in the day when they used to move us from pillar to post
But what they didn't know, is that as a kid moving on in the night is what I loved the most
Waking up in the morning in new place, still feeling safe as long as there were loads of familiar faces
They would pull up in their white shiny cars and wade through a field of dirty kids
Saying 'Mr, Mr are you really called the pigs?'
I'm sure there were some exceptions but in the most part they showed no compassion
Just siting laws, giving eviction orders and regulation answers in a familiar fashion
So when I moved into a house and we became sedentary
When I heard sirens I still thought 'Shit it's the police!'
But then something happened and over time these fears subsided
Cos in a little Devon town I never saw the police and I didn't hear the sirens
Until one day I was old enough to get my own box on wheels
And I started to get a sense of remembering how it feels
Surprise surprise I started to see the police a little bit more often
Stopping me occasionally for pretty much no reason
And just like before it seems to happen more in the summer season
Well I suppose this experience might have given me some advantage
Cos some people when they see the police and they hear the sirens they get the urge to fight them
Because they know what the police are like
But I'll probably just site the law give them some regulation answers and just be polite
And smile sweetly, at least until they're out of sight...
Closed Minds and Old Laybys
That note you left on my windscreen the other day was pretty lame
There's plenty of space in that car park so I don't see why it's not fair game
From my bed I heard you telling your children disgustedly that 'a van in a car park is no place to live'
Obviously you don't realise what it is that I wouldn't give
To be parked up in a nice green field or right up by the sea
But everywhere I want to park these days it seems there's someone there like you to have a go at me
You probably think that Travellers shouldn't be allowed or even want to settle in places
So although I'm not gypsy or roma I'm starting to feel like you're being a bit racist
It's clear you would rather those 'traveller types' were tucked away on industrial estates
And old laybys where your closed minds and eyes can't see them
But deep down I know you feel that way because you're jealous of our freedom.
Ben and Lucy are Film Makers, Photographers and Bloggers, they live in a converted LDV van and document their travels. They films are very much a travel show showing interesting content of their travels and interesting information about the places they visit. Their website is at FROM RUST TO ROADTRIP. where there are links to their brilliant YouTube channel.
David Stooke lived on the road for many years, in his younger days he did all his art in the open air with his subject in front of him, working from real life, like the picture below of the interior of the bus. Years later he returned to his favourite subject and brought to life some of his old photographs by painting them. Some actually look like they are photographs they are so realistic! He is selling prints of his paintings which can be found at his website DAVID STOOKE.
Art by Haydon Daniels RIP.
Are you a creative traveller? I am always looking for more art, crafts, poems etc to add to this page. Please email me your creative arts by clicking on the mail icon below. I will also be happy to put up links to your own site. Many thanks.
