contents Letters A look into the lost art of letter writing. p.g 1,2
Life around our way
Refuting the common stereotypes of living in a ‘bad area.’ p.g 3,4,5,6
Memories Reminiscing on childhood. p.g 7,8
Music Industry A look into the darker side of music. p.g 9,10
Q&A
A Q&A with mucisian Jason Watson. p.g 11,12
Marketing Plan Marketing plan. p.g 13,14
Bibliography All bibliography’s. p.g 15,16
letters
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Novelist Jon McGregor is someone who has experienced first-hand the pleasure of receiving letters. Although he says it has become a rarity for him to write a letter. The editor of The Letters Page says, “As with any writing practice or constraint that pushes you out of your comfort zone – when I write letters, I always think differently about the sort of writing I’m doing, the sort experience I want the person reading the letter to have. It’s a different gear for me, and it’s always good to change gears.” While working at Nottingham University Jon decided to start a literary journal. Jon asked people from all over the world to write to him, stories and poems. The journal is running by his students and is called ‘The Letters Page’. As the letters poured in from all over the world one main theme emerged. Jon himself said in an article he wrote for The Guardian, “almost everyone wrote about the nostalgic and rare pleasure of sitting down to write a letter at all.”
PIXABAY.COM
Letter writing is a celebration and creation of memories. Whether it be reminiscing over fond adventures of a summer vacation with a pen pal. Or that trip down memory lane opening a box of old letters and feeling a rush of nostalgia. The development of web-mail services in 1997. However, has seen that handwritten letters become a thing of the past. Online correspondence has reformed the way in which we communicate and the means by which we do so. Author John O’Connell describes the art of letter writing as a form of “slow communication” in his book For the Love of Letters. It is flattering
to think that someone has taken the time to sit and write you a letter. There is an intimacy in sharing your hand-written words, that shows a devotion to the person for whom you are corresponding with. Handwritten memos compared to digital dialogue may be more personal by nature. However, they are also more time consuming. This caused Finland to take an influential step in 2015 in abandoning the teaching of cursive handwriting all together, in favour of typing courses. Swapping the pen and paper for IPads and tablets seems a drastic step. That, would deduct any of the fun derived from learning.
CREDITS:
Hastily rummaging through the clutter of your hand bag to find the front door key. As, you stumble in to hide from the wind and rain on this dreary day. You find there to greet you on the welcome mat is a crisp white envelope with your name immaculately hand written on the front. As your eyes follow the looping letters you know that this envelope is filled with loving words from a dear friend. Bringing you joy on a long winter’s day. We so often dread hearing the postman on his daily round as we assume, we will be receiving a bill. Worse still, junk mail from your local pizza joint or a leaflet promoting your local sofa store’s never-ending sale. Yet what if we didn’t have to have our letterboxes grazed by spam mail? Instead we wait and anticipate the arrival of a special letter filled with a meaningful correspondence from a loved one. Which, is then placed in a treasured box for safe keeping and re-reading.
‘It is amazing how such little things can make a big difference and a positive impact.’
