Artistic Damnation

As a creative, one of the percentage of the world's population who were gifted with an artistic talent (of some level) I often wonder are we doomed to live lives struggling to survive, to live.

I have many friends who are creative and much more talented than I am but there comes a time in every artists life when they just want to be able to live from their creations, when I say live.

For some this may mean a mansion in the Buckinghamshire countrysideor perhaps a villa in Miami but to many true artists who create purely because they have to, making a simple and comfortable
living from that work is often the living goal and is very difficult to achieve.

It can become very disheartening when you have spent days, weeks, months or in some cases years creating something you know others would enjoy, only to find on completion very few people seem to care about your creation, unless you already have a big fan base.

For every artist there will be struggles, against society and it's view of the arts, technologies hell bent on destroying the arts by making it possible for people with no talent to create exceptional work to rival that of the artist who has spent 20-30yrs perfecting his/her skill and learning to create.

Then there is the never ending battle to get your work noticed, in a world where every Tom, Dick or Harriet can reach out and promote something.

The customer is overwhelmed with choice and this is a contributory factor as to why your work is overlooked.


It has been a while since I sold any copies of my books and this along with noticing a couple of friends in the same situation
is what has prompted me to write this entry.

I am at war, a dark bloody battlefield between my heart and my head, thoughts of:

"Is my work not good enough",
"Where am I going wrong"
"Why won't anyone review my work"
"Why won't anyone pay for my work"
"How do I prove my work is good enough if no one is reading it"
"When will I get that big break"

I am sure there are millions of others who have these thoughts daily too and unfortunately I have no answers to give to any of the above questions.

All I can say is there is a force within me that drives me to be creative but on some days that force is so weak and all it would take to make it stronger, is another sale or a good review of the hard work I have put in.

This aside I have also started a gofundme page in an attempt to raise £1500 to help get my children's books into school libraries in the West Yorkshire area to begin with, This is a total non profit making enterprise and all money raised will go to purchasing 20 copies for 38 schools in the district, it will also cover postage and redistribution costs.

In the Two days the page has been running it has been shared 7 times on facebook, seven?, I have over 1000 "friends" on my Facebook page and only seven people have shared the post and no one has donated anything...as yet, there is still time and it is early days but this too adds to the menagerie of questions running through my mind "is everything I try to do, doomed to fail" or is it just a case of people don't care what I do, they just aren't interested.

I am no one special but the talents I believe I have are special and should be shared with the world, but there is no point sharing when no one wants it.

I won't give up...no...I can't give up something still fights inside me that "what if" I do know good things can happen to people and I see some of my friends do sell their work (maybe they're just more talented than me, I don't know) maybe one day I won't be underestimated and people will see what I truly am capable of if given the opportunity.

Until then I'll keep battling on until I'm either beaten or I win.

Fishing Licence

I have just read an article about a guy who was fined £1300 for fishing without a rod licence http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/14339842.Angler_fined___1_300_after_argument_about_fishing/

Now we all know (or those who fish do) that it is a legal requirement to purchase a rod licence for £27 (or £72 for salmon and sea trout )

(Read more at http://www.postoffice.co.uk/rod-fishing-licence#i7CcqX5V9gY1k8jH.99 )

Is that all? I hear you say, £27 may not be a lot of money to some folk but to someone on a low income it's the difference between staying warm, eating or paying household bills.

On top of this most areas in the UK also require you to buy a local "book" or day ticket to fish certain waters (sea fishing is a different matter) Some of these can cost upto £40 for the season and you are limited as to what baits and type of fish you can catch, my local Angling club have bought up nearly every stretch of water in the vicinity.

I have been fishing most of my life (from around 8yrs old) and don't class myself as an expert at all in fact over the years I've probably caught no more than 10 fish from rivers (again sea fishing is another thing) I have had a rod licence in the past but as I don't get out much now to go fishing I haven't bothered recently.

To me the joy of fishing is the relaxation, sitting by a river watching the world go by and nature do taking its course is what it is all about, if I catch a fish then that's a bonus but majority of the time I've come home without having caught anything.

