Achieving The Dream...

Hello World!

It's certainly been a while since we last spoke and it's about time that I start writing once again and fill you in with everything that's been happening lately. Firstly, I have officially finished school not just for Summer but forever. In many respects it's a relief to be closing a door on that part of my life as it's been a challenging number of years in regards to education. I will however miss my amazing tutors who really brought me out of my shell and helped boost my confidence as well as teaching me the most amazing skills in art and music.

Now that I'm finished with school I'm in limbo in many respects at the current moment due to health reasons another of the reasons why I haven't been so active on my blog. Since the beginning of the year I've been suffering from non stop UTIs and have been on a number of antibiotics to fight against them. Unfortunately, I'm not quite out of the woods yet as although there is no longer signs of infection I am still suffering from various symptoms. Having been on various painkillers due to my chronic pain condition for such a long period of time it was a concern to me that perhaps they could be causing me such symptoms as I tend to keep a close eye on the literature accompanying the medication. After expressing my concerns to my pain management consultant he felt that it would be beneficial for me to see a specialist in that field however it could also be down to the fact that my nervous system is so sensitive that any pain and discomfort could be increased and last much longer than the actual infection itself. So due to this I haven't been feeling my best in recent months and have taken a step back from things to allow myself a break.

My plan is however to start writing more frequently once again now that I have more time to spare. One of my biggest aims is to redesign my blog and give it a brand new look. I'm currently looking into this and hope to get things moving over the coming weeks so please bear with me! I have a number of topics in mind that I hope to cover in the coming months which I feel are extremely important to write about here on my blog that I haven't yet discussed. Perhaps I might even look back at some of my older posts and rewrite them with fresh words and new opinions because like everyone I've become stronger in mind and my outlook towards life is constantly developing.

As always my biggest passion and interests are wishing the media world and I must say that I feel all the more determined to make it now than I ever have. It is without a doubt my dream to become a full time radio/TV presenter within the entertainment industry. I spend many an hour watching and listening to various shows studying the best in the industry picking up on their quirks and how they connect with their audience. My Sister and I spent the evening last night glued to my laptop watching the Billboard Music Awards and admittedly, I spent the duration of the event telling myself that one day I could be there presenting and interviewing and I genuinely believe that I CAN make it happen. There's been a couple of occasions in recent years that I've received knock backs that made me doubt myself and even just a few weeks ago I had a slight blip where I felt frustrated and despondent particularly due to the setbacks that having a disability has on achieving my dreams. But the more I've thought about it the more I realise that I can make it! It might be a long, hard ride but nothing worthwhile in life is easily achieved but when I do get there in the end I'll truly appreciate it! One of my biggest driving forces is proving every single person that's ever doubted me or put barriers in my path wrong and for whatever reason that determination has really helped me get my head in the right place again lately.

Life is far too short to allow dreams to slip by you so why should I give up the fight? I am determined to make a positive out of each of life's barriers and hope that this post will encourage you to do the same!

Please wish me luck as I make my way into the world. This is where all of the hard work begins and one thing for sure is that I ain't giving up until I'm living the dream; my dream!

Until next time!

Love & Peace xx

BRING BACK INCLUSION SQUADS!

Having grown up with a physical disability I've been all too well aware of diversity and equality issues that arise far too often in society. Sadly, when you're disabled it's a daily battle to live a normal life. Each and every day there's barriers pushed in our direction that the average abled bodied person doesn't have to face.

I've been brought up to fight against the barriers and was always told by my parents that I could do anything I put my mind to; perhaps it wouldn't always be easy and that it might take extra planning or a different route to the end result but nevertheless nothing was out of my reach. Never! In fact having a disability has probably made me even more determined to grab hold of everything that life has to offer. Yes, I have my down days but I know within my heart that if I let it run its course I'll be back on track and fighting once again because what else is there to do?

