Adam Gary's Blog

Support the Indies!

'eeey! I'm writing a blog post whilst drinking coffee, and in the afternoon rather than in the evening with an alcoholic beverage of any kind! Progress!First off I'd like to start with how happy I am that my last post was so well received. It was a little rushed, and I did wonder at the time of writing if I was just spurting out waffle, but I've had a few messages about how useful it was, and how some had even gone to the lengths of purchasing 'The Path', so that's awesome!My post today centres around support. Support of the indie artist. Now, I must be very careful how I navigate around this, because anybody that has been following me for some time will know that I have my first book of fiction out in two days (July 22nd) and I by no means want anybody to confuse this post and think I'm only writing this for my own self gain. I'm not, but at the same time the fact is I am an indie writer looking to make a living so your support is of course very much welcome.Now, let's get down to business shall we pretties? When was the last time you invested your time and/or support into an unknown, probably struggling artist? This could be a musician, painter, designer, actor, or of course... writer ;) ? Have you ever? Now here's the thing, I'm terrible at this too! I include myself in this light ridicule, but I'm going to change that.As Joseph Dewey of Life of an Actor blog so rightfully points out, we are so eager to jump at the chance of buying work from our already rich and well established favourite artist, but most of us are so unwillingly to even glance at an up and coming, incredibly hard working artist from our own home town! Of course, this is by no means a stab at the big artists... their work is clearly very good otherwise it wouldn't be loved so much; and the majority deserve the success they have... but what does that mean for us: the Indie Artists.Well, it means nobody has the time or finance to give us a glance. Of course there's also the worry of quality when it comes to indie work, which I totally get. There's a lot of garbage out there that was just made on the willy nilly (hehe I said willy) and that understandably puts people off. I myself have been guilty with the original releasing of 'Poetry in Motion'. I was young and naive and thought 'Hey, I'll write this, and it'll be fine' and now I have spent many nights going over it wondering if I should just pull it; but after some tweaks and edits, I decided it was very important to me to keep it going, and the book itself has become somewhat of a poetic journey for me.SO, what are we supposed to do? Well, when it comes to buying an author's book, or a musician's CD off the street, watching an indie produced theatre piece or going to see an unknown comedian we have to be SMART. If you don't have the time or finances to just see any old indie work, then you have to research. Know who's work you are looking into, and whether you trust it or not... I don't have to go into details about how to do this I'm sure.So here's my pledge!Every month, I am going to purchase an indie book, see a fringe theatre show, listen to as much indie songs as I can by streaming on Spotify and help an artists stream count AND post reviews and comments to anything that I can. Every month I will have my own 'Indie Artist of the Month', too; starting with the next three months:My Indie Writers / Artists for August-SeptemberAugust- The Writeress - https://www.instagram.com/the.writeress/September- Lacey James - http://www.laceyjamesillustration.weebly.com/October - Amy Mclean - www.amymclean.co.ukAfter October, I'll post my indie artist of the month on my social media platforms, so be sure to go follow my twitter and instagram!Honourable MentionsI'd also like to give an honourable mention to the blog post that initial sparked this chain of thought, Life of an Actor blogger, Joseph Dewey - http://www.lifeofanactor.co.uk/2017/03/why-dont-you-like-me.htmlFilm Director Rhys Taylor -https://www.facebook.com/rhystaylorfilm/- https://vimeo.com/118034563 - an incredibly dear friend of mine, and long time collaborator.Costume Designer and Writer Martin Taylor - https://www.facebook.com/MartinTaylorCostumes/Useful LinksFor more ways you can support your favourite indie writer check out the links below. NOTE: These tips can pretty much be used for supporting any type of local artist; they're universal laws.https://www.millcitypress.net/blog/how-to-support-your-favorite-indie-authorshttp://davidbiddle.net/advice-on-supporting-indie-writers-the-best-indie-book-sites-on-the-web/If you'd like to help support me and my journey, you can head to my patreon page and subscribe for as little a $1 a month, or head to my store and purchase some of my work. (Or both, because you're just that angelic ;) ) I posted my second public Patreon post here, https://www.patreon.com/posts/mission-13120666 , which is a bit of a follow up from this post, I guess! As always,all the love!Adam