F
For Jon receiving letters can be really moving. As it is not everyday people from all over the world take the time to write you. “It continues to be one of the most rewarding parts of editing The Letters Page. Every time I go through the stack of submissions, there are stamps from unexpected countries, and unfamiliar handwriting, and the promise of something that will move me in some unpredictable way. (Of course, this is a literary journal, and I’m looking for great writing, and the letters don’t always live up to that. But every letter has been written with good intention and with effort, and I always value that. And then the moments of particularly special writing are all the more exciting), he says. Jon’s idea behind The Letters Page was to allow his students to think about other people’s writing before thinking of their own. Writing letters provides us with the opportunity to write in an unconventional way to enrich our writing experience. Whatever the importance of exchanging letters, this tradition seems to be a rarity. One that future generation may not get the chance to experience as technology constantly modifies our correspondence. I wondered if Jon still kept in touch with his pen pals that inspired his letter writing when growing up? “Some of them. Inevitably not all of them. Some of them I still count as good friends; But all of them were important friendships at the time. I happened to bump into one of them recently, having not been in touch for twenty years, and it was brilliant to be able to pick up again almost where we’d left off ” he says. Jon, also says that receiving a letter is not always better than receiving an email. However, letters carry more meaning than emails: “it’s a physical object that has been handled by the sender, and bears their traces. And, the very rarity of letters makes it more special by default.” In the modern age of technology text, seems like the most expeditious way to communicate. Maybe, that is what makes letters more meaningful. That they are often replaced in favour of a quick email or text. Being such a rarity, enhances their meaningfulness. The Letters Page is an interesting read filled with poetry, extracts and short stories. Most of all this journal captures the authenticity of letter writing. The Letters Page is now available from www.theletterspage.ac.uk. Exploring all things meaningful, I came across Good and Kind. Good and Kind is a subscription organisation that notes 100 small acts that we can implement. That, as a collective can make the world a kinder place. In doing something good we will also feel more satisfied within ourselves. One of the listed acts is write a letter to a friend. There are social movements highlighting this message, Good and Kind only stood out for me on my quest to learn what positivity can be gained by letter writing. I have come to the realisation that unless it is your everyday spiel texts just don’t replicate the feeling of receiving a letter. Ultimately in an age where an email or text can be sent instantly, taking the time to write a letter is consequently more meaningful than ever.
BY JESSICA LEADBITTER
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CREDITS:
cheyenne honiball
LIFE AROUND OUR WAY
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Refuting the common stereotypes of living in a ‘bad area’ and reliving positive memories of growing up on a council estate. “We should never have to be apologetic of our heritage.”
home
The words “council estate” may retain certain connotations and preconceptions. There may be negative articles in newspapers and bad statistics online however, there is a fighting spirit that sweeps through the concrete tower blocks and orange brick estates. Its inhabitants have the power to overcome life’s adversity’s and financial hardships. Council estates have nurtured and raised many a star from Elton John to Ozzy Osbourne. The media likes to present the preconceived notion that council estates are bound by criminals and wrongdoers. There is good and bad in all areas. We may not all be rock stars but, in these communities, you will find the kindest, compassionate and diligent people. I myself, have grown up on a council estate in Middlesbrough. Middlesbrough is an industrial town which saw its industry heavily decline in the 1970s and 80s. A report from Plan International UK recently stated that Middlesbrough was the worst place for females to grow up in the UK. The town has been branded with statements like “worst place to live in Britain” and “smog in access.” I can vouch that it isn’t the worst place to live and there aren’t clouds of smog suffocating the streets, rather friendly faces and a positive sense of community. If you ever meet a smoggie what will strike you is the passion and pride they have for their town. Which, is something everyone should cherish. We should be proud of where we live. Having experienced moving to a new city and being the first member of my family to go to university, many people have been amazing and so welcoming. From time to time though I am still met with passing judgment because of where I was born and raised. Anyone who is from somewhere that is considered to be a ‘bad area’ will experience this, the question is how do we shake these stereotypes? Unfortunately, it may be something we encounter for the rest of our lives but we should be proud of where we grew up and the people
BY JESSICA LEADBITTER
we are, rather than criticised for it. If anything, these families struggle more than most but teach their children important values that money can’t buy. Growing up I have no memories of smog at all but rather fond memories of riding my bike on the estate and snowball fights with neighbouring kids. Slogging away on the local paper round, playing football on the back field and getting drunk with friends. These memories we cherish maybe more than others as they seem a life time away. They also remind us that there is no place like home. As a child I had no concept of good areas and bad. I loved the estate in which I grew up. Living so close to the coast meant weekly trips to the seaside. We did not have a lot of money growing up but I undeniably had the richest childhood. My two best friends lived just over a bridge dividing the two estates, we shared everything. All the ups and downs of growing up, we lived it together. Cheyenne Honiball, amature photographer and one of my best friends who lived just over the bridge. Describes her favourite memory of growing up. She says “My fondest memory, would be my father working on the ice cream vans. He would bring me and all my friends from my neighbourhood free ice creams. I remember playing Kirby most days. Growing up on a council estate can be hard, but due to most people having suffered, people unite in small ways that help you. Even if it’s a free knicker bicker glory ice cream.” These life experiences mould us into the people we are at present. We should never have to be apologetic of our heritage, instead lets honour it. Cheyenne says that Social issues are the main focus of her photography as she finds beauty in the struggle. Cheyenne describes her photographs as gritty truths of poverty struck people and places. She takes her photos predominantly in Middlesbrough and the North East. I still visit the North East frequently. No matter where I live, my home town will always be a significant part of my life and my history. There is no better feeling than being welcomed by my family or sleeping over in my childhood room which is preserved exactly how it has always been. Growing up on a council estate has taught me compassion, kindness, work ethic, independence and to be grateful for every opportunity. I am proud to say that I apply these morals to my everyday life and some of these values I believe I would never have learnt if I had of grown up somewhere different. Be proud of where you call home.