I'm 18 years old and due to leave education in just a few months time and am relieved to be doing be so as it's become impossible! If you can't reach the expected high standards, they simply just don't care-but that's a story for another day. Throughout my school life I've attended a handful of schools and my experiences as a disabled pupil have varied. Looking back there was one initiative that really worked throughout my time in education and I'm sad to report that it was scrapped for reasons that I am unaware of. But it worked and I genuinely believe it should have continued to develope across the country.

From around the time I was in Primary 3 until I left Primary 7 back in 2011, I attended a small rural school with around 36 pupils at any given time. During my time there an initiative referred to as 'Inclusion Squads' was born. In my opinion it was one of the most effective areas in our education at primary school and I genuinely feel it created a lasting impact. What's an Inclusion Squad might you ask? Basically it was group of pupils in each school who met up on a regular basis to create a plan to promote inclusion and equality within the school for ALL pupils!

There was a gentleman from the local council who oversaw the project visiting each of the schools within the area to work with pupils to make the Inclusion Squad ethos a reality. The gentleman just so happened to be an amputee himself so really understood both the importance and the objective of the groups. I've met a lot of really interesting people over the years but he was a real inspiration to me and the other pupils and I know for the fact that his influence created a lasting impact in my life.

He worked closely with the pupils as well as our headteacher to create something that should be in every school, workplace and organisation across the world. Sometimes the simplest of things were discussed but that's what made the difference; start small and it all grows from there. Having been involved in various projects throughout my education I can honestly say if one made a difference; the Inclusion Squads certainly did!

I genuinely believe this is something that could be established in every school across the world and make a difference in so many lives. It can be the simplest of things such as creating acceptance and understanding for every single person to walk through the door. Then there's looking at the more physical elements such as making the school building more accessible to adapting things such as PE lessons and Sports Day in order to allow everyone to take part. My school successfully did it, everyone was happy and it worked so why can't this be done in ALL schools?

Everything accomplished as part of the 'Inclusion Squad' was done in a fun and light manner which made it more appealing. I've been in schools, I know what it's like; there'd be no point in sitting pupils down and making it like another boring lesson. In turn they'll just shut off and what good would that do? Any action needs to be relative to young people in order for it to work; NOT just another lesson!

In my opinion, the younger that each individual is educated on inclusion and equality; the better! I would love to see the day where you can enter a room and no one flutters an eyelid no matter who you are or how you look. If children are taught from a young age that throughout life they'll come across many different people from all walks of live and that's completely normal, it'll make a huge impact on society!

Education is key for change and it can be done! 

Love For Live: The SSE Live Awards 2017 Promotional Video Shoot!

A few weeks ago I was contacted by SSE and asked if I would be interested in taking part in filming a promotional video for the SSE Live Awards which encourages gig goers to take part in voting for their favourite act who has performed in either The SSE Hydro, The SSE Arena, Wembley and The SSE Arena, Belfast during the previous year. As you all know I am a frequent gig goer and often share my live experiences on the internet so they were keen to talk to me about my live music experiences with a particular focus on seeing Wet Wet Wet live in Glasgow. You all know, that I am a big fan of their music and had a great time at their concert last year so it was a no brainer really; of course I was going to say yes! 

Fast forward a few weeks and the day was upon us, typically it would be the day of the storm that took place a few weeks ago but never the less we still made it in one piece more or less! The vast majority of the filming would take place in The Clyde Bar & Restaurant, which is located in The Exhibition Centre directly next to The Hydro. The fact that restaurant is surrounded my glass windows meant it was the perfect location to film with The Hydro as backdrop for shooting. 

The crew managed to snag a section of the restaurant area for shooting to allow space for camera/sound equipment. I was fitted with one of those mic packs that are used in TV frequently and before long I was sitting in one of the restaurant booths looking out onto the Hydro courtyard as filming began. 

On reflection I am pretty sure we started filming some shots consisting of staring out of the window which was pretty easy-I'm a pro at that hehe! It is however kind of funny being told to move your head in certain directions and keep staring with a series face; that sort of thing. A number of those shots were taken as well as few from outside the window to get a different angle. It's quite an interesting process to watch I must admit.

