Graff workshops on the way! Hoorah!

Yo yo yo!!
Ok, so "Teem180" is expanding soon - as well as the Beatbox workshops (which continue to grow), there will be 'Graffiti workshops' and also 'Workshop' workshops on offer!

The graff workshops are quite exciting for me, because i am really looking forward to developing the whole 'artistic' side of stuff. As well as offering large mural pieces, i will aim to push the canvass side of things - which makes sense as i make my own canvasses, so hopefully it should be fun to start right at the start of a project, as well as the portability aspect being really good!

So....that means lots more 'black book' stuff starting - ill post a few ideas as we go along to keep y'all posted!

The 'How to Workshop' workshops are also exciting as the scope for theory is huge. The main theory and inspirations come from TED that has fantastic talks and presentations from all sorts of people - check it out peeps!

So, surely i can find lots to blog about - the only question is do you wanna hear it! Ha ha ha!

Performing...

Its mad recently....i have been getting the opportunity to beatbox and perform to some really cool people - loads of 'key people' as well. That is in terms of people for getting the work of the Inspire Arts trust, where i am currently in a role as "Team Lead".

I do get to work with some great people, and they are really game to use their artforms (dance, singing, DJing etc...) to reach people.
And i of course get to beatbox!

Actually, last night, i was hosting a 'Black Tie' charity event in Bristol. Kind of funny i suppose, cause i wouldn't say i was posh enough for it! Ha ha!!
Anyway, the night carried on, people networked, talked, ate, drank, drank some more and watched the guys and gals do their dancing and singing. Beatbox was in full effect, and i managed to get the whole room trying it as well - brilliant!

I have been seeking more opportunities to perform recently, and i really feel like when i get the chance, its God who opens the doors up! I just rock up and spit - but hey....I'm sure God uses it!

So, ill let you know when the new stuff gets up on the web, but till then....

Keep on keepin on x

Talent Vs Judges

OK...so i sound like an old whining bloke - maybe i am, but i think i share this opinion with many - a pure hatred for "X-factor".

I think the thing that gets me is not the fact that the 'Talent' has gone down, or that too many people are now deliberately doing rubbish acts so that they get fame for nothing ("DJ Talent", etc..etc...), but the fact that the "Judges" hold SO much power over the general public.

Now, sure...the 'Judges' have experience etc...but the thing is, its the fact that whatever they say, THATS what the public then believe about life. So i guess that my hate of the XFactor show isn't necessarily about the 'Talent' but rather that these 'judges' get to play god about things.

The bottom line is, "Who cares wot you think!"
I thought that the original concept was quite good - rebel against the Industry....let the public have their say...find an 'everyday' hero.
But actually, i realise that the 'Industry' now use the Xfactor as their puppet.

Man...cynical or what? I just want the public to start making up their own mind and do their own searching, rather than waiting to be spoonfed this 'who knows what' from "experts".

Really...who cares. Talent is thin on the ground - its only a matter of time till it gets axed.

I hope.

off again...

Hey!
Its Luv Esther time again - Bolton here we come.
Its gonna be a long day, but fun I think (especially once we hit the Over tired stage!).
Being on stage is always fun so ill tell U about things when i get back!
x

good advice to succeed...

Ok, so i was surfin the ol' internet (well...stumbling actually) and i came across a great site with the top 7 tips for success, as quoted by a guy who was giving the advice to new starters in business.

Before we go any further though, here is a nice picture of 2 penguins.
Nothing to do with this post, its just that 'blog posts' with images get more attention.
Ok?

Right....lets get on with it.

Some tips were common sense, and some were really good.
When i find the link, ill post it, but otherwise search out some stuff y'aself (go on...don't be a lazy ass!)

So - wot was the best tip?


This one:
Don't listen to the bad comments or advice (i knew this - obvious!!) and don't listen to the good comments (didn't realise this one...) - just get on with what your passion is.

Hmmm....controversial eh!? I guess that we can spend so much time 'filtering' out the good from the bad, or trying to censor the comments that we end up worrying what people think of us. Stuff it...just get on with it....

I like that.

Want another tip?...try this punk -
"be yourself coz life is short".

Later x

Paint tips #1

So....graffiti - love it.
The good stuff, that is!

Here's a tip.