Happy Flappy

Why don't we spend more time actively encouraging happiness?You may remember a previous post that I had put up back in April, written alongside a good friend of mine Charles Hamnett. About the state in which society finds itself, and I have also mentioned following up on a previous thought. I have finally managed to sit myself down in front of my laptop and write about something that has been playing on my mind for a couple of months now:HAPPINESS  Now a pre-warning, a lot of what I am about to say is plucked directly and expanded on from a fantastic MUST READ book I picked up some weeks back; and if anything I mention in the following post sparks something inside you please DO pick up a copy. The Pathby Professor Michael PuettandChristine Gross-LohSo I'll first start with a small paragraph about what it is I've actually taken away from this book, before I reopen the thing and pick up on some mental notes I made whilst reading it. Happiness really isn't that elusive. The fact of the matter is, it's actually incredibly easy to come by; as easy as going to the nearest shop and buying a chocolate bar. Thinking of closing this post down already? Trust me, bear with it.Ever hear the saying, 'wallowing in self pity'? I don't know about you, but that's a very common saying to come across... at least it has been for me, but I don't think I've ever heard of anything for happiness. If you have heard of a saying along the lines of 'bathing in glowful joy' - okay I just made that up on the spot, but you see what I'm getting at - then please do leave a comment below, because I'd love to know. Being happy is simple, we just need to appreciate it more, and quite honestly, conjure the darn thing!What I enjoyed about 'The Path' most, is almost immediately I had found answers to questions I had been seeking for years. Straight away I realised what was so wrong with society (see previous post with Charles).First what we have to do is let go of who we THINK we are. Ever feel a grudge against someone for 'labelling' you? Well reality check, you've  been labelling yourself since school! 'I'm impatient', 'I'm too clingy', 'I'm easily angered', etc. Well guess what, you're all of that AND their complete opposites. We are malleable beings and the problem is you have spent who knows how long convincing yourselves you're all of these different kind of labels - which have negative connotations associated with them - that yes, without you noticing you you have in fact MADE yourself become that person.So what happens when we start to get into the habit of telling ourselves, 'Oh, I'm charitable', 'I'm easily amused,' 'I find beauty wherever I look,' ... that's right, you guessed it... we start to cultivate happiness.Prof. Puett and Christine Gross-Loh have evidently spent years researching eastern philosophy, which is obvious when reading 'The Path' and they explain Confucius' findings far better than a twenty-five year old writer from South West London can; which is why I strongly urge you to buy their book.They explain solutions to really grasp the idea of cultivating your own happiness. AND IT'S EASY! All you have to do is "plant the seed." Create "as if rituals". I don't expect that this post will have inspired anyone in the slightest, and I guess that what I'm trying to get out of this post is don't underestimate the power of your mind. If, like me, you find yourself in constant droughts of happiness, remember... you CAN create your own happiness... it WORKS. Most of the times it's our own selves that creates negativity.Again, CHECK OUT THIS BOOK.MettaAnother thing I'd like to discuss or throw out to people, is the Buddhist meditation of Metta - aka Loving Kindness Meditation. I have been practising this meditation for many years, and at the height of my involvement - for want of a better word - I truly felt GODLY. I literally felt loving energy glowing from my body, I had never felt so happy.The idea of metta is wishing happiness and well being upon yourself, your loved ones, a person that has caused you stress, and all creatures on the planet. If you're not spiritual or into religion, I do implore you to set that aside and at least try it once. I practice as often as I can, for a minimum of 30 minutes, though when I first started I could only focus on the meditation for five minutes. This all fits under one roof, and that the cultivation of our own happiness. I have linked a guided youtube video for your convenience; I invite you to take a go just once.After a month of using metta I can guarantee your outlook and inner energy will have purified tenfold, you'll find yourself unable to stop smiling! At least that's what happened to me... damn I really need to get back on it!So that's all from me for now. Apologies this post has been such a long time coming, I've been incredibly busy getting 'Southwest on the A303' ready for release, which is in two weeks time by the way!(hint hint, nudge nudge, wink wink.) If you have any other ways of cultivating your own happiness, please share in a comment down below, so that we can all benefit in the future!Let's all start bathing in our glowful joy! Who's with me?!You can purchase 'The Path' here: amazon

Stop pissing on our trees!

