As a photographer, and some might say creative writer, I suppose I’m also somewhat artistic. I’m a visual thinker and learn by doing not reading, hence why I got an A for my Art GCSE, but had to re-take my Maths. I love product design, wonderful architecture, inspiring use of space or reclaimed materials. My mum is an acclaimed artist of over 30 years but basically self taught and my dad, as a skilled wood-worker (again self taught) is a picture framer – teaching himself this skill so as to display my mothers art work, so you could say the creative gene runs in the family. That said, I’m a terrible artist and my woodworking skills have plenty of room for improvement. I suppose you could say it’s envy of other peoples qualities which has lead to this article. None of the stuff these guys are doing is something I can do myself, yet I look at and think “wouldn’t that be cool?” Perhaps the individuals featured here feel the same way – seeing their artistic ability as matter of fact and drawing inspiration from sources outside of their field.

Whatever an individual is into, if they are passionate about it that enthusiasm shines through. It’s that enthusiasm which sows the seed of thought in other peoples minds and who knows where that could lead. Creativity, artisticness, madness, whatever you want to call it – it comes in many forms and knows no boundaries. I guess, plain and simple, I just wanted to show that there’s more to life than BMX. I’m inspired by those people I’ve featured here, to learn more, do more and try new things. Hopefully I won’t be the only one who finds inspiration to try something new. And who knows where that could lead.

Do you consider yourself artistic?

“What I make some people may call artistic, but I don’t think I’m naturally artistic like some people.”

Explain how you got in to wood turning, why you became hooked and what it means to you now.

“I have done woodworking on and off since I left high school really. I always was quite passionate about my work, but about two years ago I just started making random pieces for myself and friends. I realised a lathe would be a real key tool to have for things I had been struggling to make. I started looking into woodturning and as soon as I’d seen what else was really possible with it, I just needed to get one and learn.”

When you discovered this thing you love to do, was it a sudden rush of excitement that you’d found this new skill, or was it a gradual process which you came to love?

“I was excited for about a 6 months saving up for everything. As soon as I got my lathe set up in the workshop, I used it every day straight for weeks.”

A lot of people use BMX as a social tool, a display of self expression or fulfilment, or for total escapism from the day-to-day. What does wood turning give you which BMX doesn’t, or does it give you the same fulfilment but in a different way?

“I guess they run quite close together I want to make cool stuff that relates to BMX, whether it be making wooden bar ends, or inlaying someones brand onto a nice piece of wood for them, to me that still feels like it is BMX, even though I am not riding my bike.”

Do you think as we get older and our bodies find it harder to deal with riding and recover, we are naturally pre-disposed to find new pastimes which fill the gap that BMX may have left? Or is this a passion of yours which has always run side by side with riding?

“As soon as I was doing wood work I wanted to build ramps, so it always ran side by side in that way. I definitely find it hard to ride like I used to, I get hurt too much. I guess you choose to make them run side by side so it still feels like the BMX life everyday, whether its building skateparks or in my own workshop, just not doing the normal society shit.”

Jason ‘Fooman’ College

Photographer

You don’t become a sponsored BMX rider by accident – it goes without saying you have to be pretty good at it. Fooman is indeed pretty good at it, hence why he rides for WTP. Far from being a one trick pony though, Fooman is an incredibly good photographer too, splitting his time evenly between BMX and camera, and being as comfortable behind the lens as he is in front of it. By his own admission, Fooman is still quite new to the photography stuff, but that seems to be a good thing, as he’s learning a lot of stuff very quickly, but only retaining the best bits of information. It’s so easy to get set in your ways when you’ve been doing something for so long, so visiting Fooman (almost specifically) to nerd out about cameras was a learning experience in itself. Foo rides with Nick Wotton a lot so it seemed like a cool idea for me to shoot Fooman shooting a photo. It’s nice to see how others do it from time to time.

Do you consider yourself artistic?

“Yeah I’d say I am, I always like to get creative!”

I only know you as a rider and someone who does photography. Do you have any other hidden talents which the wider public may not be too aware of?

“I used to mix music and played out in some clubs a few times but I don’t do that so much anymore, I focus mainly on riding/photography/cars they all go hand in hand too!”