In this picture, you can see various brands of paint


Krylon, Montana, Belton to name some well know brands, and they all have their own ways of showing what colour the paint is. The most common way is to have the lid the same colour as the paint (like the Krylon Black). Or more modern tins have a collar on the top - again, the same colour as the paint.

So?........well its OK if you are looking at the tins in daylight. The lids look EXACTLY the same as the paint.
But....if you are painting at night, then things get weird.
The lids change colour due to the orange street lights in our streets, and then it gets hard to figure out what you are painting with, so this is what you do:

1. Get rid of the lids - pretty much a waste of time anyway.
2. keep the caps (or nozzles) seperate - you dont have a lid to protect it anyway, and you want to be using the most appropriate cap for the job anyway (thin (skinny) or wide (fat)).
3. Get out your marker and write on the bottom like this:

That way, even in the dark you know what the colour is that you are using!
NICE!

Now, you just gotta remember to fetch your sketch along with ya (not your black book, coz if you lose that!.....)
Thats pretty much it for this 1st tip.

But remember kids....keep it real...keep it legal!
(my mum would want me to say that....)
Soon...a video for ya! I'll show ya how to mix the paint in style and all Ninja like!
Laters x

ACE (again!!)

Ok...Ok....i know....its another old piece from the black book, but hey....its the old name thing again!


"ACE"

It was written as a panel piece - which means it should fit on a train, or more specifically - a subway car (if you are in New York) or a 'Metro' train - the Newcastle equivalent of the London Tube.

A panel piece fits on the side of a Metro, below the windows and in between the doors. Basically on the panel there, hence the name 'a panel piece'.
More on the way, but for now - life is mental again!
Soon...more on the paint, and more on the Beatbox!
Later

Luv Esther kicks off!

LUV ESTHER (click here) has started.
Last night we were in a fantastic venue in Perth (Scotland). I have lots of stories, but i shall spare you them as most of them have a "you had to be there" feel to them.
It was good, and we all shared a good moment with the questions, "Wot was the worst point of the gig and the best point?"
My answers were as follows (if you are interested):

• Worst = Well... i cant actually remember the first thing i said, but i do seem to recall that during one of the scenes, one where i have to basically show my hatred of one of the other characters (played by Rob) because he takes the glory and honour that I should have got, All i could hear in my 'in-ear monitors' was Rico laughing and giggling! Its very strange because i can hear him but I'm probably the only one who can. I thought he was doing it on purpose to put me off (as a bit of an 'in joke'), but he was just acting the part as i realised he was on stage next to me. I think its just strange because it felt as if he was whispering in my ears which was a starnge concept!
  
• Best = The guys who held some responsibility for organising and sorting us motley crew out. People like Laura, Craig and Sarah. Sarah deserves a special mention as it was her Birthday while we were away and she is always such a powerhouse of activity but isn't afraid to get stuck in with things. Things like the crewing after the show.

We have a massive set and its big and heavy (like my wallet. Ahem....sorry...dreaming again...), and so to go with this, we have a fantastic crew! They even let Sarah and me join in with them to 'crew it' after the show. Sarah's done it before and she kind of helped me find my feet when i started (not like i am a pro at this stage) so i am grateful that she did.
The thing is, is that its actually so much fun doing things like that because of the teamwork and just general jokes that go on - it makes up for the long days etc....

Anyway... ill get some pics up soon! So till then...

Dream
Create
Live

(Someone once told me....)

More Graff from an old piece book!...

WoW!

Wot a find!
It was in my shed, in a box, from our house move 3 years ago!
I knew it was around somewhere but i wasn't sure where!

So.... a few posts for ya - retro style!

First.... an airbrush piece with marker outline.

Typical....the old name thing again!
T.U.T (at bottom right) stood for "The Urban Terrorists".
That was the crew i was part of - we would get out and about and get the name up!




Now...."fade out".
A term used when colouring the piece (or doing a fill in).
Just an outline, but a lot of piece books would only contain the outlines. Usually you would know the colour scheme before you got out and painted it somewhere.

So...more to follow, but i will soon share some of the hints, tips and tricks we would use when getting up (painting a piece).

Until then Amigos.....

happiness is 9-5

well...work...wot can i say??