The places I have fished have always been unmanaged wild locations where it is obvious that the national rivers authority haven't done any work, the tackle I use is always light weight and I don't go in for all the gadgets and special tactics a lot of anglers use, a rod, reel, sinker, hooks and sweetcorn is my usual set up, I always catch and release other than the odd trout which makes for a nice meal.

But back to the article and the (in my opinion) ridiculous fine, it seems to me that the licence (and local day tickets/books) are just a way to make money and make a relaxing sport unobtainable to those who can not afford it, I for one can't afford to pay for a licence and book now and the fear of getting a large fine means my fishing tackle is now shoved into the back of a cupboard never to see the light of day again until I can afford one.

Is it right that we must give up something we love doing just because we can not afford it? fishing is something our ancestors have done for thousands of years until someone came along and said "this is my stretch of river and you can't use it unless you pay me".

If someone were to use a  branch and tie a line to it would that come under the laws of fishing without a rod licence? at least sea fishing is free and I have caught many more fish from Bridlington's harbour pier than I ever have from a river ( I don't do lake fishing) unfortunately not many can afford to go to the coast to go fishing or in my case don't have the transport.

I don't think the rod licence should apply to unmanaged stretches of river, if you are fishing in a location that has obviously been stocked by a fishery, has pitches carved out or made from wood for you to sit/camp then obviously someone had to do that work and they should be paid but what are you actually paying for if you only fish unmanaged waters? simply the right to do something which our ancestors had the freedom to do.

Perhaps even lowering the cost of the licence would help, or extending the length the licence is granted for? after all a season of fishing to someone like myself doesn't mean I am able to go fishing every day for that season in fact I would be lucky to get out more than 3 or 4 times to do this in a year.

There are concessions for the disabled so if you claim DLA (PIP as it is now) you are eligible for a discount but this doesn't apply to those on Employment Support Allowance which again means we are excluded from being able to partake purely because we cannot afford it.

What difference is there between a disabled person who claims DLA and a disabled person who claims ESA? other than what the dss decision says? both are limited in abilities and many who claim ESA are worse than the dss will admit and should be claiming DLA, this wasn't meant to be a rant about the benefits system but for someone in my circumstances the affects of their decision to put me on ESA and not PIP (DLA) means I would have to pay full price for a rod licence.

I am not saying we should scrap the licence completely, on the contrary, the licence is needed to manage certain waterways and lakes but there must be a way to make it more accessible to EVERYONE and not just those who work, why should fishing be a hobby for just those people? 

Food for thought. 

The process of writing a book

It's 3:39 AM, here I sit in my small flat on the outskirts of a Yorkshire City few have ever heard of or know the whereabouts.

Many would wonder why on earth anyone would be up at this hour, but for me, as a writer it is these early hours I find the most fruitful, when the world outside my home is silent and dark a light still burns in my window.

I should be working on my latest book, yet find myself writing this blog instead.

What I wanted to talk about was the process I personally go through to create a written work such as my first book the Quest.

In this particular instance The Quest and it's sequel (yet to be released) was written in a period of around Three years,  as I wrote the words they were flowing onto the paper (monitor) like water droplets cascading down a smooth glass surface, the characters were born and their story took place.

I drew on a lot of self experience when writing the first Two books, originally writing them as one complete novel then later splitting them into two volumes, my many years of travel, hitch hiking around the UK served me well and a memory of my motorcycle breaking down and a beautiful blonde woman stopping in the middle of the dual carriageway of the A1 to give me a lift were I suppose the true beginnings as this is also the first scene of the Quest.

My knowledge of history, legends and myths is quite vast and from a young age I was happily dragged around many a museum or ancient monument by my parents, much to my delight, something about the past called to me, a feeling of belonging in a world where I felt for many years I had no place.

So the legends of King Arthur became my backdrop, I didn't want to retell the story of Arthur as this has been done to death and so omitting the King himself from the story (other than a cameo in volume Two) I twisted and contorted the legends, borrowing here and there from them to create an original story with a familiar theme.

I won't give too much away in regards to the plot of the Quest, you will have to buy the book to find out what happens, but I will say that it is a unique twist on an otherwise over-told tale, showcasing some of Britains most well loved landmarks and characters from the Arthurian legends.