Quite frankly I'm so outraged I almost don't want to take a sip of my Whiskey... Almost. So yes, this is being posted on a Wednesday because I didn't have anything I felt particularly needed blogging; but then I stumbled upon yet another image of authors / publishers being damn well irresponsible and quite bluntly dickish towards our environment and trees and decided I wanted to express how I felt towards this phenomenon. Now let me first express that I find the writing in these following images to be very beautiful and touching, I am by no means putting down the work. It's probably better than what I could come up with. My anger is pointed towards the lack of respect and ignorance to the crisis we are fast approaching and all the deforestation that is plain for everyone to see. Why on earth do people think it's okay to be wasting vast amounts of paper to print just TWO fecking lines! It's disgusting. Now I realise that yes, having these pieces seperated appears more power and jumps off the page more, but I'm sorry that has to come second! As authors, and publishers and most of all self published authors, we have a DUTY and responsibility to consider such things. I'm sure I'm not the only one that thinks this to be true. I myself am working on a very similar styled collection, 'Random Ramblings of a Restless Mind' and have poems of two lines etc, the only difference is, I'm fitting between 2-4 on a page, depending on the length.I have cut the instagram names off the bottom of each screen grab for obvious reasons, but if the authors ever read this, For goodness sake fix up mother fu-*Connection lost, please try again later.*

Writing's a Piece of Cake!

NOT!As always, I sit at my desk completely winging this post. Not enough hours in the day to properly plan this thing out. I have many topics I'd like to post about, though I'm not sure this newborn blog is quite ready for THOSE kind of topics. In the meantime I have decided it might be nice to discuss where I am on my creative path, and where I see myself going. SIDE NOTE -This is probably a good opportunity to let you know that I'm about to launch a Patreon page, which is already live but I'm in the process of shooting a cool intro video before I officially 'Launch' and start sharing across my platforms. Link in the cool logo image below - click it, if you dare! Obviously if you don't decide to tip/donate/subscribe, that's totally fine, I still love you.Okay so, my life as a writer!What makes a writer? Well the truth is everyone is capable of being a writer. For whatever reason story-telling is ingrained in us. Kids can come up with structured stories as easy as breathing. Irregardless of whether the story is any good or not, we can ALL tell stories!I'm not sure why people seem to be able to tell structured stories from such a young age, often without realising. It would be easy to say it's because as a race we have become engrossed in new TV and Movies, constantly soaking up stories subconsciously, but I think it's much deeper than that. I would go as far as saying it's in our blood! We have been telling stories since our sentient creation. Who knows, maybe even before then! As Neanderthals we've been painting stories inside caves, then as ancient tribes we would tell stories through performance - the birth of theatre, Ancient Greece followed, and so on.Of course there are many working writers who would denounce the theory of structure. Some infamous for it. Then they would go on to write a structured story regardless, subconsciously doing the very thing they say doesn't exist. Mamet, I'm looking at you. - Ah Mamet, you controversial master of dialogue Mo Fo. You're name, and forever quotable phrases have come to me in both my acting work and now my writing work too. Big love.So at what point can we introduce ourselves as a writer? After penning a love letter to our partner? A short story? A five act structured play, written in verse? My personal view is you can call yourself a writer the moment you lay pen to page - or finger tips to keyboard - and write your first story, structured well or not, you have taken that first step. Everyone is so hung up about being good or not, they forget the fact that they have created characters and a plot out of love and enjoyment. THAT is a writer.So where am I on this spectrum? Well my life as a writer is fairly new. Only in the past year have I started to take this crazy little hobby and pursue it with a professional approach. As an only child I always had time to pick up a few figures and play with them, not realising I was creating massive and sometimes quite complex story lines. My mother once told me she would sit outside my door and listen to me as I created plots that would keep us both entertained for hours. I just love the imagery of that! A loving mother sat on the ground, out of sight, whilst her young boy innocently plays with his figures - ENTER SCARY, BUTCH, ANTAGONIST KIDNAPPER GUY - Sorry, there goes my imagination running away again.I've spent most of my life pursuing a career in acting, and due to increasing anxieties I now find it quite crippling to perform - which is sad admittedly - but that's where I've found comfort in WRITING! When I'm performing on stage or in front of the camera, the thought of 'this is for them' is constantly in the back of my mind, and the pressures of 'being good' always haunting me. Instead of being in the moment, and fully focussed on my partner, I'm hoping people are enjoying my performance, constantly wondering whether I'm any good or not - whereas with writing I can sit in my shed, alone with my thoughts and I write FOR ME. Whether I'm attractive enough for the big screen or not! The only pressure comes when a piece of work is launched, but thankfully I am so busy with writing that I often release work and move straight on to another piece, ensuring I leave no room for social anxiety to get in the way!So I'm still trying to find my feet with this writing malarky, and I once again struggle to find a way of concluding this rambling. 'Writing is a piece of piss' is somewhat true, in the sense that we can all do it, remember that. But if you want to write ART,  masterfully crafted and beautifully complicated, intricate and delicate, then one must learn to structure, and learn everything there is to know, even if you then decide to throw it all away later. That is where I am. LEARN LEARN LEARN.So now I work day and night, trying to create the best stories and character's I can. Who knows what the future holds, but I'm excited to find out!Adam

