British Artists Americans Should Be Listening To – Michael Kiwanuka

Hello Readers!

I’m beginning my ‘British Artists Americans Should be Listening To’ series with an artist that is in a word, stunning. I can’t remember the first time I heard he’s most popular song ‘Home Again’ but it gave me the same feeling that I get when I hear the classic song ‘Home’. You know that one that says Another summer day has come and gone away in Paris and Rome and I wanna go home.

Well home has always been a bit of weird issue for me since I immigrated from England at the age of twelve, lived in Florida for years and currently go to college in North Carolina. Then I came back here for a semester in London and the simple questions ‘Where are you from?’ and ‘Where do you call home’ brought a whole lot of emotions to the surface for me.

I can’t really explain my relationship with home and why it both confuses and comforts me.  I suppose I can share the first few lines of a personal poem with you and that might give you an idea of why home is such a weird subject for me

Home

Such a funny word

 

Some have great assurance when speaking of home

Born and raised

Never been anywhere else kind of people

Often I can’t help but envy them

 

I’m a mover

A traveler

A ghost

You get the drift and so when I listen to the song ‘Home’ I feel a longing for England, for my childhood and for the choice I was never given if I wanted to be an immigrant yet sometimes when I listen to that song I feel a longing for the life I’ve been able to have in America and all the opportunities I’ve been given. Either way there is a longing I can’t quite explain or express so the smooth old school sound of home would express it for me, in fact it was the only song that seemed to be able to express my complicated relationship with home.

Then Michael Kiwanuka came along with his song ‘Home Again’ and it seemed to fit me and my relationship with home perfectly, the drifting back and forth, the confusion but ultimately coming to an inner peace about home. Outside of the expression I feel through this song, the music is simple and infectious.

You find yourself humming the tune and is voice is just, well honey and it still sounds amazing live which is pretty rare these days. The British are just beginning to love him as he was announced by the BBC (British Broadcasting) as the VOICE of 2012 as voted by the public.

Here is his song ‘Home Again’ which has a modest (compared to the insanity of hundreds of millions of views for people like Justin Bieber and 43 million for J-Lo’s new video) two million views on YouTube but I’m sure that number is going to rise steadily.

As you can see is is very talented and his other music is just as good but only has views in the thousands, so if you get hooked on him now as I am when he does get to those insane number of views you can see I knew him when etc (which you know makes you super awesome ;p) But seriously his other music is just as great, case in point below

I think there is a real honesty to his voice that just isn’t seen or should I say heard in a lot of modern music anymore and his lyrics, at least for me, tap into those inner thoughts that we all have running around in our heads. The thoughts that pop in when you’re staring out of a window gazing into the pouring rain and pondering your identity, purpose and life.

Yes indeed for me he’s that deep and I hope you find him just as moving and beautiful.

Let me know what you think of my first choice and be prepared for many more British artists coming your way. There will be different genres etc but again these are people I think are wonderful and about to become huge so take a listen and I hope you feel the same way,

Until next time be blessed, stay strong and never give up,

God Bless,

Grace Hatton

www.gracehatton.com

Introducting British Artists American’s Should Be Listening To

Hello Readers!!!!

So I’m settled into Leeds and I love being back in the town that raised me. However I had a little bit of a crisis. I knew I couldn’t write London poems/make London diaries videos anymore since I’m not in London anymore and I didn’t just want to write cheesy useless fluff yet during a skype conversation with my American roomate and friends they asked me the question they have asked me every time I’ve skyped with them over the past few months “Have any new British music we should know about?”

I’ve always had a a habit of getting addicted to amazing artists just before they make it big and I realized there are so many great artists in the UK that are doing well over here but never make it to the states for year. Therefore I decided to start a series about British artists American’s should be listening to and then when these artists do make the transition to the states you can grin and say “Ha! I’ve known about them forever” and therefore be so cool you’re Ray Ban’s will melt ;p

So there you have it how this idea came about now before we begin this journey I have to say these are artists I adore and so obviously they will reflect my personal taste in music. However if there are British artists you believe I’m missing out on, please feel free to tell me in the comments section.

My first artists I will be talking about is……..

Well actually I’ll be posting that blog later on tonight but for now you should enjoy my final London diaries video below and smile while thinking about all this great music you’re about to discover through my blog

 

See you in a few hours!

