The Lockwood Echo

The Lockwood Shop

A red neon open sign, bordered by a blue neon line, set against a black background.
Image by Paul Brennan from Pixabay

Found myself with a bit of time on my hands last week. After pondering the meaning of life for a bit, I drew up a list of ‘STUFF I COULD BE DOING’.

It looked a bit like this;

  • Housework.
  • Plan the week’s meals.
  • Write shopping list.
  • Put washed clothes away.
  • Treat myself to a cup of tea and some telly for being such a good Domestic Goddess.

Here’s what actually happened;

  • Treated myself to several hours of drinking tea and watching telly, in anticipation of being a good Domestic Goddess.
  • Had an existential crisis, (which I then pencilled in for the following day as, by this point, I’d already wasted the morning).
  • Ripped up our bedroom carpet, because it’s horrid to vacuum and I don’t want to do it anymore. And for any furniture too heavy to move, I took a pair of scissors and just cut around the edges. Yes, I really did.
  • Stood out in the rain for half an hour, picking all the rust-infected leaves off our pear tree.
  • OPENED AN ONLINE SHOP TO SELL MY PHOTOGRAPHY!

I’m not a professional photographer. I doubt I’d even be considered an amateur photographer, (I believe here is where a confident person would say ‘because there is nothing amateur about my art and creativity, Darling’). It is an artform that speaks to my soul, and has done since my Darkroom Days. That particular post gives a decent background to my photography journey and why I love the subject so much. Although I studied and took exams, and did very well if I say so myself, I’m not well-studied in the subject, nor am I technically minded, (not helped by the fact I really struggle to retain and remember information). But this is where I will jump to my own defence and the defence of any artist, regardless of their field; creativity is SO subjective, as is the path. For every successful artist who has immersed themselves in studies, courses, has networked and linked, there must be as many equally successful who have just gone at it with an untrained freedom of expression, with no constraints of shoulds or shouldn’ts. Is either route less valid? Doesn’t mean there’s not hard work involved, it’s just a different way of working. Regardless of subjective taste, there has to be work, or at least evidence of it. Whether naturally gifted or learned, you can’t blag the effort. It brings to mind a post I wrote, a couple of years ago (a couple of years ago?!), entitled ‘PUNK’. Punk isn’t just about the safety pins, it’s an attitude, a go-getting attitude. Regardless of background, it’s about finding your passion. I found my creative passions decades ago. I just never had the needed wherewithal to cast them out to the world.

It’s a conversation I’ve had with other creatives here, struggling with our own worthiness but ultimately learning to be confident with our voices, styles and approaches. I think I lean on the freedom side of the two above extremes. I have enough knowledge and training to create what I hope to, but without bogging myself down with dos and don’ts. I also don’t mind if no-one likes what I create. I’m not here to have my ego stroked. The enjoyment factor is, first and foremost, for me. If it has a positive effect on someone else, then I’m bloody thrilled. Giddy with delight! I would be throwing this all at the back of the wardrobe if I didn’t want to share my work for others to read or see. And it’s not like I’m asking anyone to buy it. (Good grief, woman. Keep up. The whole point of this post is to tell people about your shop. And you know why shops exist? For people to buy stuff. YOU ARE ASKING PEOPLE TO BUY IT).

My personal nemesis has been not doing something because it’s been done already or others are doing it. In relation to photography, I’ve had my thunder stolen by people who have had the courage to go forth, whilst my confidence has faltered. Or who have just shouted louder, drowning out the sound of my self-esteem, leaving me crushed.

So, back to MY SHOP! Of all the options I’ve been mulling over, especially since starting The Lockwood Echo, Red Bubble seemed to be the logical place. It was a site I knew as a consumer, and as a seller, it really does offer a very simple solution. Of course, in my untrained way, I’ve tackled the whole process with the grace, aplomb and expertise of a squashed tomato, but I have a shop, I have products for sale and it’s OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

I have a fondness and spiritual connection to the number Seven. So, without any plan or strategy, I’ve initially uploaded seven of my favourite black and whites to get me up and running. By the time you read this, I may have expanded that collection. It’s at least a starting point. If I spent too long on the launchpad, there was always the risk I’d defeat myself and abandon such nonsense. My mantra remains ‘It doesn’t matter, none of it matters, what ever you’re worried about, what anyone thinks, it doesn’t really in the big fat scheme of things MATTER!’

Some of the images were taken at low resolutions, so am restricted in their offerings, but I wanted to include those which best represented my style. And I didn’t think anyone would want a picture of my partner (upside-down on a swing) emblazoned on a tote bag, (although he himself did). So my introductory product selections are straightforward prints, in a variety of formats.