I used to think that it was a "product of the fall", but after reading a few books ("Work-prison or place of destiny?" etc...etc...) i had changed my mind.
I have been on a journey of sorts, and the more i have embarked on it, the more sense it has made.

I got into setting up TEEM180 to not only teach Beatboxing, nut to use it to facilitate team building. I started the journey after attending a "team building" day at an NHS trust where i was working at the time.

Terrible.
We were told off for at least 1.5hrs, because (apparently) we didn't support our illustrious manager. I found out that the facilitator worked for the NHS trust, and basically was making sure we were all singing the same 'tune' (i.e: We love the Trust, we will put up and shut up, please use us and abuse us etc...). I realized that actually we as a team / department, weren't being invested in for our own good at all.
So...i started the journey into teams and work.

The most recent book that sums it all up is this. You can read it free online and it is pure fun and common sense (ok..and a few other things!..) but it is brilliant!

Sometimes i don't understand all this business lingo, but when you break it down into real terms, you realise that its not just for the professionals, but that you can improve things at at a real level.

When you break it down, its really some values that i would call "Kingdom Values".
As a Christian, people think that Jesus was this white, middle class, wet guy who was utterly religious. Actually, the values and the way that he did things were (and still are) absolutely Radical. If he did the same things today, he would make front page news and I'm sure you would love him or (sort of) hate him, coz he would disrupt and turn things upside down!
He said mad things like 'go the extra mile' for people, and to love others like you love yourself.

When you apply his teachings and lifestyle to things like business, you can actually see that to invest in people, as opposed to making as much money as possible (at others expense) isn't such a bad thing after all. The person who feels invested in, then feels like they have some worth and something to contribute to the business. The business then goes from strength to strength etc....and so on....

Anyway, all i can say is READ IT!

Laters.

Art and inspiration

Ok... i gotta admit that i should blog more - why?... well, i used to think it woz a bit pointless (unless my loyal fans demanded it!..) but now i find that it not only helps me understand my thoughts and the process behind whatever it is that i do, but it also adds to the general pot of creativity that can be found on the internet.
I was in London (boo...hiss...) recently and came acroos a great book called "Art by people" which was fantastic. It was really inspirational, and sparked my creative process off again so i have digged out my big canvass and it is ready to paint. I want it to be good as the canvass isn't just a knocked together thing, but is a labour of love and uses parts and pieces that have a story to them. Take the actual canvass material, it belonged to Careys (the missus!...) Grandfather, who kept in the back of his car. When the Car broke and went off to the big scrap heap in the sky, i rescued the material and made it in to a canvass. It was actually in the tool compartment next to the spare wheel, and it was really clean and nicely folded...I think that older folk take care of things better as they probably understand how hard it can be to get hold of items when they are scarce (remember World war 2?..). Today, we are to used to getting 'fast food', 24hr supermarkets and internet shopping - it all goes to making us a throw away society.

Right.... rant over.
Sorry.

But it means that the canvass has more worth than just a piece of material i purchased in haste so i can paint on it. It makes me nervous just thinking about it, but i am excited about it as well because it reminds me that actually, what i 'bring to the table' is also of worth and has stories behind it too. How to convey it though....thats the tricky part.

Anyway, more posts to follow with this theme of inspiration to come, and ill share some of my most influential material to date - its all good stuff!

More Butlins Shananigans!

Well... back from round 2 @ Butlins! It has been an excellent time and very inspirational as well!

Its been the Urban Academy which comprises of teaching 1 hour long workshops on Breakdancing, Streetdancing, Beatboxing and MCing.
I do the beatbox/Mc bit and BGirl Rach teaches the Breakdance/streetdance.
BGirl Rach is wicked...she has some MAD moves and is a good teacher as well-kids really respond to her teaching which is nice!
We both agree that teaching people who want to be taught is brilliant, as sometimes in schools (for example) some kids come to the lessons just to get out of something else and don't really give a monkey about learning a new skill!
So... ill try and get some pics and more details for you when i get the chance!

Take it easy cheesy!

Old Graffiti from way back....(black book stuff)

Sometimes, as a writer (a graffiti writer), you get OBSESSED by things like your name. Some of these sketches are words that have a bigger meaning than that. These are sketches from an old black book i started in about 1989, and i kept it updated over my time in NGM. They start as pencil outlines then they would get coloured and finally, the outline would be done. I kinda like the simplicity of the outline, so some never really further than that. The first picture is the word "changed". If we aren't changed by Jesus, then whats the point of looking and doing "Christian" things.