- Grace

 

P.S – I used a photo of Selena Gomez for this post but fear not I won’t be recommending her music

Nine Things I’ll Miss About London

Hello Readers!

As I’m writing this post I’m actually back in my hometown of Leeds, England which is about four hours north of London. I’m very happy to be back here for the summer but I can’t help but be a little sad that my time in London is over so I wanted to share with you the top ten things I will miss about London, in no particular order, I’m hoping you will enjoy this off beat list and if you’re planning on visiting London this summer, as many are, this list might give you a little insight into what makes London such a vibrant city and it might give you ideas of how to spend your London days. So here it is, Enjoy!

1) Dapper Gentlemen

London is one of the few places I’ve been in the world where the men have a tendency to dress better than many of the women. From the snazzy suits the financial district men wear to the grungy looks of the boys in Camden Town there is an undisputable style that the men have in London.

They are in my humble opinon, dapper gentlemen. It seems easy for them too as though they just rolled out of bed, threw on what they had in their closets, tutted at their girlfriends over the top heels and fur and went out to strut down Oxford street.

It was always exciting for me, coming from my beloved Warren Wilson where boys forget they need to bathe, to see a city full of stylish, clean and well groomed men. I will miss seeing that and boys if you visit London take some notes from the dapper gentlemen wandering around town and please take that confident unspoken style back to wherever you call home.

2) Pimping Window Displays

Perhaps I’ll miss this one because of the bus route I had to taken into town a.k.a central London and to my internship in Dulwich but I would travel through Knightsbridge, the street where Harrods and Harvey Nichols call home. The  the number ten bus would take me right past their windows and I adore the window displays. Especially Harvey Nichols newest one which is focused around The Queens Diamond Jubilee and shops from the fifties. It really is a gorgeous display and it always made me smile as I passed it. They were the most imaginative and impressive displays I had ever seen.

You can see more photos from  that particular display at this article from the Telegraph.

3) The Art Scene

I have been truly blessed to see so much amazing artists in London. Modern artists and old artists alike. I have seen street artists like Banksy, I have seen Van Gough’s Sun Flowers, a Picasso and my many works of my favorite artist J.M.W Turner. There is so much free and accesible art in London. I spent hours in the National Gallery, studying the art and doing my best to recreate works in a sketch. I spent a day in the Tate Modern being confused and amazed at the work and I’ve grinned like an idiot when I saw Banksy’s work at the end of Portobello Road market.

If you are ever in London be sure to soak up the incredible art scene that exists there, you can visit classics like the National Gallery, the Wallace Collection, The Tate Britain etc and you can visit more modern places like the Tate Modern etc. Most of these places are free and offer you one of the most impressive collections of art I’ve ever seen.

Also be on the look out for street artists like Banksy, London is full of such art especially in places like Camden and on old churches in Notting Hill. Everytime I discovered street art it felt as though I had uncovered a secret gem and made me smile just as much as seeing the old masters in the galleries. Yes, the art scene in London is incredible and perhaps the thing I will miss the most.

4) The Theater

I was lucky enough to take in some great theater in London ranging from the Lion King to Comedy of Errors. The theater scene in London is again one of the best I’ve ever been around and the variety is just incredible. So my advice for people visiting London is simple, expand beyond the West End and give yourself some variety.

I saw two big musical shows in the West End, Lion King and Singing in the Rain. Both were utterly fantastic and Lion King may just be the best show I’ve ever seen but I was also able to see off beat plays such as Bloody Poetry in 30 people theaters, I even went to a production of MacBeth in a theater over a pub and those experiences although vastly different from the West End musicals were just as wonderful. So take in a musical but branch out as well and be delighted by ALL  the theater London has to offer.

5) 24 Hour Transport

One of the wonderful things about London is you can always get around via the transport system. There’s the tube, which I was never a fan of, the river boat, the overground trains and my favorite the buses.

The wonderful thing is that from wherever you are in London you can get anywhere else in London thanks to the transport system. The number 9,10 and 176 bus served me faithfully and I was able to get from Kensington to Dulwich and everywhere in between. Even at two am in the morning you can get to where you need to go thanks to the nightbuses and the adventures that lay within them. So if you’re in London you never have to worry about getting home and that’s a great advantage to the city.