The reason it took Three years to write?

I do not write constantly, day in and day out, for any writer to do this would be a drain on inspiration, imagine filling a car petrol tank to the brim, then you spend the rest of the day driving until the tank is empty, you can go no further as you have no more petrol, it is the same with writing.

To many whom see me at home they would think that I procrastinate a lot, spending my time watching documentaries, playing computer games or even trawling through social media, what they don't see is this.

The documentaries I watch are usually historical or Archaeological based which means I am always learning, the websites and stories I view on social media are always relevant to whatever I am working on and my mind is on constant overdrive, forever ticking over, contemplating character plots, descriptions or locations, questions like "where do I take the story next" or "do I introduce/kill a character" always flood my thoughts.

The games, I have no excuse for, I like to play them, not very well I admit I'm rubbish and nearly always get my ass kicked on MW2 but they are a good way to escape from my mind for a while.

While on the subject of my mind, I think it would be relevant to explain that I don't consider myself to have the mind of a "normal" person, this is to say being creative in many fields I often have trouble slowing my mind to focus on one subject at a time, imagine an idea as a spot on a piece of paper, now multiply this idea by Ten Thousand or so, roll the piece of paper into a ball and repeat the process until it is the size of a brain, now throw the ball into a washing machine and try and stop it and focus on a single spot, this is what it is like inside the mind of a creative person.

Thoughts are always spinning, some so quickly the idea arrives and is gone in a split second but on the occasions my mind is slowed enough to focus (usually this time of the morning) then something special happens.

Apologies to those who thought this would be a list of how to write a best seller (something I would love to know myself) this is simply an explanation as to how I approach my writing, I am not saying this is the correct way or the only way only that the following process works for me when creating my books.


1) don't spend all your time writing, save time for other things in your life.

2) procrastinate a little, spend your time listening to an watching/reading relevant content, go out into the countryside or somewhere else just as peaceful, be alone but also make time for others in your life I have drawn much inspiration from the people I know and have met over the years.

3) research, research, research, I can not stress this one enough, perhaps it is just me but don't you hate it when you're watching a movie say set in the Roman period and someone is using a 14th century sword? or wearing armor that wouldn't have been around? if, like me, you are writing Historical fiction or basing a story around legendary works it is imperative to get your facts correct and it can also help with describing locations if you are writing about somewhere you have never been.

4) create strong characters, in this sense the word strong means giving them personality traits that people can relate to, story lines which are believable and sincere, if your character is heartbroken or happy you want your reader to feel this when they read that particular scene.


5) re-read what you have previously written, many times I have done this and found errors or had to rewrite paragraphs to make the story flow better and take notes.

6) write about what you know, this is one of the most important things to remember, if you are writing about a subject you have lived or studied your story will seem much more believable than if you were to write about a political upheaval in Africa when you know nothing of politics or the African continent or their customs and beliefs.

7) discuss your story ideas with others, even if someone isn't creative themselves or doesn't have the ability to write a book often great ideas can come from bouncing ideas off of friends/relatives or even complete strangers, my first book I wrote whilst bouncing ideas off a friend of mine who had no knowledge of the subject, and despite the fact many of his ideas weren't suitable or didn't fit with where the story was going, it was doing this which brought my own ideas forward, where as others suggested ideas which I did use.

8) don't worry about spelling or grammar when writing your first draft, all this as well as formatting can be done once the story is told, but when you do get to this point either use a professional editor service or get several different people to proof read and proof read it yourself before submitting for publication

9) Eat, drink and write, food is good for the brain (so I'm told) I have found that I can concentrate better when I have a full belly and a plentiful flow of coffee when I settle down to write.

10) relax, meditate, be at one with the world...okay I'm not really into that hippy stuff myself, for some that works, for me I find playing relaxation or chill out music low in the background helps with my writing, especially if, for example, I am writing about Scotland and I am listening to Celtic music.


Music is in fact an important piece of my writing tool kit, and I find that certain types of music affect the style and direction of my writing, I wrote a big battle scene in The Quest Volume Two whilst listening to Pantera and Metallica, a romance scene while listening to Corey Taylor and a tragic scene while Princes "Purple rain" blasted through my speakers at a low level.