Are we becoming desensitised to each other?

 Is it just me or are people losing their manners and morals? Their courtesy, and their virtues? I can't count how many times I have walked the streets of London and been bumped into fiercely without the culprit even looking up from their phone, or turning to apologies. It's increasingly becoming more and more frequent, and I am left to wonder what has happened?I would be foolish to try and speak on behalf of the millions of Londoners that live here, because I obviously have no clue what's going on in their minds as they go about their day to day lives and I'm not even certain that this is a new phenomenon. I'm a young man, growing up and experiencing life a fresh, but it does seem to me that it's getting out of hand. How can people ignore a person in need, as if they are a piece of dirt.I was on the underground once, and a man in a leg cast fell down the escalator - quite some way too - and people ignored it. This is in LONDON! I ran over to help the man up and stayed with him to make sure he didn't fall again, as we climbed the escalator once more - ironically without a thank you - and people stared at me as if I was the one out of place!I need to do some research into this further, as I would be interested to know why in my opinion, so many humans have become desensitised to hurt and suffering, and lost so much care for one another. Of course there are still so many good samaritans out there that counter balance everything I've just said, though I do feel we need more! I will allow this thought to marinate in my head for a while and perhaps follow this up with another post, I just had to get my thoughts down, and didn't want to be behind on the blog, three posts in.Take a watch of this, it perfectly displays everything I've just mentioned, though this is not in London.As I sit and write this delayed post, I am accompanied by a very dear friend of mine who I've known for nine years and occasionally write with. Introducing my writing partner and blood brother Charles D. Hamnett, with his thoughts.I have a friend who was in an abusive relationship, she told me some of the things that had happened and I would honestly wonder how someone so evil could actually exist. I feel that some people associate power with verbal and physical aggression, however when you have someone who is strong within themselves and is virtuous, we appreciate them all the more.Aggressive people seem to think very highly of themselves, just look at Alexander The Great, Stalin, Genghis Kahn, Hitler and Trump. People that push and force their way into position through aggressive means, as opposed to using a cool head and letting one's ability speak for itself. It seems that the majority of people are angry because they are not happy with how their lives are going, and therefore take out their aggressions to give themselves a false sense of superiority; but it does not make them feel better in the long term. I feel that if they can find a way to make their life work in their favour, and make their lives less chaotic, happiness will arise; and then they will feel less of a need to conquer and more of a need to connect! 