6) Free Museums

One of the most wonderful things about London are the museums from the Victoria and Albert Museum to the British Museum. These museums contain the treasures of England and other countries and best of all they’re FREE admission. The Victoria and Albert museum is referred to as England’s attic since odd knick knacks of every generation since the museums creation has been through in there.

The V and A also boasts one of the most beautiful sculpture collections I have ever seen and is well worth a visit. The Science museum which is located right next to the V and A is also a great FREE museum, especially if you have kids with you. During the day its full of young minds playing with all of the interactive exhibits but on the first Wednesday of every month the science museum hosts a late night event for adults only.

The late night event hosts specific exhibits and displays just for the older crowd and the late nights host a silent disco which for me was a highly entertaining and amusing experience. There is silence in the hall as everyone who is dancing has headphones on so its hilarious to watch people dance to no music and then you can tune into the same DJ station as your friends and all dance along to the same tune or be on different stations and be dancing like a maniac to completely different genre. So be sure to check that out if you happen to be near the Science museum on a Wednesday night.

Finally the British museum is the museum to end all museums (I couldn’t help it ;p) and within its walls lay the ruins of entire civilizations including the Egyptians and Greeks. In fact the British Museum boasts the largest mummy collection outside of Egypt. It also a great experience if you’re an art lover like me since it is full of sculptures from different civilizations and times. However be warned if (like I did) you plan to sit down quietly and sketched the Egyptian busts be prepared for many over the shoulder looks from curious tourists.  But all in all some of my favorite memories from London are the ones of me spending the day just getting lost in a museum and I highly recommend the experience.

7) Living Over a Tesco

So this one isn’t necessarily limited to London but my apartment in London was situated right over a Tesco express. It was fantastic! Whenever I needed to grab simple things like milk and bread it was there but best of all when late at night my roommate and I would get the craving for something sweet we would travel downstairs and around the corner to the Tesco decked out in a combination of our pj’s and whatever portion of the days outfit was on our body  creating unique and odd outfits that thrilled the employees of Tesco to no end.

That being said if you ever have the chance to move into an apartment that rests over or right next to a Tesco express or any other supermarket/grocery store you should most certainly do it, it makes for a excellent living experience. Without a doubt I will miss the convenience of living over that Tesco and all the smiling staff we met at all hours of the night.

 8) Royal Influence

The evidence of a royal presence in London is everywhere from the flags surrounding Buckingham palace to all the buzz surrounding the reopening of Kensington Palace (where Will and Kate will live). There is also evident of past monarchs such as the monument outside of Charring Cross station that is a replica of the sculpture King Edward the first created to mark the final resting place of his wife. There is also the huge monument set up in Kensington gardens across from Royal Albert Hall that Queen Victoria commissioned upon the death of her husband Albert.

The royals are everywhere around London and it was my opinion that I felt the presence of the royals in London more than anywhere else. Indeed the Queens face is plastered over ads, the Metro news and the tacky souvenirs tourists buy from the shops on Oxford street. Yes indeed London and the royals have a special relationship and it just seems to add to the charm of the city.

  9) My Internship

One of the best things about my time in London was my internship with Dulwich Onview

My internship allowed me to travel throughout South London visiting art galleries, shows, cafes, plays and more. Without my internship I would have never gotten to know the South of London and all its dynamic art communities. It was a real thrill for me to wake up and know my job was seeing wonderful art in famous places like The Tate Modern Gallery and not so famous places like the GX gallery.

My internship caused me to look at art in a unique way and hunt out its unique qualities to create worth while stories that people would want to read. I’ve had great feedback for the stories I’ve written during my time at Dulwich Onview and even had artists/owners e-mail me to thank me for the reviews I’ve written. Truly the internship was one of the best things about my time in London and I will mist traveling around London hunting out art, great cafes and moving plays to write about for Dulwich Onview.You can read all of my Dulwich Onview articles on my author page.

So that’s it, those are the things I will miss the most about my time in London.  It has been a great experience in London and something I wouldn’t trade for the world. I hope this post gave you some fresh ideas if you are thinking about visiting London and if you’re not going to be in London anytime soon I hope you found this post entertaining! I would love to hear your thoughts on this post and anything you miss about London if you’ve spent anytime there.