I could probably write so much more in regards to this subject but at the risk of boring people I think I should end this here.

If you are interested in any of my writing to date I have written Three books, Two of which are available in paperback from Amazon and the Third I will be releasing sometime in the New Year.


Available now: The Quest (Vol 1)
                          The Templar Curse

Coming soon: The Quest (vol 2)

Click here to visit my Amazon page.

Phillip Ross Amazon books

As promised here is the trailer I've been working on with Storymax Productions.

Click Here To Buy The Quest.



Click here to view my Author page and other books written by me.

Take only photographs and leave only footprints

You may have heard the term "Urbex" whilst browsing Facebook or Google and wondered what it is.

I discovered Urbexing purely by accident whilst, out of boredom, I was browsing images on google looking for inspiration, something new and different to shoot with my camera.

Among the menagerie of articles I read about Night photography, wildlife, light painting etc I came across a local photographer who's name escapes me at the moment, but the images on his website were what caught my attention.

Among dust covered units, cobweb encrusted books and rusting vehicles this man had captured something disturbingly beautiful, an art form that creates beauty from decay and ruin.

Of course I had to find out more and so I began researching Urban Exploration, it seems it began mostly in the USA and Japan then spread across to Europe and Britain, however do not quote me on that one as it was a long time ago and my memory isn't what it used to be so I may be recalling it incorrectly.

To begin Urban Exploring all one needs is a camera, flash, tripod, a torch and sturdy footwear and a bit of courage to potentially break the law.

Some would call it trespassing, Security guards may be present and be prepared to be arrested by the Police if caught.

Personally I tend to seek out places which I know either have no security or that I can gain access to easily, often I will try to find out who owns the property and gain permission or will shoot from a public access rather than entering a property.

Others will break into a location and explore the inside fully, and in the process often take much better shots than I get.

I am not going to break copyright by sharing others images, just search for "Urbex" "Urban Exploring" or even visit my Facebook group Urbex Yorkshire and view some of my own and our members images.

There are some unwritten rules to Urban Exploration, the first and foremost being "Take nothing but photo's and leave nothing but footprints" in layman terms.... many properties which have been abandoned still hold the previous owners possessions, and we like to leave a place as we find it, this means no stealing items left behind.

Trespass at your own risk, as I mentioned earlier personally I try not to trespass onto a property but many places can only be accessed illegally so be cautious and do not damage any part of the property.

  Enjoy, the reason for Urban Exploration is enjoyment, as all photographers know, the taking of an image is a personal thing, we choose our frame and lighting to create what either our own eye sees or what we envision in our mind and that is part of the enjoyment to create a mind capturing image.

The World at war

I tend to try and avoid writing about political matters but with the recent activity and killings across the globe, and at the risk of  "jumping on the bandwagon" I thought it time I wrote something about what is happening with the world today.

Before I begin with my rant (or is it an observation?) I recall many years ago finding myself with an interest in the Occult, Tarot reading, Demonology and Witchcraft  were all on the menu, not a phase that lasted long I will admit.

It was during this time of my youth that I read about a prophet named Nostradamus, many will have heard of him if not read or seen documentaries about his prophecies, there was one translation which caught my attention.

As it was so long ago and it is quite late (2:17 AM) I can not recall the exact text but it said something about a war beginning in the latter end of the 20th Century in the East and this being the beginning of the end of the world.

Now I don't wish to alarm anyone and I am in no way a conspiracy theorist or a religious person but I have to admit old Nostra was right so it seems.

This aside, what happened in Paris on Friday the 13th November 2015 can not be put into words, I watched it live on Sky news and spent hours the next few days reading and listening teary eyed to interviews with the survivors about the horrors they witnessed.

Many of those who lost their lives were just kids, no older than my own eldest Two, out for what they thought was just a good gig watching The Eagles of Death Metal, I can only begin to imagine how scared these kids were when the bullets began to fly.

The bravery of those who survived and have to live with the sight of all that blood in their memories is admirable to say the least.

Now comes the part where fingers are pointed and blame is cast upon the innocent.