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CREDITS:
PHOTOGRAPHY FROM, CHEYENNE HONIBALL.
Cheynne honiball
DOWN
OUR end
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m memories LISA EVANS, 48 SUTTON ESTATE, MIDDLESBROUGH.
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CREDITS:
Cheynne Honiball
Saltersgill, was known as Sutton Estate at the time. It was so nice years ago, friendly neighbours, everybody knew one another. There were lots of shops. Old people lived in the flats opposite to where I lived. People could leave their doors unlocked and people looked out for one another. My mam, Judy used to run a mother and toddler group in the local community centre and she was loved by a lot of people within the area.
MIDDLESBROUGH TOWN CENTRE.
Growing up
LAUREN LEADBITTER, 27
Growing up on my street everyone knew each other, all the neighbours knew each other and the kids all played out together. My best friend lived down the road, we still see each other and she will often pop to my house for a takeaway and a bottle of wine. There was a real sense of community you don’t find anywhere else. My sister’s god mother lived on the street and my mam’s best friend, just next door. People would often leave their front doors open so the kids could just wonder and play together. It was really fun to live in an area that was a real community. We moved from the area when I was still young. Unfortunately, now it’s considered to be one of the worst areas of Middlesbrough to live in Middlesbrough.
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CREDITS:
Jay Watson
m u s ic
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“
some days we didn't make enough money to eat...
“
A deeper look into what it’s like to try and make it in the music industry. When you think of the music industry you might think of money, glitz and glamour. But, For up and coming artists it’s not all screaming fans and flashing lights. The truth is that making it in the music industry is a tough business. There is little to no financial gain and a lot of sleepless nights in vans, travelling around. Making an honest living from music, unless you’re a chart topper like Ed Sheeran can seem impossible. There are a multitude of talented musicians trying to make a living. However, not all of them are lucky enough to catch a break. There is lots of sacrifice that comes with pursuing a career in music. So, what’s in it for the artists? Jay Watson who spent the majority of his teens playing gigs with his punk rock band ‘We Have Touch Down’, says it’s all about the experience. “Touring was an amazing experience. We travelled in a mini bus, we did the north east, Yorkshire and the Midlands. It was good to be with the band for such a long period of time. We slept rough, we drank a lot, it was fun, but it wasn’t sustainable.” We Have Touch Down did well for themselves, they supported bands from the likes of Don Broco, Yashin and Texas in July. Jay says that his band knew a lot of promoters at the time, admitting “you need connections as well as talent.” He believes his band would have struggled to find opportunities if it hadn’t been for the help of these connections. Jay jokes that even with help of the promoters his band had to do the majority of the promoting and selling of tickets. “We had to sell our own tickets to make any money, even then we would only take a pound cut from every £5 ticket sold. The promoters would take the biggest cut from ticket sales, which is funny really because we did most of the promoting.” Coming up in 2019, is an amazing year for music with world renowned bands from the likes of Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin, announcing that they will be touring. Fleetwood Mac tickets sold out super quick, so the band has announced an extra date for Wembley and Led Zeppelin are touring all over the UK. These bands are big music influencers for many aspiring musicians. Artists may look up to these big bands, that sleep in luxury, state of the art tour buses and
make millions from every gig. But the reality for many up and coming bands while touring, is sleeping rough and a measly £30 per gig. After tour, travel and equipment costs, the rewards are slim. Jay says, “I looked up to bands like Enter Shikari and Bring Me The Horizon. I wanted to perform just like them. As a band we had a lot of opportunities, but the biggest struggle was earning money. We had to pay for travel, professional practice rooms and of course our equipment. For academy gigs we would make £120 per gig and smaller gigs just £50, between five people. Unless you have a lot of money to invest it will be hard.”