Until Next time be blessed, stay strong and never give up,

God Bless,

Grace Hatton

www.gracehatton.com

These College Days – London Diaries – Queens Walk

Hello!

So here is another poem from my time in London and no its not about the queen. There is a great area on the Southbank that’s called Queen’s Walk and that’s where I wrote this poem so that is the reason for the title. It’s a really intriguing part of the city and I was there for my internship. I wrote this poem just for fun but since I’m also using it for my romantic poetry class I figured it could fall into my These College Days posts ;D

Take a read and let me know what you think. Also I have updated my pages i.e my about me page, support page etc and would love for you to take a look. Anywho I’m coming to the end of my time here in London and its been wonderful! Look out for another blog post soon giving my wrap up of my experience in London and what I will and won’t miss about this vibrant city. Enjoy the poem. (As always this is my original work so no stealing )

Queens Walk

Seagulls squawk

They long for the sea but an ebbing Thames will have to do

 

A little sun peeks out from the clouds but a chill remains

Famous landmarks across the river seem to wink hello

 

Cranes rise from the ground like steadfast soldiers surrounding the dome of St.Pauls as if to say the new must surround the old

 

Workers in neon coats mingle and children giggle

Men in stuffy suits gaze across the river to find a moment of peace in the madness

 

Oh what a fortunate soul am I to sit on these tattered south bank benches and watch the world of London go by

 

I hope you enjoyed that little snippet of London life and I also wanted to say thank you so much for the support on my Marrakech piece. I had more likes on that post then I’ve ever had before. So thank you very much.

Have a great night and a good week. I’ll be going to Camden Town tomorrow and going to get dental surgery so exciting times for me ;p

Until next time,

Be Blessed, Stay Strong and Never Give Up

Grace Hatton – Amazon Best Selling Author

www.gracehatton.com

These College Days – A Day in Marrakesh

Hello Readers!

May I just say Happy Easter, I hope wherever you are in the world, you are having a lovely time with family and friends celebrating the resurrection of Jesus and of course enjoying good food, chocolate and easter eggs!

Today I wanted to share with you a little something from my travels. On my journey over Spring Break I traveled to Marrakesh in Morocco as well as Venice and it really is a strange and magical place. On one of my days in Marrakesh the group of ladies I was traveling with and I had quite an eventful day. I recorded it in a sort of long poem/creative non fiction piece that I like to call a murmuring so here it is. Please enjoy and let me know what you think!

 

(As always this is my original work and all copyright goes to me. No stealing please)

 

Marrakesh Murmurings

(Created on February 29^th 2012)

“Fatima cous cous”

Echoing calls of Arab men

Monkey’s on chains

Snakes dancing to silly tunes, their true power and bit pulled from their bodies

 

Push further and further back

White fades to tan

A very good price, that’s what he’ll sell you

 

In the darkest corners are the best men

Decent prices and smiling faces

Eager to help

 

Push back again

Back towards the square where ladies force henna upon me and fruit sellers make the amazing stuff

 

Towards the mosque

Smoke and gasoline swirl around my throat

Bike rushing behind me

Watch that foot or I might just lose it

 

The horn screeches from the roof and a haggard prayer fills the square

I hear no love in his devotion, just duty

 

Only duty

Is a nation filled with duty better than a few filled with love?

I think not

 

Get lost again

Leery stares from unwanted admirers and grunts from covered women

 

The jolly tourist police man finds us and guides us in French

I do my best to hear him

Four, six, and phone is what I hear

 

Understand?

Turn at the phone?

Go ten minutes?

Wee!

 

Merci becoup I grin and he hands us the proper shiny maps we’ve been waiting for

A palace in ruins greets us, only to have its doors already shut

Oh well, just try again tomorrow

 

I hope you enjoyed that little journey through Marrkesh and Morocco. It’s one of those places that you really have to be there to feel its energy and vitality however I do hope my murmurings gave you a glimpse into it. I will be posting a video soon about my travels. If you like my travel writing please let me know, I love hearing your responses to my work and if you haven’t already be sure to follow me on Twitter @gracehatton

Until next time, be blessed, stay strong and never give up!