The media had waged war before it has even begun, this however is not a war between the East and West as Nostradamus predicted this is a war devised to divide the country, those who are more than happy to believe the propaganda that papers such as the "Sun" print and those of us who want nothing more than to live in harmony with all creeds and religions.

What I have viewed on Facebook over the last few days since the killings in Paris boils down to
segregation, people flaunting their views and opinions, some of my own friends have posted what could be considered racist or hate mongering posts whereas others have posted about peace and unity.

Unfortunately every man, woman and dog/cat has an opinion, the events of Friday the 13th seem to
have separated our communities, I have seen posts where people say "how do we tell the difference between a Muslim and a Muslim terrorist" people are looking at every person of a different skin colour or faith and putting them in the same category as ALL Terrorists, my answer to this one is, Joe Bloggs from number 22 could be a mass murderer or rapist, the fact is you can not tell by looking at a person no matter their creed what their beliefs are or what their intentions are.

The fear that is being instilled into us by the media along with hatred and distrust in fellow human beings is the spark to the flame, do you smell that? in the air, the faint tint of death drifting through the wind a smell which, if the segregation of British people continues will become stronger.

These will be deaths of your brothers, sisters, sons and daughters, is this what you want? does the world really need this? did we learn nothing from the sacrifice of our grandfathers and great grand fathers, yes Isis needs to be stopped as do all terrorist groups but if war is coming we should stand together, neighbor helping neighbor despite their background or origin.

This brings me to my good friend Malcolm Shipman the Landlord of a popular local Wakefield Rock music venue called The Snooty Fox.

Malcolm was touched so much by the atrocity of what is happening through out the world that he is arranging several events at The Snooty Fox over the coming months to raise cash for the families of the victims of Terrorism below is the video he has shot announcing them, he will also be offering Live Stream events as Pay per view for those who can not make it to the venue.

Please support Malcolm with this venture by sharing the video below and perhaps attending one of the gigs or watching the pay per live view.

Click the link below to view the video.


https://www.facebook.com/malcolm.shipman.3/videos/1093246704049523/?pnref=story

What is a biker

                                                      "riding a push bike doesn't make you a biker"

The above is a very valid quote from a young lad I know on Facebook who is himself into bikes it was his response to a profile picture I posted of myself with the UBAKA patch which was provided by a good friend and UBAKA member.

He is 100% right in that riding a bicycle doesn't make you a biker, however due to health issues an electric bicycle is what I choose to ride these days.

This does not mean that I am not still a biker, for many years I rode motorcycles, I spent more time skidding down the tarmac on my rear than I did with it on the seats of the bikes I've owned and came to the conclusion it was safer for all if I didn't ride any more.

In the past Twenty years I have been an active member and affiliate member of many Motorcycle clubs, Out of Touch Mcc, NHMA (national association for bikers with disabilities), Captives national (affiliated member), Bedford MAG (motorcycle action group) and more recently I am getting involved with UBAKA (Urban Bikers Against Kid Abuse) a very worthy cause.

I have also been to many bike rallies over the years, endured the embarrassment of being a rally virgin, contributed in the embarrassment of other rally virgins, partied till the sun came up.

Yet to me none of these things are what truly make a person a biker, by all means they all contribute to it but the one thing that always stood out to me about the people I came into contact with all over the country on my travels was FAMILY, being a biker is about brother and sisterhood, Comradery and respect.

I know many bikers, like myself, that no longer ride, whether this be for financial reasons, health or other valid reasons this doesn't make them any less a biker than the woman speeding past on a Kawazaki Ninja or the ageing harley rider you see cruising along or even the young lad on his 125cc learner bike. 

Being a biker is a way of life, for quite a few years i was out of the biking scene I tried to be something I wasn't but getting back in touch with my first ever club ( Out Of Touch Mcc) and a lot of my old club friends, made me remember what it was all about, once a biker, always a biker there is no escaping it if it is in your blood.

I could go on all day about all the fantastic people I have met and the lessons they taught me, the experiences I would never have known about let alone felt if I had not come into contact with bikers in the first place but this post is more about what being a biker means to me.

Yes I may not ride a motorcycle any more, but I am still a biker through and through.

Love Honour and Respect