Jay says making money when you’re a small band touring is difficult but the rush from performing makes up for it. “When we were touring, some days we didn’t make enough money to eat but it was worth it in the sense that we were enjoying the gigs and meeting people. Personally, I couldn’t do it forever but our love of music and performing live, kept us going.” Performing is a talent, it comes with great sacrifice and little recognition. It is an unstable and difficult job unless you become an overnight success. It involves a lot of practice and patience. Some people may wonder why anyone bothers to give up an office job with a steady income for an uncertain career in music. The answer is the music, creating music keeps the spark alive. It allows people to fight for what they are passionate for. To step out onto the stage to perform and have fans appreciate your talents is what makes the struggle worth the while. There may be a lot to lose but there is so much more to gain. Jay said the main thing he gained during his time in We Have Touch Down was confidence. “Playing in front of 500+ people, was intense. I gained a lot from being in the band. I loved the lads and being the lead, I also took the lead in planning things. I was super organised for a 17-year-old, it has made me realise in later life that I’d like to have a career in party planning etcetera.” He laughs and says “We may not have made it as big as the bands we idolised but we had a right good time while trying.”
BY JESSICA LEADBITTER Spoiled Nation 2018 / 2019 11
INDUSTRY
Jason Watson spent most of his 20s in a bands, his most recent was ‘Mountains At Sea’ and he is an amazing guitarist. He experienced first hand what touring is all about, when he helped out the band High Tide over a five gig stint, across four cities. So, I spoke to Jason about his
CREDITS:
JAY WATSON
experiences being in a band and touring from an outsiders perspective.
“I was always very keen to play live from a young age.”
JL: How would you describe yourself as a musician in three words? JW: In three words, I would have to say, guitarist, always and learn ing. I’m a guitarist, I love playing the guitar and I am always open to learn new skills and techniques. JL: Who or what inspired you to start playing? JW: When I started out, I was influenced by musicians such as – Randy Rhoads, Van Halen, Toni Iommi. JL: Was it a struggle at first, to find opportunities to break as a band, starting out? JW: Yeah It was hard getting shows at first. Our best gigs were the one’s we set up ourselves, we would hire a venue, get a couple of bands to play and bring all of our friend’s down to the gig. We would get drunk, have a laugh and perform live. It was a lot of fun. JL: If so, what was the biggest struggle you faced? JW: The biggest struggle we faced was getting promoters to play you, it wasn’t easy. Also, trying to keep the band happy, I would say. When you have differing opinions in a band, it can be difficult to please everyone. JL: What was it like to do gigs as a starting out musician? JW: I was always very keen to play live from a young age, the feeling was great after my first gig, I had a combination of nerves and excitement. Was well worth it. JL: What did you and your band achieve? Did you support any major acts or play any exciting gigs etc? JW: Yeah, we had quite a lot of big opportunities. We supported the Wildhearts at Ku Klub in Sunderland, December 2004. We also played some great venues like Northumbria University, The Cluny in Newcastle and The O2 academy Newcastle. Being a North East band this is where we performed a lot. JL: When you helped out High tide with their tour, can you describe this experience? JW: I drove High tide on a 5 day tour – Leeds, Sheffield, London twice and Manchester. It was a fantastic experience I has so much fun. I’ve never been on tour with my own band previously. High Tide struggled in the same way my band had with a lack of money, setting up equipment, which was always difficult before a gig and technical issues. But, its all forgotten with the joy of playing live.