God Bless,

Grace Hatton – Amazon Best Selling Author

P.S I had an idea for a post end of world novel where the youth are controlled by a singular government and a rebellion rises up to take down the corrupt government and free the youth that have been captured. That is a very vague description but what do you think? Let me know!

 

These College Days – A Tale of Venice

 Hello Wonderful Readers!

I recently went on my spring break and I had a wonderful time. I visited Venice and Marrakech. Both places were gorgeous and inspired some writing so I thought I would share the little snippet I wrote while in Venice with you. So here they are, enjoy! (As always my original work, no stealing )

In St.Marks Square

Guardians of stone look upon their beloved square

A church with all its grandeur sparkles in the morning sun

 

Take a photo to pause this moment

Smile and pose

 

The city is sinking but we are unaware not do we care

It’s just another day in San Marco square

 

 

Venice really was a beautiful city and it truly is frozen in time. It feels as though you are stepping into the 17th century. I was very happy to go up the bell tower and see Venice from the sky. It was a magnificent view and made me think about how Venice really hasn’t changed over the centuries.

Basilica San Marco still stands proud, glittering in the sunlight. Despite being rebuilt the Campanile di San Marco, (the bell tower) still towers above the crowds, reminding the tourists of Venice’s rich and long history. Finally Doges’ Palace sits as a reminder of Italian power and royalty.  These reminders of Venice’s rich history are things which Canaletto would have seen in his day. It’s quite wonderful to think that an artist all those years ago stare at the view of St.Marks Square and was memorized and now hundreds of years later an art student like me can stare at the same view and be equally entranced.

And despite its changes Venice is still very much an old city and an equally unique city that celebrates one of the wonderful things about Europe, that time may pass by but culture, tradition and monuments remain the same. I will be posting my Marrakesh Murmurings soon so watch out,

 

Until next time, be blessed, stay strong and never give up,

 

Grace Hatton

www.gracehatton.com

 

London Diaries (Awake Early in the Morning)

Hello!

I just got back from Spring Break but I wanted to keep up with my London postings so here is another poem! You’re excited aren’t you? I actually didn’t write this for class but I wrote it in the wee hours of the morning when I was traveling on a coach back to Leeds for the weekend. As always enjoy, let me know what you think and remember its my original content.This one is called Awake

 

Awake, Awake

O great city of slumber

 

Shake out your aching bones and dust of last night’s mistakes

Your little worker bees buzzing about before the crack of dawn

 

No traffic or confused foreigners, yet

Just the ones that make your heart beat and blood flow

Bus drivers, street cleaners and underground workers

 

I’m a visitor here

Not one to be seen at this ungodly hour

I’m a night owl after all

 

But the morning crows are all a flutter

They are content here

 

Awake, Awake

 

Prepare for another day of feet pounding against your skin, yells in your ears and pigeons in your veins.

Awake, Awake

Your slumber is done

Hopefully you enjoyed that little bit of my creative writing, it is really odd seeing London in the morning versus in the middle of the day. That’s why I wanted to write this poem. I also just posted my second London diaries video, its in another format than my first one so let me know what you think.

 

London Diaries Episode 2

 

Click the link above to see the video. I hope these snippets about London are enjoyable for you and give you a unique insight into this great city.

Until next time, be blessed, stay strong and never give up,

Grace Hatton

www.gracehatton.com

These College Days – The Love Affair Between An Art Student and the National Gallery

  A painting, this painting (Ulysses deriding Polyphemus by J.M.W Turner) made me cry today. It’s the first time that’s ever happened to me, but I couldn’t help it.

I’ve heard my art professors talk about shedding a tear upon looking at a certain piece in a certain place, but I never thought it was truly possible until today. Indeed I thought the idea of crying at a painting was darn right silly.

However today sitting in the National Gallery in the heart of London I simply can’t help it.

I cried partly because of the pure beauty in the work, such vibrant and stunning colours bursting forth from the canvas. Such detail on the ships, the way the vapors of paint swirl and twirl together make my heart ache.

Partly because J.M.W Turner is one of my favourite artists in the entire world of art history and the fact I can see his work in the flesh at the National Gallery in London is astounding to me.