Hey...here is my name (ACE2). Its done in two styles - straight (like a whole car, top to bottom piece) and future wildstyle. I used to call myself "Krazy Ace", then "ACE1". When i decided to follow Christ, i couldn't put myself first, so hence "ACE2"....there...now you know!
"Fresh". Simple. Clean. Again, one day i will colour it!
And a block letter style - "Comic". Complete with wet smudges and highlights. Done around the time of meeting another writer who was a Christian. We couldn't get over the fact that we both loved to write!

I guess its all old stuff, but i thought we could do a bit of a retro thing for a giggle!
I'll get round to posting some newer stuff soon, with even some Characters and people included (not a strong point, so i am going out of my way to learn some new styles!).

(p.s: Copyright Stu Robson, so don't even think it!)

If you would like a tattoo based on a theme, name or word then let me know and i could oblige!

See ya soon!

Arty stuff...

Well...really excited at the mo for art etc...
I caught a really good blog about illustrations and comic book art, and i ended up following some of the links and other followers on the blog - a good way to see other peoples sites...
Brilliant - came across some good sketches and 'how to' from others blogs...sheds light on the creative process, so now i feel like i can get stuck in and get drawing etc!

I also came across some old graffitti piece books that i had started when i first cam down South in 1990...nice!
It gave me good ideas for tattoos etc...
Anyway, life is always full of things, and i think i am just needing to think of a longer term plan so i have a bit more aim and direction as the year progresses. Its really challanging trying to figure out your 'niche'.
Do we have one?... I dunno! For the moment, i think i am doing lots of things that interests me, and although i may not have the steady income that i had when i was a full time Specialist Nurse Advisor, i like where i am at now, with all the different areas and flexibility it offers.
Too flexible sometimes, but i am blessed by having good people around me who are really creative and clever (my brother for example...flipping creative brainbox!). So the possibilities are endless - i hope!
Till then Check out my friend Charlies blog - great illustrations and clever to boot!

Gan canny marras!

Nice BBQ!

Hey! yet again its late, but its been a good day. I have nearly done my conservatory flooring, found a new blog to follow (sarah Mensinga) and been to a great BBQ with friends!

Now, i shall retire and then gym it tomorrow with Sir Tim of Wickham, in preparation for my continuing role of Haman, in the musical 'Luv Esther'...

check it ;-)

catchy tunes..

a I blame Leon (a dude who is a kick ass DJ @ INSPIRE) for singing the theme tune to cbeebies show "Space Pirates"....now thats all i can think of.

Wots your tune that sticks?

Post "the Duke"

Well, Always nice to catch up with the Duke ( www.dukespecial.com ) at the bizarre venue the Thekla, in Bristol. I got to go with one of me mates (Philly Blunt) and got in on the guest list with our silly code names (dont ask...). Great gig and caught up with some of the guys as well. 'Foreign slippers' were the support act - lush lush lush! Was going for the EP, but it woz sold out :-( (they MUST have been good for me to go to purchase music AT the gig!).
Inspirational....
I NEED to get writing, but i always struggle for material to write about, but now i actually realise that i have all the material right here in front of me!
So...my plan (coz i am crap at writing or at least, getting started...):

1. Use my note book
2. take it with me
3. Use it.
4. write and play my instruments more.

So, my Upright bass will probably stay (i woz gonna sell it) and i will learn a bit more piano....need to play and pick Mr Nick Hydes brain on this one. Also Mr Alvis has a piano, and i shall travel up and try to use it as a lame excuse to hook up, drink beer and walk the walk together (i'll sort a date out with you Al!...).

Till then, check out the track "I wish i were a fisherman" from the foreign slippers....go on... www.myspace.com/foreignslippers

Later dudeos!

illness...

poo... i have been all sniffily/coldy/snotty/sore/bunged up/sinus pain/headachey etc...for too long now. I even had to fight with the receptionist at the GP just to get an appointment...and even then, it is with the nurse!!

BUT I AM A FLIPPIN NURSE YOU DOZEY...ahem....silly woman!

