Tag: writing

  • My Thoughts Get Too Loud

    I’m a creative. 

    I think outside the box when I don’t need to. 

    I over complicate easy projects with intricate ideas that lead to overstimulation. 

    I want everything I do to be different. 

    I am my own worst critic. 

    I hate everything I do. 

    I burnout.

    I love to learn but my attention span is short.

    That person’s cool, would they collaborate? 

    Am I good at what I do? 

    How do I get better?

    What inspires me? 

    Everything.

    My thoughts get too loud. 

    I have unfinished ideas stacking on top of each other. I feel pressured into holding remembering every new creative thought before it disappears. My own imagination can be the bane of my life, it is EXHAUSTING. 

    However, my loud thoughts are where everything I create comes from. Every piece of writing, every idea, every moment of clarity started as noise in my head. The same things that overwhelm me to the extend of a burnout are also the things that allow me to see the world differently, see people differently and appreciate in ways that I once did not. 

    The vast majority of us share the same issues and it’s never the lack of ideas, it’s that we have too many. Our minds can sometimes feel louder than the outside world, like walking into a busy crowded room full of conversation, but not being able to make out a single word. One slight observation can spiral into a never ending chain of ideas that become too overwhelming to bear.

    Loud thoughts can keep you up at night. They interrupt conversations. They make sitting still become difficult and when your mind is always generating ideas, when does it switch off? 

    The goal really isn’t to silence your thoughts, the goal is to translate them into something that you can understand, giving your ideas another place to live. We all knowingly go through this as creatives, yet we all seem to feel alone in the process. 

  • Take Us Back

    It’s fair to say that in today’s world, we’re all searching for a happy place, something that distracts us from the chaos. We find ourselves going back to older music, nostalgic games, and memories that return us to simpler times in our lives.

    Take us back to when Chris Brown first came onto the scene with a sound and a vibe that felt out of this world, when music truly touched our souls. Take us back to the days when we had to trek to a friend’s house and knock on the door just to ask if they were coming out to play. Take us back to when every game release felt like a genuine level up. Take us back to when everything felt original.

    Success today comes from originality, yet so many people copy others in the hope of following the same path, and nine times out of ten, they fall off. People forget what they’re truly passionate about. I mean, what did you want to be when you were growing up? Being a warehouse operative, a receptionist, or a recruiter, just boring jobs in general is far from living the dream and if people say they’re happy then they’re probably not being honest. Every child’s innocent and imaginative mind is something many adults quietly envy. Take us back to when our lives and dreams felt full of endless possibilities. 

    And here’s the truth: they still can be.

    We’re not getting any younger, and living with regret is a heavy burden to carry. You can do it. Anything you put your mind to, you can achieve. When you’re passionate about something and you genuinely love it, the motivation follows. And there is a community out there waiting to support you.

    So take your mind back to those big dreams and get creative. We don’t deserve to be trapped in a system that doesn’t care about who we are.

  • Where You Are Matters

    By: Carley Divish

    The Common On Film

    Southampton is a city that many feel underwhelmed in. People arrive on cruise ships, and leave for London or Oxford. Students arrive for courses and can’t wait to run for the hills (of London or Bristol) when they finish their degrees. The world is out there, and definitely not here. This city is lacking.

    That sentiment is a problem for me, and for many people who grew up here, have chosen this city, or simply want to care about the place they live instead of sitting like the Little Mermaid dreaming about anywhere else. Anywhere else will always be there, but investing and caring about the place you live is a skill. Always eschewing the values of the place you call home only leads to a life spent sitting around moping. Southampton is a city with culture and with life. It is a city filled with people who live voraciously. It is a place where, sure, it feels like the rat population parallels the seagull one, but a city worth investing in nonetheless. All you have to do to see that is take the time to care (and play football in the Common).

    As a newer resident of Southampton, and of England overall, I have taken some time to check out other cities. I understand why people are drawn to London, to Bristol; to places with easy concerts, genres of people, of music, of clothing, strewn across the streets, bursting as the city struggles to contain it all. Art is everywhere, but it is different. Those cities with struggle inbuilt, but venues ravenous are hubs of creativity, they bring the sun during the rainy winter. No one can deny the environment is different. However, Southampton is growing, it is shapeshifting and becoming just as hungry for life. As a creative, I feel that moving somewhere with an already-established scene can be dissatisfying. Is there space for a new voice, a new perspective in a place where every idea has already been heard? Romeo and Julie die over and over, Jane Eyre finds her feet every day; the twists and turns of novels, on repeat, in places known to circle those plots, creating fame and crushing it again. The opportunities of London, of Bristol, of Berlin are matched by their intense competition for specks of glory. Who doesn’t know someone who moved to London for a music career a year ago, who now works in a coffee shop, returning home every weekend to perform in the New Forest, or the Railway Inn? The life the big city promised has not been delivered.


    In a city like Southampton, the scene is there, it is growing and becoming. Sure, effort is required, but it is in different ways. The effort is taking advantage of the opportunities, of the people living here who want to be involved, they just don’t know how. People are craving dj nights, rock bands, clubs and expression! I believe it is far more satisfying to build the scene, creating the community you dream of, catering to your friends, to what can be rather than what is already there. Creating magazines, event series, lifting local artists. We get to bring our own visions to life here, rather than fitting in to the ‘cool but unaffected’ mold of Bristol, the ‘fashion icon’ of London, or the ‘aloof but more interesting than you’ll ever be’ Berliner. We get to create it all. Music has been here, culture has been here. It doesn’t take Beethoven to notice the rock bands campaigning by WestQuay or to see the empty rooms at Heartbreakers, when bands are playing music smooth enough to melt you. To create a scene is to make the new mould, to create a scene is to participate in turn. Across the city, artists, programmers, excited citizens are choosing to work right now. If you aren’t going to shows, aren’t engaging in what makes this city a home, then you’re missing out.

