Most of these photos were taken while listening to 🎧Raptastic Vol. 1🎧. You're welcome.
A little over a year ago, I was worn down by my daily grind and in dire need of a vacation. As with some of life's most interesting experiences, my next big life change would come via an overwhelming 4am urge to buy a plane ticket. For the first time in my life, I'd gifted myself the opportunity to explore a foreign country solo. One of my career goals is to get paid to go to London (and almost everywhere else in the world) so I figured it would be a great idea to go there and start shining the light on UK art. My only plan when I left the US was to bring @TheRingOfDOOM to the Landscape Room at Tate Britain; the room in which Banksy once hung his own art and changed the art world forever. Since I was hoping to change my world forever, it seemed like the best idea I ever had... and it was.
My newly-developed plan was to settle into London for a couple days, then fly out to visit Porto, Lisbon, and Barcelona before coming back to London for the last ten days of my vacation. I flew into London via IcelandAir, which meant I was able to spend some quality time at the Reykjavik airport. Fortunately, Icelanders seem to be as weird as me so I was able to get some pretty interesting photos between charging my phone with the airport USB plugs (I was impressed because I hadn't been out of the country since 2002). Since it was around the holidays, the legends of Iceland's Yule Lads were on display all over the airport and made for some pretty great photo ops. Next time I will most definitely take advantage of IcelandAir's Free Stopover Program.
I arrived in London around 7pm so I took the Underground to the Bankside area and followed the screen shotted directions to my hotel from the station. Since I'm brave but also a still kind of a hermit, I spent the extra money to stay in hotels instead of hostels; this is how I fell in love with CitizenM (more on that later). They seem to cater to interesting, arty, wanderer types who love movies and art so I fit right in. Once I settled into my hotel and took a few deep breaths, I headed out for some food and my first mini-adventure. I walked straight to the Thames River and got really, really excited for what I would discover on this trip.
Since jet lag is real and I'm a weirdo, I ended up staying up all night long studying the route to the first Banksy of my trip and researching what I'd do with myself for the next three and a half weeks. Around 9am, I headed out on my first adventure. After stopping by the Borough Market for a Cheddar Bacon Scone and a Flat White, I headed towards Bermondsey in search of a Fisher Boy.
I found this on my way so I knew I would find the droids I was looking for.
I spent about 20 minutes photographing, looking at, sitting by, and smiling at the Fisher Boy stencil loving every second of it. I kept making eye contact with passersby to see if they were as excited as I was (they weren't). Since my morning coffee was working as planned, I enthusiastically pressed on to my next destination... the foot tunnel under the Thames River that connects Greenwich and the Isle Of Dogs. The tunnel was five miles away but that is how I roll. I was using the force to guide me so I found many interesting things on my way; here are a few of my favorites...
Fresh off my first Banksy buzz, I couldn't have been more excited when I found my first jackpot of London Street Art. Up until this moment, I hadn't given much thought to Graffiti and Street Art other than Banksy; but, something about discovering this place thousand of miles from home all by myself changed me forever. Everything I've learned about Street Art since this moment has come from researching the artists work I captured and sharing the photos I found via Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. The perceived goldmine I discovered (please keep in mind that I hadn't been to Shoreditch yet) was on an abandoned bridge near Greenwich crudely labeled "Gallery Road" in black spray paint.
By posting this image of Kazz's art on my Instagram, I got my first thank you from a Street Artist and I was hooked. I wasn't sure exactly what I would do with all the photos I captured on this adventure, but I knew it would bring me closer to my goal of getting paid to return to London. My experience as a music blogger had taught me the joys of sharing the art that inspires me with the world. My original website has led to more opportunities in the music industry than I thought possible; so I can't wait to see where this chapter of my journey takes me.
Unknown Artist Collaboration
Unknown Artist Collaboration
This photo was taken between Cheeto's election and his inauguration; I tried to pretend I was Canadian but no one bought it. Such a douchebag.
Unknown Artist
Unknown Artist Collaboration
If you see this boat/bathtub, you're very close.
After my fingers had numbed from taking photos in the cold weather, I pressed on until I found the tunnel.
@TheRingOfDOOM taking his search for underground art too literally.
By the time I reached the tunnel entrance, I had walked over five caffeine-fueled miles on very little sleep and was ready to collapse on my fluffy bed back at the Citizen M Bankside. Once I reached the other side of the river, I took the Underground back to Bankside to relax. I hit up M&S to stock my mini fridge with cheese and smoothies, grabbed some Italian takeout from Vapiano, and headed back to the hotel where I watched too many On Demand Movies in a ridiculously comfortable bed. I was already in love with London but I was scheduled to leave for my two week adventure to Porto, Lisbon, and Barcelona the following afternoon. I'd be back soon enough...