Nevermind - just give me some antibiotics and ill be on me way!..... we will see!
Life is calming down a bit, just preparing for a beatbox/dance assembly at a local school to follow on from a Beatbox after school club.
Should be cool!...

Lots of ideas floating around as well with regards to my work with INSPIRE Arts... The ideas seem to come better when i am rested.
I took the hint when i fell asleep at the dinner table after i had eaten...Carey was speaking to me, Naomi was answering for me...and i was dreaming!!! Cor luvva duck...!

So now its 2.05AM and i'm still up!!???

WHAT!!??

so....g'nite.

Beatbox meets wrestling!

Yes....a wrestling ring....at Bognor....Butlins....to do what????

BEATBOX of course!

There must have been about 600 people who had come to see the wrestling - all hammed up and full of acting. Still very physical mind you...

So me and a breakdancer called Matt were hanging around backstage - which was strange enough...it consisted of the following:

• 2 Sound engineers (one from UK, one from USofA)
• 2 wrestlers - one smallish Brit, 1 Tall/muscle/bald American
• 6 cheerleaders (4 ready to dance, 2 warming up for the match)

Then....5 minutes before the wrestling, we heard,"..please welcome your very own...URBAN ACADEMY!!...." (done in an american, pro-wrestling voice!). That was our cue to RUN on and climb into the ring!!!! Lush!
I divided the crowd into 3 and got each section to make either a kick drum, hihat or snare when i pointed to them. And whats more...it worked!!
Nice!
Then followed a beatbox demo and some breakdancing.
Just another wierd day in my beatbox world i suppose! It could only have got better if i had to wear a wrestling mask....still..there is always time!

People Vs the system...

Well...lots of crisis stuff in the UK at the mo. What with the banks and financial scene in a bit of a pickle - don't really understand it all, other than i pay lots to live. I know God has got my family & me in the centre of his presence so its all good....but what of the system??


2 things struck me recently.

• The first thing was seeing the G20 protests in London. The crowds and sheer numbers of your everyday, average person with average income (i imagine) and ordinary life. We have to vote, fill out paperwork in triplicate, lobby & ask for change, , ask ask ask...and it gets nowhere. So along come the protests and the PEOPLE, who force the change purely by speaking up. Although, the protests turned violent, there was one thing driving them, and it wasn't just the frustration. It was PASSION. Negative passion, I grant that but PASSION never the less.

• I was watching Gary Go's song "say I am Wonderful" on you tube , and I loved the fact that people (average, ordinary folk) would come together and get away from their stiff upper lip syndrome, and actually open up. But in the opening up, they make themselves vulnerable and real...very refreshing as i think we tend to hear only bad news and have fear of others. To see peoples real thoughts and desires just made the point that we all hurt, all have dreams and are just as bemused at life as the next man.

The point is, we all try to order stuff and figure it out but it aint going to be solved by our money, politics or even nice music. We can try to be happy but if we don't get the first thing right, then we are just pratting around!

The first thing to get right is to be restored by our creator -if we dont have this peace in our soul, then we will feel the repercussions throughout our lives.
I'm preaching at myself as well here, so don't think i have it sorted yet - but i'm trying.

Very trying, some would say.

Man...where does the time go?? Sometimes i have so much space, but am so busy that i cant fit stuff in. At times being organised isn't a strong point - i like to be able to have my calendar in my head but that won't work so i have to resort to other things. Things like diaries etc...
Now, the best online application is undoubtably Googlemail. You get a great calendar which is really powerful, but the advantages for me are:

• you can quick add an event - click the day you want to add an event, and you then get a 'one line box' for your event name and time. Thats it.. if you want to add more, then you can but it's very 'fuss free'
• You can access it via your phone, so its great for online and offline. Just have to use it more now!