Tinder, Our Love - Hate Relationship

Robotic Cam Girls, ex girlfriends, desperate models, and people with the conversational skills of an asparagus.Welcome to my tinder world!Yes, I'm on tinder and I am not ashamed!If I'm not being asked to sign up to pay as you view sex cams, or being told "I like your hair," to which I can only find unique responses for so many times before my generic reply of, 'Thanks,' makes an appearance, then I'm being blanked. Thank you pretty lady for toying with my emotions by right swiping my ugly mug, filling me with hope before completely blanking me after I finally push my ever lingering insecurities to the side and take the plunge to message you.Then when you finally sift through the robotic sex workers and the blankers, you meet the asparagus - asparaguses - asparagie? - the ladies that, no matter how hard you try, you get jack shit from their replies. One word answers, or the generic 'Good, and you?' 'What are you up to?' 'Nothing much, you?' and so on. Which leaves me to wonder, have we lost the art of communication? Or is it just easier to be blaze when you're behind a phone screen? So, off through the sieve with you asparagus ladies.Then there's the 'look at me half naked in this picture, and this picture, and this one, and this one too, accompanied by a completely blank bio' girls. Am I the only male deeply concerned about the amount of half naked girls, flaunting their breasticles and arse cheeks in every single photo on their profile, as if they feel they have nothing else to offer other than their bodies? Surely there's SOME substance to you other than your figure? STOP SELLING YOUR BODIES LADIES, YOU ARE BY FAR THE BETTER SEX, REMEMBER THAT. DO NOT SINK TO SIX PACK ABS GUY'S LEVEL! Now look, we all know tinder is known for the random hooking up between two people, BUT I can say that my last serious relationship came from the app of mighty red flame.Yes that's right, if you look hard enough, there are needles amongst the haystack! And despite the impending heart ache, or awkward fazing out, it is worth the sifting! So many adventures await you, when you find a genuine and life loving match, so hang in there my fellow swipers, good things could be round the corner.After much rambling, let me get the of this blog:I joined tinder because I often find myself too busy to go out and socialise like the normal percentage of the human race, especially - sadly - at weekends, and too socially awkward / hindered to approach a girl at a bar, but now it's beginning to feel like despite that, it would be easier than logging into tinder. The very reason tinder was created is rapidly disintegrating. As is most social media. Tinder's supposed to be used for a quick and easy hookup, or an easier option for those hindered by anxiety and imposter syndrome like myself, to actually get a foot in and find a decent companion. It has however, become a bizarre sexual tool for self promotion to get more online followers, and to push their notoriety on social media further into this crazy celebrity obsessed world, rather than looking for that genuine partner.I guess I'd better free up some time and get to work on my chat up lines and bar game.UPDATEI'll just leave this here,

My First Post

 My first blog. Well, spank my arse and call me Sally. I swore to myself many years ago I wouldn't bother with a website, or with a blog; yet here I sit, writing my first blog post, on my brand spanking new website.Right,  so... let me top up my wine glass and get to it. How cliche of me.I can't even write about myself for my first post, as this site has a whole page for that already.I will try to post every Tuesday, if I feel inspired enough. I'm going to try and avoid writing for the sake of writing, because 'aint no body got time fo' dat!'You have all the information you need about me on this site, so please do check the pages out, and if you feel inclined, please do subscribe to my mail list to be updated about my every single move, because that's the society we leave in. The 21st century - AKA the stalking era. The era of stalk.So why did I start a blog? Well, I actually thought of putting together a book, with the title along the lines of 'Random Ramblings of a Restless Mind' - damn I love that title - which would feature observations and thoughts I had, put down onto a page each, and then publish it when it became substantial enough. Then I realised, that was a blog. So here I am, going back on my own promise and starting a blog. How long it will last, I can't say, I still really like that fucking title, so maybe I'll give it a go sooner or later. I won't be sticking to a single title, like 'Healthy Eating' or 'Writing' etc. You won't know what you'll get, until it's posted. Whether that's a good thing or not, we'll see.So here's to my first post. Cheers!*gulps down wine*I guess that'll do for now,Until my first official post on Tuesday - possibly - we'll see.Signing out,Adam