A lot of people use BMX as a social tool, a display of self expression or fulfilment, or for total escapism from the day-to-day. What does photography give you which BMX doesn’t, or does it give you the same fulfilment but in a different way?

“Yeah I feel that photography is another outlet for me to escape the day-to-day shit that goes on. I find when I’m riding or photographing, everything slows down, no rules just do what YOU want to do. It does get frustrating at times but that’s the same with everything in life… Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.”

Do you think as we get older and our bodies find it harder to deal with riding and recover, we are naturally pre-disposed to find new pastimes which fill the gap that BMX may have left? Or is this a passion of yours which has always run side by side with riding?

“Yeah I guess so, I feel that photography has always been present whilst I’ve been riding but I didn’t get fully involved with it to start, riding always came first and now that’s switched rolls almost. I always like to be doing something and be focused on something to keep me entertained.”

Explain how you got in to photography, why you became hooked and what it means to you now.

“I got into photography through college, I finished school and went to work with my dad doing carpentry and I knew straight away I didn’t want to do this for the rest of my life. My Dad totally supported me with this decision, he said I needed to get an education in something I wanted to do… I chose to go to college and study art and design which was a two year course. The first year specialised in all aspects of art, sculpting to jewellery making etc. The second year you specialised in one aspect, I chose photography, I really enjoyed the freedom this gave me at college, I could just drive somewhere with my friend Toad (Ryan) and go riding and he would skate and we’d get photos at the same time to keep the teacher happy. I think this freedom and being able to escape to do something I wanted to do started up my passion with photography, it still means the same to me now, I love the freedom of just being able to get out and shoot.”

When you discovered this thing you love to do, was it a sudden rush of excitement that you’d found this new skill, or was it a gradual process which you came to love?

“It was a gradual process, I mean I used to just 100% dedicate myself to riding, always thinking about it and any free time id be out with mates riding, then I went to uni to study photography… I met Will (Evans) there and spent more time riding crazy welsh spots with him than going to uni. I actually hated my photography and my course. It was all bullshit and I think uni taught me how much of a shitty industry it actually is. Anyway, I finished uni with a degree then I had some time away from photography which I think did me some good because I had fresh approach to it when I did start picking the camera back up.”

Alex Leech

Musician

The most senior member of the artisans featured here is one who is showing no signs of slowing down on the riding front. Even though he’s a real adult the teenager inside never is still ever present, so aside from cheeky lunchtime BMX sessions Alex still loves nothing more than some good old Skater Punk. He has an impressive collection of guitars, not to mention old bikes, and S&M tattoos come to mention it, and is definitely in his element when shouting loudly through a microphone and thrashing away with his band. It’s definitely a side of the relatively quiet family man we don’t see too often.

Do you consider yourself artistic?

“No, I don’t think so. I enjoy playing guitar and writing/playing songs with my band but it doesn’t feel like art.”

I only know you as a rider and someone who plays guitar. Do you have any other hidden talents which the wider public may not be too aware of?

“Na. BMX and guitar is all I got on the creative side.”

Explain how you got in to playing music, why you became hooked and what it means to you now.

“I started playing guitar when I was 16 or 17. At first it was about learning other people’s songs. I was amazed when the right notes eventually came out of the guitar. Then later it became about being in a band. I can’t play much that sounds good on my own. I like the sound of a band, all locked in to a song, blasting it out.”

When you discovered this thing you love to do, was it a sudden rush of excitement that you’d found this new skill, or was it a gradual process which you came to love?

“Both. A sudden love of the idea of being able to play guitar, but it took ages to be any good at it.”

A lot of people use BMX as a social tool, a display of self expression or fulfilment, or for total escapism from the day-to-day. What does playing the guitar or performing with your band give you which BMX doesn’t, or does it give you the same fulfilment but in a different way?

“To me, BMX and guitar, and the feeling they give me, are almost the same. I travel to a skatepark to ride, or to a venue to play a gig. The only thing I expect to get back comes directly from the riding or playing. I’m happy riding the same skatepark with a few people, or doing band practice with no one there other than the band. Riding with new people or playing gigs is all added bonus. Some people want to get signed by a record company or get sponsored by Bike co but I just like riding and playing. They are both their own reward.”