But what really gets me is the fact a man over a hundred years ago bled and fought with a canvas to unleash the vision he saw in his mind. When J.M.W Turner was creating the piece he could probably find the weaknesses of the piece, find what he thought needed improving but he presented it to the world none the less. And over a hundred years later I sit staring at his work, longing to escape to the world Turner created with his brush.

Longing to jump into the water and swim towards that crystal sunset. People of all nationalities and tongues sit in this national gallery yet they are all enthralled by this and other paintings. It doesn’t matter if we speak twenty different languages, the emotions and display of J.M.W Turner’s soul is clearly seen on this canvas and transcends language.

In another room, down another gilded hallway I stare at Van Gough’s Sunflowers and again I’m enthralled. It’s another painting that all people of all languages can enjoy.

That’s why I adore art, that’s why I call myself an artist and why I want so desperately to complete my degree in art.

Art inspires wonder, joy and yes even tears. Art reminds me of the beauty this world has to offer regardless of the strive we may see around us. Art is hope, hope for a better tomorrow and an artist can create that hope, seal it on a canvas and leave it in the world, waiting for some twenty year old art student like me to stare at its beauty in the National Gallery and shed a tear without even truly knowing why.

These College Days – Elusive

Hello Readers,

As my weeks in London progress I feel a mixture of delight and frustration in this great city. There is so much going on in London and so many people all trying to make a good life for themselves. Yet sometimes, mainly when commuting on the bus, I feel a sense of people wanting something more. It’s an odd sensation, but there are moments of pure beauty in this city.

When I travel back from my internship I have to cross the river and today the sun was setting just as the bus was cross. The sun was resting behind big ben and a beautiful glow was cast across the city. That moment made my day and as day turned into night I saw a glimpse of the moon for maybe a few minutes. Which was perfect since for my romantic poets class we had to write a poem about the moon! So for your entertainment (it’s not the best poem in the world ;p) here’s a little poem. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

Elusive

I caught a glimpse of your luminosity tonight

But alas your presence is more fleeting than a lover’s whim

Your roaming yellow light slants across the rigid rooftops

Lingering for a breath and then another moment gone

I thought you would be with me, no matter the longtitude or latitude

Yet you hid behind the Chimney’s wrapped within the city like a young maid turning from an over eager suitor.

Hiding your glory in depravity.

The shadows of the city engulf you, capturing you in their eternal vice.

Let me know what you think and if you’re a better poet, which you may very well be, please share links to your poems in the comments box below. Thank you so much for your support and belief (And as always the poem is my original work so no stealing)

Until next time, be blessed, stay strong and never give up,

God Bless,

Grace Hatton – Best Selling Author

www.gracehatton.com

These College Days – The London Haze

It’s another day here in London and a romantic poets class has given me a task, write a poem.

 

Poetry although a beautiful form is not my favorite thing to write but since my arrival in London a few weeks ago I have been finding inspiration all over this town. Although I have to admit it’s not a sunshine and rainbows kind of inspiration. It’s winter and a cold snap is making its way across Europe.

I find myself standing at bus stops with my fingers turning red and my toes curling in my shoes. I pile on my layers but the cold still seeps through. Yet despite this constant chill I’ve found beauty and inspiration here. So here is the poem I’ve written for my romantic poets class and I hope you enjoy it. (Oh and as always with my original work, its my property and all copyright etc goes to me )

Haze

Too much of a city

A beast with an insatiable appetite

Thick coats cover the checkered flesh

Heads stay down

Tourists twirl and swirl

Wandering souls ahead

Each one straining against the unspoken whisper

One foot, two foot

Go, go, go

 

Rushing through the city

An overeager viper

Waiting for another to declare

The battle is over

And the nothingness has won

 

Grey skies and darken fog creep further and further until the slick ground and oppressed sky become one

 

No buildings, no spires, no understated emotions

Just the grey haze

This impenetrable daze where all of London secretly soaks in the imagined sun.

 

Let me know what you think, especially if you’ve been to London or live in London. It would be interesting to hear your thoughts. I do have a whole series of photos I have been taking in London but my camera for some reason will not upload. If you have any suggestions for that I’d greatly appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed this little poem and that 2012 has been treating you well. Oh and what do you think of the new theme? I kind of like it ;p

I look forward to seeing your comments. Until next time,

Be blessed, stay strong and never give up,

God Bless,

Grace Hatton

www.gracehatton.com