Anyway...like my Carey says - "write yourself a list". I try, but even my lists are unorganised!
Life is complicated most of the time for me. I always found that a lot of my life was/is spent waiting. When i was nursing in Stockton, Carey would start earlier than me, so i would get a lift in with her - which meant sitting in our fiat Punto (usually when it was cold or raining!!) in the hospital car park from about 6:50am till 8:30am. This saved me from an even longer & earlier journey on the bus. Good, but lots of hanging around. This seems to have hung with me.
Take my beatboxing at butlins in the school holidays - journying by train and bus..finish at 18:45 and get back home at 00:30ish. It is lots of hanging around. I vividly remember waiting at Taunton station for a train, with 40 mins to wait, with just my walkman to keep me company. Quite lonley really - i never thought i would be doing this when i was 15. How much longer will i be doing this?
So, doom and gloom aside, its time to get a longer term plan together. Not sure how but God's working it out - i just wish he'd tell me a bit more. S'pose i should ask i guess!!!
Anyway....today i have hired a car so it makes the hanging around less.
I cant afford another car - not sure i would want to...too much money and hassle. I like the idea of simplifying life and hopefully the clarity that it would bring. Will that ever happen??? its all questions, questions, questions...

time - or lack of it!

Aye...no time! I need to keep this thang going or i will just end up being busy!
I have been busy as well....i had a week of teaching beatbox and MC stuff at Butlins 'Urban Academy' and a 'gig' at Turner Contemporary Arts in Margate. And if that aint enough...i started work as a team lead at Inspire Arts Trust (NGM). Things are going well, with more interest from other Art Gallery/Contemporary art spaces...so, i just need time to sit down and do some of this stuff.

I have loads to tell, but i shall spare you the details - although i think i will just choose some of the best bits to tell ya!

For now though...i have just finished some Nursing shifts and shall disapear for some cereal to eat...yum yum...

Me brutha...Beanie

Hey! Sorry bout the lack of activity - i know you were wondering...no really...honest...

Ok....well...

Me brutha has a blog as well now!! He is the funniest geezer i know...he literally nearly made me wet my pants with laffing when i woz younger and he is SO clever as well!...well done Beanie!

This coming week is to be very funny and busy as i have loads of stuff kicking off - more on that later!
Very exciting as i am getting quite a bit of Beatboxing and music stuff, as well as starting with INSPIRE (@ NGM) this week as a team leader (wot ever that entails!!!!) so i will keep U updated with photos etc....the guys and gals are fab and VERY talented so i will be spoilt 4 choice about wot to blog.
So...gotta dash...

x

here is a photo of me, just so you know who i am!

Well...now thats it, get on with whatever you are getting on with!...

go on...carry on!

Oh..and i am not usually this serious - in fact, i am a clown. Honest!

in the same boat...

so...it was really nice to hook up with friends tonight, and the main thing that came from it was the fact that actually, we are all in the same boat in terms of worries and concerns. I said that i was feeling that as a creative type person (!) i felt sometimes that i was a jack of all trades. Good in terms that i could do most things (some actually quite well!!) but unfortunatly i was not a 'master' at any. I have SO many ideas and dreams and things i like to do - art, music, visual stuff, theatre, clowning etc.... but is there any that i should really go 'hell for leather' about??
Or should i just stick to nursing (i am, after all, a registered nurse!).
Or should i see nursing as part of my creative streak, so that i spark in the same way about it!!??

hmmm......

Anyway...sometimes we can feel quite isolated when it comes to our concerns and worries, but its nice to know that we all feel and have the same type of worries.

It sort of lets us know that we are human and that we are not alone!

right....

OK.... so lets get this show on the road.
I guess there are many ways of updating this 'Blog' but its more important to actually get on with it and learn on the way. Thats wot i think.

And its also so i can finish here and stand up to turn the TV off.. its doing my head in, as its just on in the background. My missus Carey left it on and went to bed.
So i will hurry up..

Nite!

second post to see if it works...

Hey!
Me again....now... i notice that you can post photos and images.... is it true?... lets see...

YEAH!! it is!...greeeeaaat!

So...this is Al. We have been mates for some time now, and we first got together by rocking out in an international boy band - JIMMY RAGSTAFF...

Ahh...nice....

learning blogging..

Well...my friend Al says.."hey Stu... you do this 'web thing' so can you get me some stuff together...so i says "yeah...sure..i can do a simple site, but maybe a 'blog' may be the best idea for you so you can update it yourself".

hmmmmm................

I think it may be so. It seems that this blog could be linked to from a web site and then Al can keep it going himself, whilst i am at the pub. Errr...NO... i mean being busy doing creative things...(actually, i couldn't afford to drink at the pub!...)

So, i will keep posting things to see wot happens!
Till next time dudes....