Do you think as we get older and our bodies find it harder to deal with riding and recover, we are naturally pre-disposed to find new pastimes which fill the gap that BMX may have left? Or is this a passion of yours which has always run side by side with riding?

“We ain’t gonna be able to BMX for ever, but people carry on playing music till a ripe old age. I’m happy that I should be able to play guitar for longer than I BMX, but it’s not a tactical decision. To me, Guitar and BMX exist independently, and in parallel.”

Adam Hunt

Computer Game Designer

Adam Hunt. The man responsible for all BMX road trips to be conducted in silence because everyone’s playing the most stupidly addictive BMX game ever made – Pumped BMX. I met Adam around the time I was planning this article, and was surprised to learn that Pumped was his first ever game and he’s entirely self-taught. If that doesn’t prove that anything is possible when you put your mind to it then nothing will!

Do you consider yourself artistic?

“No not particularly! I must have some graphic design skills hidden away somewhere to make menus and logos and stuff, but nothing compared to the guys who do it for real. I can’t draw to save my life either so I leave all the game art to freelancers, and music to friends. Maybe I’d say I have an artistic eye, but very little artistic skill… Generally I get things done through perseverance rather than skill.”

I only know you as a rider and the guy who invented Pumped BMX. Do you have any other hidden talents which the wider public may not be too aware of?

“I messed around with all sorts of stuff before I settled on making BMX games. I used to love making little scene edits, so I did quite a lot of video editing. I got quite into web design for a little while. Then I got into photography, but that swung back to video when I got really into time lapse photography. I thought I might learn to be a 3D modeller for about a week, pretty sure I tried to start a music career with Garageband at some point too.

Basically for a good few years I had no idea what I wanted to do, so I tried everything! In the end all that messing around has kind of helped now that I need to do little bits of it all as an ‘indie game developer’.”

Explain how you got in to games design, why you became hooked and what it means to you now.

“I think a few things came together at just the right time. Firstly at the time I was working abroad and had a bit of free time on my hands, so I decided to try and learn how to code. Around that time ‘frameworks’ which made making games a lot easier were becoming popular, so I started reading a lot of online tutorials for them. And finally back in the day I’d played a game called ‘Dirt Bike’ that I used to draw trails in. I decided to remake that with tricks, using a mechanic from a popular game at the time (Tiny Wings) where you dive down to the ground. That’s not quite how it ended up, but it was the initial inspiration.

I actually remember the exact afternoon I got hooked – it was the first time I figured out how to get a program running on the iPhone, and I wrote a program so I could draw lines on the screen with my finger. Something clicked into place – I could see how that line could become some jumps which could become a BMX game. I think from then on I could tell this was different from all of the other hobbies I’ve tried out over the years.

I’m very proud and count myself lucky that the game has done well, and a few months ago I finally got up the courage to quit my job to work on Pumped BMX 2 full time. To have full creative control over what I’m doing is amazing. It’s a cliche, but it really has changed my life. Hopefully I can keep making BMX games for a few years.”

When you discovered this thing you love to do, was it a sudden rush of excitement that you’d found this new skill, or was it a gradual process which you came to love?

“I think the first time I got that program running on an iPhone was a sudden rush of excitement, but after that it’s been more of a gradual build. A huge amount of making Pumped and Pumped 2 has been learning – both times I’ve been starting from scratch, and learning how to do some of the stuff I’ve needed to do has been massively challenging. Especially with Pumped 1, spending 10 hours on a simple problem was not uncommon, but the feeling of accomplishment when you solve that problem can’t be beaten. I think that’s a bit addictive.”

A lot of people use BMX as a social tool, a display of self expression or fulfilment, or for total escapism from the day-to-day. What does computer programming or game design give you which BMX doesn’t, or does it give you the same fulfilment but in a different way?