Once this was completed it was time to move on to the interview aspect. I'd been sent over the questions a few days prior to allow me to prepare my answers. We spent a while filming the speaking parts, retaking shots, getting them from slightly different angles in order to achieve the perfect end result. I'd also been asked to bring along various pieces of memorabilia and merch from my gigs at the Hydro which I have plenty of kicking around my room. So we discussed some of the items on film and took some shots of me looking at through them; staring endlessly at the various items.

The weather had dried up a little by this point so we decided to take a chance to head outside to get a further few shots. Fortunately the wind and rain stayed at bay for best part of the outdoor shots which consisted of wheeling my wheelchair around staring up at the Hydro some more. However, the wind and rain soon began to pick up which meant a mad rush inside whilst holding onto my hat-priorities right?! Back inside cold and drookit, we took one more further shot for good measure of course and that was a wrap-I think that's the film maker's expression anyway! 

The video has now been released on SSE's Facebook page which you can view by clicking here. I had such a great day working on the video, the experience was extremely interesting and it's amazing to see just how much work goes into such a short video! Can you believe the video took around 4-5 hours to film?!

It was such a pleasure working with the team who were all so lovely and extremely friendly! We were certainly taken good care of and I am most grateful to SSE for this wonderful opportunity!

Obviously, the whole point of the video was to promote The SSE Live Awards so if you haven't already voted for your favourite act why not pop on over and do so now by click here! My vote this year goes to Wet Wet Wet, let me know who your vote goes too!

On The Look Out For New Bands & Artists!

2017 is now here and I want to start off with new projects and putting more ideas into action. I've been thinking a lot about my ideas and what's important to me I want to work on that throughout the coming year and hopefully beyond. Thinking about my blog, I feel that at present I will continue applying the same method that I've been using for the past while; writing if and when I feel necessary. If something comes to mind or if a personal experience inspires me as it often does I will take to this wonderful little outlet to share my thoughts. If I find myself going somewhere exciting I will of course write about my experiences here on my blog. So really not much is set to change as I have been following this strategy for quite some time as that's what works for me.

That does however bring me to my new plans for 2017, as you may remember I ran a music blog for a number of months and the more I think about it the more I realise just how much I miss it. At the time I didn't really have a plan for my music blog so it didn't feel right to continue with it however, number of months later after many discussions and reading many articles I feel inspired and have new ideas. So that is why I've decided to relaunch my music blog; I will let you know as soon as it's live as I'm currently in the process of setting it up and getting to grips with the new blogging platform I've decided to use.

Over time I've discovered my passion for the music industry and promoting artists so it's my priority to do my part by promoting new music/upcoming bands and artists as it's something that's extremely important to me. I have a whole host of ideas for other features which will hopefully appeal to a whole host of music lovers; I want to of course celebrate the classics, iconic artists and bands as well as highlighting new music. My younger Sister has introduced me to the world of K-Pop and it really got me thinking about how I could incorporate foreign music from all around the world. This is something that I have no set plan on as of yet however I think there's definitely a place for it in future.

Anyway, that brings me to the main reason for writing this post, obvisiously I want to promote new music as well as up and coming bands and artists so that's where I need your help. If you're a band or artist looking to get your music out there or perhaps you know someone who is? Well, I'd love to hear your music!

I'm hoping to set up an email specifically for the music blog but in the meantime please get in contact by emailing: thehathippie@outlook.com or get in touch via my blog's Facebook page. In your email please include any links to your music as well as any social media links for your band. Unfortunately, I won't be able to feature every single band nor can I respond to every single email but please know that I really do appreciate you getting in contact!

At this early stage I'm only prepping and doing research so it may be a number of weeks before I have everything up and running so be sure to keep up to date with all of my latest news here on my blog and via social media. I promise that you'll be the first to know about any news!

Once again I want to thank-you all the for constant love and support, it never fails to encourage me! I genuinely hope that you'll enjoy everything that I have in store for the future-I can't wait to see how it unfolds!