The Story Of Driftwood Studio

In 2017 I fell over playing badminton, banged my head and suffered a brain injury. This was the beginning of the end of my life as it was.

I experienced a condition called Post Concussion Syndrome which exacerbated into Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. By 2019 I was not the man I wanted to be. I ended my life in Hebden Bridge and moved to Ramsbottom, Greater Manchester.

However, I had no work, and rent was expensive. After staying with a friend for six months I moved into a static caravan on a local farm. despite the cold in the winter, the lack of heating, the dysfunctional toilet and the sweatbox heat of summer, I was content in my home on a hill.

I had breakfast with the horses and cows. The goats ate my washing and the sheep were, well, idiots, but they are sheep, so I can’t really complain.

On the farm, I found all manner of materials to be turned to good use. I made a coffee pot out of an old baked bean tin. I made a glass cutting jig to repurpose bottles and I built wooden structured from old signal box timbers.

I named the place Driftwood. In the Kawa Model Framework, driftwood, or ‘ryuboku,’ represents all the attributes, skills and knowledge we carry with us on our journey.

Over Lockdown I made friends online, kept busy and focussed on my own little world. But I was still very unwell. I awoke with howls of anxiety, I was plagued by depression, isolated and hurt by all that had happened after my injury.

After the caravan, I moved in with my son. I decided to try and get my license back as a therapist, but this proved harder than anticipated and I also realised that I was really an artist with therapeutic training. So I focussed on the art. I started developing a portfolio. I started developing a focus and a real intent. Essentially, I started to heal myself through a creative life.

In 2022 I met Erica Pham and arranged to visit her in her studio. She told me she had been planning a retail counter. I offered to build it. Erica introduced me to other artists and creative individuals in Manchester. This is when I met Maddie Howard, a writer, performer and English teacher. Through Erica, I also met Michelle Ayavoro. With Dave Brown, I set up in The Shed which is a Pop-up situated in City Tower, Manchester and at this venue, I met Denise Bradshaw, whose space in Rochdale I now share.

Before I met Denise I bumped into Andy Croft on a tram. I had been talking to Maddie about filming and Andy and I got chatting. since then we have explored opportunities for the creation of Driftwood Studio as a physical space for both private and community work. Andy is also the man responsible for making this website a reality.

This is a snapshot of the Driftwood Story. Driftwood flows through us all as the creative energy we bring. In the world of Driftwood we are all creative, we are all artists and we all have the right to share our passion with the world without fear of unfair judgement or critique.

So if you have a creative idea, or if you just want to live a more creative life, then we hope you will join the flow.

There are several ways to do this:

Send an email to info@driftwoodstudio.co.uk or fill in the Contact form.
Join the WhatsApp community and start sharing your ideas.
Connect with us on Facebook & Instagram @drifwoodstudiosmcr
Subscribe to FLOW – our monthly mailout for a creative life below.

Flow well.