From counter-culture to mainstream body design: Why the red-hot tattoo boom is only skin deep!

Very recently, Nike pulled a line of leggings and sports bras inspired by Samoan tribal tattoos following an outcry from Polynesian people. This event marked a tipping point in the dark and dirty cultural history of tattoos.

By changing nothing, nothing changes…

There are many clichés around change; ‘a change is as good as a rest’, ‘the more things change, the more they stay the same’ and ‘ring the changes’ to name but a few. Out of all of these, the most prominent (and in our case the most truthful) is that by changing nothing, nothing changes.

Uber App – it must have seemed like a good idea at the time...

Most of us involve with the ‘media’ have recently read about the noise made by taxi drivers all over the world following the release of the Uber app.

The funny thing bout writing...

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Before this piece gets too far beyond the first sentence, I need to point out that I’m not talking about writing jokes. I’m talking about the long held belief that I inject humour into all of my blog writing. Except no one notices. Until I point it out! And, like all good humour, if you have to alert people to the funny side it probably wasn’t funny in the first place.

So what is so difficult about writing with humour? Well, study the topic and it’s all about structure, incongruity and – well, that other funny word!

It’s about misdirection and illogicality and sometimes the risqué (should you be brave enough to not worry if you upset someone - and there aren’t many of us who think like that…)

And now that I’ve started to put keyboard to paper, it strikes me how incredibly difficult it is to try to explain my desire to make people smile when I write. I have a fairly normal disposition, but I have no desire to become a stand-up comic. So why do I need people to smile at my prose? I have no clue!

Maybe it’s because ‘a smile is the same in any language’ – it can never get lost in translation.

Maybe it’s because ‘laughter is the shortest distance between 2 people’ (Victor Borge said that!).

Maybe it’s just a primal desire to be liked? Who knows, but it’s a rare skill, not often evident her in these lines. But I do know a funny thing when I see it…

"It's not the cost of the suit that counts, but the worth of the man inside it."

The story of Les Sapeurs, or The Dandies of The Congo.

A dandy is a man who places extreme importance on physical appearance and refined language. It is very possible that dandies have existed for as long as time itself. According to Charles Baudelaire, 19th century French poet and dandy himself, a dandy can also be described as someone who elevates aesthetics to a religion.

The Vanity of Men

It has long been a contention of mine that men of all ages and persuasions are becoming worryingly absorbed with self-image, and the line between male and female vanity is now just a blur.

Alter-ego’s a-kimbo…

It’s always interesting when I find out that people I work with or see around, in places such as the gym, have hobbies that I don’t know about. For example, our Creative Director Simon Warren is a keen extreme sports junkie, and Liz, our Planning Manager likes nothing more than speeding off around the countryside on the back of a motorbike!

With this in mind, it’s rather strange when people are so surprised by one of my hobbies – being on stage! To me, it’s second nature; it’s nothing special, it’s just what I do and what I have always done.

I haven’t always been an Office Manager, in fact, for most of my adult life I’ve been working in anything but an office in Southampton.  So, lets give you some background…

After school I trained in Performing Arts and Intensive Musical Theatre at Chichester College of Arts, Science & Technology. I had big dreams and aspirations; my name was going to be in lights in the West End. Unfortunately, this was the dream of every other performing arts student in the country so getting there was going to be a rocky road.

When I graduated from college (with Distinctions may I add), my next step would have been to go on to Drama School – something I was advised not to do as it wouldn’t get me any further than I could already go on my own. It was advice I was glad I took.

It was then that I went to an audition for Holiday Park Entertainments Staff. I got the job and was packed off to Lower Hyde Holiday Park in Shanklin, Isle of Wight, where I spent the summer singing, dancing, doing kids club and loving life. Straight from my time on the Holiday Park, I was flown out to Tenerife where I joined the cast of a brand new Cabaret dining show called Raffles.

After Tenerife I came back to the UK. It was time to take a bit of a break from the stage so I went into retail, but it wasn’t long before the bug bit me and doors began to open again. It was time to go back to the Holiday Parks, but this time as Entertainments Manager. I had two years on the parks – one great, one not so great,(but we won’t dwell on that!) – before heading to the cruises as Lead Male Vocalist for Thomson. I did that for two years and then came home to audition for other stuff. However, as is with the case with all best laid plans, I found myself off-course once again, this time thanks to my heart, and decided to stay home.

You’re probably wondering why this is of any interest, and maybe I have digressed slightly…
so lets get back to hobbies!

So, last year, I found myself auditioning for Southampton Musical Society, an Amateur Dramatics Group who perform various musicals throughout the year at the Theatre Royal, Winchester. I got into the society and within two weeks had been cast in the lead role of their next production: Barry Manilow’s Copacabana.
It’s a show I’ve always wanted to do and a part I’ve always wanted to play so, naturally, I’m ecstatic!

We go up with the show in just 4 weeks. It’s been 6 months hard work but I’ve enjoyed every single minute of it. If you’d like to come and see the show you can get tickets here and why not check out our promo video too.

And next time you speak to one of us on the phone, just remember, we’ve all got an alter-ego ;)