Home is where the heart is.
Birmingham, Birmingham, Birmingham. 18 months ago, Birmingham to me was merely a crowded shopping centre, a New Street station and a stepping stone to cities far and wide across the UK, in search of a new adventure. Today, as I write this, I’m planning a move into the creative heart of the city, Digbeth, (also home of an incredible new project, but we’ll come to that) and I have landed my dream job with a team that better fits the word ‘family’ than it does ‘colleagues’.
Hailing from a little old place called Redditch, about 30 minutes south of B-Town, studying in Stratford-upon-Avon, and then Lincoln, Home has always been a cup of tea and a couple of jokes with the family back in the ‘Ditch, and for the record, it always will be. However, I have come to realise that (and maybe this comes with finally avoiding capture of another HE course), home isn’t just where you go at the end of the day, but a combination of feeling content, comfortable and generally happy within oneself in a certain situation, that may, or may not be recurring. My experience of Birmingham in this light, came from an incredibly life changing meeting, that stemmed from a quick browse of Gumtrees job section and a newbie freelancer looking to create. Sat in Cafe Blend (RIP), with a coffee and a head full of ideas, I met Beatfreeks, after a chat and a drink, myself and a few of the others headed out to film some incredible breakdancers busting some crazy shapes. I was sold. The rest, you may or may not know, but I’m sure we’ll cross paths at some point if we haven’t already.
Spending more time in Birmingham, from 1–2 days a week, to now around 5–6, means that you meet more incredible people. Never have I felt more valued, appreciated and on the same page as so many others. Thats the thing with Brum, when an idea pops into your head, and you shout it out loud, you’re met with so many people saying “How can I help?” rather than “How can you do that?”. Collaboration, support and creating incredibly worthwhile and forward thinking projects are the toppings of what is a mighty city, made even mightier by the people within it.
Most recently, I’ve been hanging around with some cool cats trying to make Birmingham an even better space (its already pretty fly) for thinkers, doers, innovators and all round change makers, a regeneration project and what will soon become a shining beacon of possibility for Buuuuuuurrrmmingham. Please do check it out and support. The link is here!
Theres so much more I could write about how I feel that Brum town enabled me to achieve and I think I knew, deep down, at that first meeting, that this was now the path I would take, and 18 months later, a whole heap of ‘Feature Fridays’, academies, planning, strategising, countless cups of coffee and more laughs than a Llama on Vine, I find myself pondering 10 years, 20 years and a lifetime with these Freeks and its the only thing I’ve ever been sure on.
Few things to check out;
@ThePaulStringer (obviously!)
@ImpactHubBrum (go here first)
@Beatfreeks (marvel here)