“I think making Pumped BMX is a perfect combination of my ‘technology’ and BMXer sides, and definitely scratches a different itch to BMX. Now that I’ve discovered and learnt some programming I’ll probably stay with it even if I’m programming non-BMX things, it’s definitely something I’ve grown to love independently of BMX. Being able to combine programming and BMX is ideal. I guess it’s the same as being a videographer, or photographer, or writer – you love those things, but doing them around BMX makes them even better.”

Do you think as we get older and our bodies find it harder to deal with riding and recover, we are naturally pre-disposed to find new pastimes which fill the gap that BMX may have left? Or is this a passion of yours which has always run side by side with riding?

“Yeah I think you’re right. I think the kind of person who becomes passionate about BMX (or any other activity) is likely to be a pretty active person in general, so yeah maybe as you start riding less you fill in that gap with something else. It’s not so much the programming – I’ve always been into computers and the technology side of things, but actually different physical stuff – I get out on my road bike a lot more now, and I’ve started going climbing. I think unless you’re Hoffman you can’t and probably don’t want to keep sending yourself for years and years, and finding another outlet (bike related or not) is pretty natural.”

Where do you draw inspiration from when you’re working on a new project?

“The first Pumped game came about because I got bored of waiting for someone else to make it, so for the moment at least I just make what I want to play. It’s a huge benefit of being a BMXer making BMX games, I’m not some random guy trying to cater for a market I don’t understand, I’m making games for people like me.”

Is there one standout moment in your career which you are particularly proud of? Or at least one which sticks out in your mind over all others?

“It’s got to be the week I released Pumped 1 – it was really good August weather and I remember watching some Olympic BMX on a big screen on Brighton beach, watching Pumped climb the charts and generally feeling pretty good about life.”

Every creative person has that special tool which they can’t do without. Be that old, modified or purely sentimental. Apart from the obvious what is your most useful or cherished tool?

“Haha, it’s probably the classic pen and paper. Most of my ideas, to-do lists, problem solving and planning get jotted down on a notepad rather than on a computer. I’ve got a stack of about 10 from the beginning of Pumped 1 up to now, they’re kind of cool to flick through actually, you can ‘see’ how the games developed.”

If you were unable to continue programming stuff, is there anything you can think of which might fill that gap?

“I’ve always kind of fancied being a carpenter, so maybe I’d do that. I guess that’s one of those jobs that’s a combination of technical and creative, I think most jobs like that would suit me alright.”

Do you think all people are somehow creative in their own way but have yet to find an outlet?

“Yeah definitely. I don’t think everyone is artistic (myself included), but I do think there’s something out there for everyone. My other half randomly sent me this Einstein quote earlier actually, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it’ll spend its whole life believing that it is stupid”. I think that’s probably true, you’ve just got to find your own thing.”

If I were to be interested in pursuing the same path as yourself in a creative sense, what advice would you give me?

“Do it! If I can teach myself how to do all of this, anyone can learn. There’s so much material on the internet these days, you’ve just got to be determined and patient. And accept that you will spend full days trying to do one thing that turned out to be really simple. It can be frustrating, but it’s totally worth it for the feeling of accomplishment at the end. Also, start small. Try and make Pong first, not Call of Duty 11!”

Is there one standout moment in your artistic career which you are particularly proud of? Or at least one which sticks out in your mind over all others?

“The collection of work I have produced with and for the band FOALS has been successful.”

Every creative person has that special tool which they can’t do without. Be that old, modified or purely sentimental. What is your most useful or cherished tool?

“I honestly own nothing special or sentimental. Everything can be replaced. Holding an inanimate object in high regard doesn’t make sense. Tinhead industries cannot stop!”

If you were unable to continue producing art, is there anything you can think of which might fill that gap?

“Motorsport.”

Do you think all people are somehow creative in their own way but have yet to find an outlet?

“No.”

If I were to be interested in pursuing the same path as yourself in a creative sense, what advice would you give me?

“I would say do not follow the same path I have. But find your own way. Start drawing. Lots. Learn to draw properly before you try and break the rules. That being said break the rules. Arnold Schwarzenegger said that and look at him he became a robot from the future.”

Where can we find out more about what you’re doing?

tinhead.tumblr.com
tinhead.co.uk
nightwolfarmy.com