Q
&A
CREDITS:
JAYYYWATSON
Marketing Plan To market Spoiled Nation as a publication, taking on an Entrepreneurial marketing style would be beneficial. “Entrepreneurs tend to be ‘innovation-oriented’, driven by new ideas and intuitive market feel, rather than customer oriented, or driven by rigorous assessment of market needs” (Stokes, 2000.) Entrepreneurial marketing allows for a large amount of circulation and maximum interest, on a limited budget. Looking for unique ways to promote a business in a way that differs from the traditional forms of marketing. These innovative ways in which to market are usually out of the ordinary and will grab the attention of the consumer. This would be the best way for Spoiled Nation to market themselves. As Spoiled Nation is a fashion culture magazine. As John Galliano said, “the joy of dressing is an art” (Harper’s bazaar, 2018.) As, fashion, art and culture are all interlinked, it would be a good idea to commission local street artists from cities across the country to paint graffiti art, linked to the spoiled nation content. In the city centres, so people could freely visit. This would create intrigue around not just the spoiled nation publication but the company as a whole. As the publication is current, full of culture, with some controversial themes, this would match the house style. Spoiled Nation will be promoted online through social media. Social Media is becoming an important marketing tool (Michaelidou, 2011.) Spoiled Nation could trend a hash-tag, when a consumer posts a picture of the graffiti art with the potential hash-tag, they could be entered into a competition to win something. This would help create traffic to the spoiled nation social media pages and promote the art work. Finally, to promote Spoiled Nation even more. Having pop up news-stands that only sell and promote spoiled nation, is a good way to sell the publication. Not only can the magazines be sold but the employees at the stands can help promote Spoiled Nation as a company by networking with consumers. Networking has been described as a psychological need to connect, socialise and work with others (Winkelen, 2003.) This will attract consumers as well as promoting the magazine. All of these aspects of marketing come together to make a relevant marketing concept for Spoiled Nation, as many of the methods promote not only the publication but the company, in an innovative way which will attract a lot of consumer attention. This will in turn increase traffic to the social media pages and the website as well as increasing sales. Link to Issuu: https://issuu.com/jess_lead/docs/magazine_done
LETTERS BIBLIOGRAPHY Hensher, P. (2012) The Missing Ink. Macmillam. O’Connell, J. (2013) For the love of letters. Marble Arch Garfield, S. (2013) To the Letter. Cannongate books ltd. Higgins, C. (2012) The guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/culture/charlottehigginsblog/2012/oct/23/ lost-art-letter-writing Field, C. (2011) The fading art of letter writing. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/04/ opinion/04iht-edfield04.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1350921685-0yYAsR2H7xynx9QEeon48Q Josie, E. (2017) The BBC. http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20171108-the-uncertain-future-of-handwriting Press, G. (2015) Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/gilpress/2015/01/02/a-very-short-history-of-the-internet-and-the-web-2/ Woollaston, V. (2013) The daily mail. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2380858/Whatdoes-handwriting-say-Study-finds-5-000-personality-traits-linked-write.html Gal, S. (2018) The independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/handwriting-personality-test-graphology-writing-letters-expert-a8372866.html McGregor, J. (2016) The guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/nov/26/from-me-withlove-lost-art-letter-writing McGregor, J. The letters page. Published by the School of English at the University of Nottingham, htt:// www.theletterspage.ac.uk/index.aspx Good and Kind
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Positive news
AROUND OUR WAY BIBLIOGRAPHY Bell, B. (2016) Does Middlesbrough deserve its unenviable reputation? The bbc, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/ukengland-leeds-37909182 Porter, R. (2008) I’m a celebrity...I grew up here, The Daily mail, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1090076/Im-Celebrity--I-grew-here.html Revior, P. (2009) Middlesbrough really is the worst place to live, The Daily Mail, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ news/article-1204127/Middlesbrough-really-worst-place-live.html Smiles, M. (2016) Calling Middlesbrough the worst place to be a girl doesn’t help us, The Guardian, https://www. theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/13/middlesbrough-worst-place-for-girls-proud-to-bring-up-mydaughter-here
MUSIC INDUSTRY BIBLIOGRAPHY Burrows, M. (2016) The long hard road to rock n roll success. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jan/30/rocknroll-stardom-live-music-struggling-bands-slow-club-brawlers Fletcher, H. (2018) Fleetwood Mac tour 2019 tickets, Evening Standars: Go London, https://www.standard.co.uk/ go/london/music/fleetwood-mac-tour-2019-tickets-wembley-stadium-a3968391.html Up and Coming tours. (2019) The Ticket Master, https://guides.ticketmaster.co.uk/concerts-and-tours-guide/ classic-rock/?camefrom=CFC_gigsandtours&tm_link=gigsandtours