Howdy doody!

 It seems like every time I start writing a personal blog it begins with “it's been too long” and it's always the case. I go through phases of wanting to share on here and wanting to keep it all in my paper diaries, but, for today I felt like it. I kind of went blog-crazy for a while and ended up with about seven of the damn things but I've finally wittled it down to two. One for work and one for play. I've had this blog for years and I just love having that space to share thoughts and ideas that just don't fit into my work stuff so here I am again, prattling on!

The biggest news recently is that my new album is finished! It is my latest offering and I hope all of those who find it love listening to it as much as I enjoyed creating it. Ray and I have worked hard over the last 20 months to pull this together. I can honestly say I think I drove Ray nuts and he has learned to decipher what I mean when I say I want a “doof” sound on the drums and the icing on the cake is that he hasn't killed me in the process. Creating another album with him has just been an awesome process and I'm so happy with what we have come out with. As you have probably noticed I haven't gigged in over a year. I just don't really see the point of it for now, there just aren't enough bums in seats for me to warrant lugging my drums and kit all over the country. I might gig again but I'm just not feeling it for now.

I've not been doing much art BUT I have been doing a lot of writing. My creative books are coming together slowly and I hope to have one or two of them done by the end of this year. I'll keep you posted on how it all takes shape. For this week I am off to Dublin to celebrate my four year anniversary with my boyfriend and I am looking forward to proper relaxation and to have a good nose at new things and just generally do holiday stuff. It's only a small get away but we are both desperate for it! I'll post some pictures when I get back!

Well I think that's a good small catch up! Enjoy the new album and I shall speak to you soon!

Big Love

Ryan James  

https://soundcloud.com/mrryanjames

New Album Ready to Listen!

https://soundcloud.com/mrryanjames

My Artwork

Here's my art and drawings ( in no particular order ). If you want a commission or just a natter send me an email!



New Song: Your Touch is Cold.

It's been ar too long since I posted some of the new music I've been working on so here's a new piece for you!


Big Love


Ryan James

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!

Swansea looks beautiful today as the first taste of spring hits the sea turning it from its usual silver to a shining blue. I am curled up in my creative space writing away, chatting to the dog and he is fearlessly guarding me from his own reflection in the windows. This morning is all about chocolate! I thought I would do a small Easter hunt for my boyfriend and got a whole bunch of chocolate bunnies and hid them around the house. He loved it and it was cute watching him try and reach the things I had put on the higher shelves! Of course I got caught up in all the excitement and have forgotten where I have put one of the bunnies. So, with summer on it's way we are both going to have to wait until something smells before we find the damn thing! Fingers crossed we come across it before it goes green and fluffy...

Our anniversary went brilliantly yesterday and we just spent the whole day doing exactly what we felt like, which to be honest, wasn't much. We have both built a life that celebrates each other constantly so it's awesome doing things we would normally do on a special occasions. We buy each other presents, and go to see things we want to see and it doesn't matter if its an occasion or not. It was just another awesome day for us.

The tour is all a go and after putting it all up on the website it has become scarily real. I'm keeping myself centred throughout it and making sure I don't fall back onto old obsessive habits. I think that's going to be part of the healing this tour is going to give me. Finally laying to rest old wounds and allowing me a space just to enjoy my music and being creative within it. I think as with all healing curves there will be a lot to learn for me this time around. It's just a matter of learning the logistics of it and keeping myself centred. Weirdly I am not actually nervous about the tour itself, or about audience sizes, or about how it is viewed externally. I am more focussed on keeping myself where I am emotionally and spiritually and there's plenty of time between now and then to do a little work on myself.

With it being Easter I guess it's time for me to follow the magic in the air and give a little re birth to myself. See which parts I want to take forward and which ones to leave behind.

Big Love and Chocolate!

Ryan James

Catch up!

 

- tired in bed watching the sea....

 

I say this every damn time but I promise you I don't mean to leave big gaps between posts in my personal blog. Things have been a bit crazy here but once I decided it was best to not “Duck and Cover” I started gathering what I needed to not only move forward but to do it peacefully. Basically I'm doing an absolute TONNE of re branding, re designing, of all my creative works into one cohesive space. All of my art, my music, my creative writing, my poems and all the bits and pieces in between are all going in one space. I physically do not have the time to chase around 7 different websites. It's all in the process of being in one place which is good I think but the only trick is to do that and not make it look completely chaotic.

Obviously in the middle of all that I receive the intuitive message that it's time to re brand the spiritual website in order to help my work reach a wider audience and prepare for my upcoming book, which yes, I am writing at the moment ( going good too! ). I am also writing the chapter outlines for the preceding book to that which needs to be done because they kind of coincide with each other. I have also just received the quote for another website I'm having built which I am RIDICULOUSLY excited about but also need a healthy lump sum to get going and in the middle of all this crazyness I decided it would be a good idea to explore going to back to University part time. Put all this with a busy day job, recording an album and keeping up with a social life has left me this morning, as expected, crashed out in bed.

It does sound like a lot on paper and believe me it is a lot in real life too but I have learned from mistakes of the past and I take regular time out to look after myself, walk my dog and spend time with my boyfriend. Doing all of this and doing it peacefully means doing it incrementally too. Piece by piece, day by day I slowly chip away at going through my lists and do my best to stick to my weekly plan ( a little tool I adopted years ago which saves my life constantly ). I always take a day off in the week to veg out, draw and watch ridiculous sci fi, really the worse the better. I don't know what it says about me but I actually started watching LOST recently. It doesn't scare me that I'm watching it but the fact I completely understand it sends cold sweats down my spine...

But I digress...

I'm busy but good busy, happy and loved, I have things to work towards and friends to share it with. Life is good and kind and peaceful and I feel lucky to be in a position where I can create more platforms to share with you.

Biggest Love

Ryan James