    Why leave for a city where everyone is fighting for the same three headliner spots, hundreds lined up down the block to audition? Why go somewhere with a specific genre of person, of clothing, of status? Southampton may not have it all yet, but that ‘yet’ isn’t far off. Art cannot flourish without community, and community cannot be built without effort.

  • What Does It Take To Go All The Way?

    What does it really take to make it? 

    We wouldn’t be surprised if certain artists in our city reach a global audience and become superstars. We have individuals that exceed expectations, drop after drop. However, when everyone is trying to reach the same goal, what is really preventing the spotlight shining on our city?

    The issue will never be a lack of work rate but more so a lack of exposure. What exactly does one have to do to have that viral moment? Let’s start with a few examples as list is endless:

    Santan Dave took the spotlight with his originality, intellectual lyricism, incredible story telling and his honesty. His light has never dimmed as he is always true to himself. 

    Potter Payper is another great example as again, his music is a true reflection of his life experiences, he try to be somebody else and has gained a tremendous amount of respect from the culture whilst contributing by the boat load. 

    Let’s go slightly more local and to some of you, maybe a little controversial, Ardee. Ardee, works closely and produces all of his hits with JoJo down at Redroom Studio. He has bathed in success by understanding what people want to hear, his amount of viral tracks that have blown up on TikTok have been unreal. There is something major that sets him apart from the rest, a reason why Ardee has taken off. Ardee has released tracks, I’m talking mainly about his cover over Eminem’s “Mockingbird” that really shows us all who he is, what he has been through and the raw talent that Ardee has in the locker, brutal honesty. 

    There is a clear pattern going on based on originality. The most well respected artists in our city have shown honestly, versatility and they can make tracks that resonate with their listeners on the deepest of levels. 

    So to answer the question, open yourself up and share who you are, share your life stories, your best memories, your personal experiences as they are the real reasons why the vast majority of people listing to what ever genre you perform connect the most with. Build that bond with your audience that gives them the feeling as though you’re talking to them, helping them through a tough time, like they are just like you. 

  • The Importance Of Connecting With Those Around You

    In Southampton, creativity is everywhere. In bedrooms, in parks, in studios above shops, in those late night conversations outside corner the local hotspots. The city is packed with creative energy!

    Street culture isn’t meant to be quiet. Some people stay low without meaning to. They think they need to be more ready or you could even say more established. Some don’t realise how needed they are within this city and how their attitudes have the ability to inspire a whole generation but when voices stay hidden, the culture loses depth.

    Connection changes everything for example, when a producer links with a poet, the sound evolves in a very special way, When a skater connects with a filmmaker, moments become memories. When designers, DJs, rappers, photographers and even muralists build together, the city levels up quickly and gains instant attention. 

    Not only are we talking about showing up but we’re talking about networking. Think about it, we all have a passion for creativity and want the best for everyone in the city, with something so meaningful in mind, what’s the harm in sending a message if you believe that a creative connection could be there?

    Street culture was born from community and continues to be fuelled from it, that will never stop unless we do! Share spaces, share stories, share risks, because when we isolate, we shrink and when we connect, we expand.

    There are people in this city who shape the scene but without realising, there are a many who could shift the whole scene if they stepped forward. We’re referring to the quiet creatives. The late night writers that don’t have the confidence to make their presence known and even the younger creatives practicing their craft in their room. One conversation could unlock something bigger than they imagined.

    Southampton has the potential to be louder, sharper, harder to ignore. But that only happens if we move as a collective.

  • What Does This City Need?

    Southampton is bursting with talent, with artists, designers, musicians, writers, filmmakers, makers, grafters, people building something out of nothing every single day, and yet it feels like we’ve hit a wall, like we’re running full speed into a system that refuses to move with us. This city loves to brand itself as creative, progressive, full of potential, but where is the real support when it actually matters.

    Creatives here are expected to survive on passion alone, to self fund, to self promote, to self sacrifice, while institutions clap from a distance and call it “community spirit”. Where is the funding for creatives who are already proving themselves, who are already doing the work, who just need backing instead of barriers. Grants are scarce, opaque, inaccessible, or funnelled into the same safe initiatives that look good on paper but do nothing to shift the culture on the ground.

    And where are the spaces. Not pop up gestures, not temporary boxes with expiry dates, but real, affordable, long term spaces where creatives can join forces, collaborate, experiment, rehearse, fail, grow, and actually build something sustainable. Studios are priced out, venues disappear, empty buildings sit unused while artists are told to be “resourceful”. Resourceful with what, exactly.

    Young people in this city are overflowing with ability, vision, and ambition, more than capable of succeeding far beyond Southampton, and they know it. They’re told to dream big, but given no ladder, no map, no safety net. The message becomes clear very quickly, if you want to thrive, you’ll have to leave. That isn’t a lack of talent problem, it’s a lack of belief, investment, and courage from the people in power.

    Creativity isn’t a luxury, it’s infrastructure. It shapes identity, it drives economy, it gives people purpose, it keeps cities alive. Right now Southampton’s creatives are holding this city together with unpaid labour, late nights, borrowed spaces, and sheer willpower, while decision makers talk about regeneration without listening to the people already regenerating it from the inside out.

    This isn’t about handouts, it’s about recognition, trust, and real partnership. Until funding is accessible, spaces are protected, and young creatives are actively supported instead of politely ignored, Southampton will continue to lose the very people who could redefine it. And one day we’ll look around at a quieter, blander city and wonder where all the energy went, when the truth is, it was pushed out.