I can’t finish this without saying a huge thankyou to a couple of very talented and supportive peeps who have engaged, helped and been a creative inspiration;

One of my very first follow/followers here was Peter Edwards, best known for Little Fears. Peter’s comics and books are just puntastic and will introduce you to odd worlds, inhabited by quirky sketched characters, all drawn and delivered in a unique way. Always generous with reader collaborations and advice, a visit to his blog or Twitter account will definitely put a smile on your face. Unless you land on one of his horror tales.

My second thankyou goes to Bryntin/Bear. I first stumbled across and promptly followed Cornish Bear for his dramatic and moody black and white photos. It wasn’t long before I discovered his alter ego Bryntin. Keen observations, delivered with a no-holds dry wit, was all I needed to hit the follow button there too. A visit to Bear’s own Red Bubble Shop will open you to a world of beautiful impressionist style photography, along with those drama-infused black and whites.

The Lockwood Echo’s Gallery has its own home here, more photos from which will become available in MY SHOP!

So, long story short, got bored, opened a shop, something for all budgets. I’m not here to plug for sales but I would love you to take a peek at my Bravado Dot Com. Sounds like I’m advertising a completely different kind of website there, so let’s wrap this up shall we?

Once last time for that link;
Lockwood Echo Shop

Black and white photo of a row of gulls perched along the roofline of a fish processing shed. One gull in the centre has its wings outstretched.
© Photo by The Lockwood Echo

34 comments

  5. Blimey Ms. Echo, thank you indeed for the mentions and kind comments and I am glad that if I am to be followed, it is by a relatively harmless but refined and tasteful lady such as yourself rather than, for example, Madame Charlatan.

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    • Quick, get this girl some coffee! We only have carpet upstairs (which was already here when we moved in), but I would like to see it all go! Thankyou for your kind and supportive words. It really is the best community here.

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    • Thankyou! Just getting to this point was like a weight had been lifted, the need to do this had been weighing heavy. Such a long time coming. Thankyou so much for taking the time to look, really appreciated.

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    • Thankyou! And if you call 3 decades to get one’s arse in gear and rise above the fear of whatever it is I’m afraid of, ‘taking charge’, well, who am I to argue with one so usually unimpressed ;). Feels good. And those aren’t words I’m often heard saying. 🙂

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      • Oh, I understand the slow burn. I scribbled my stories in solitude for decades. But once I took the plunge and let it all go, I’ve been happy ever since, at least writing-wise. I think we all have admirable passions within us, but it takes a lot to nudge us toward the point where we jump off the cliff. And I’m happy to hold your hand (if that’s not too forward) as we figure out where we’re going to land… 😉

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        • The slow burn can be the procrastinator’s nemesis. I now think of it as a strength; it means I’ve looked at all angles, mitigated the pitfalls, confirmed my convictions. BUT it has meant I’ve missed boats which others have sailed off in, ripping up what I thought was MY anchor and heading off into the sunset with it. On the flip side of that, the journeys we ended up making have been as individual as we are. We are at this point BECAUSE of the slow burn and maybe this point is exactly where we are meant to be. I’ve reached this point by no longer denying who I really am. I love love love that we all hold hands here. Not sure I want to land even. Happy to keep flying. Metaphorically of course; you read THAT page! 😉

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  13. I have never heard of Red Bubble before but now I am totally addicted and am now finding it difficult to get anything done. Thank you.
    Also, I think the photo of your partner upside down on a swing is sublime. 😉

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    • Yes, have done much window-shopping on Red Bubble, easy to lose a week or two there 😉. Thankyou for your comment on the photo. We’d gone camping for our usual Halloween anniversary getaway. We had that beach, and therefore the swings, virtually to ourselves. I’d taken some nice silhouettes of a family playing, but think my partner worked it best. 😊

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  14. Love the partner upside down – such childlike joy in such a simple pic.
    Had a gander at your shop, looks like some good stuff – hope you make squillions 🙂
    Lie you, my confidence in what I do has been a slowly evolving thing, stillis, but once I decided to just do it for me, without thought for any recompense, it made everything much nicer and enjoyable.
    Life IS for doing what we love, so why are we so damn deaf to that?

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    • Thankyou! The confidence thing is resounding far and wide. Many are relating to it. I think we’re usually our own worst critics, which doesn’t help. And introverts hate being the centre of attention, but that’s where you have to be to show off your creativity. I make it more comfortable for myself by adding a side of humour. I’m unlikely to make squillions, as this site only pays a small royalty, I provide my image, they do everything else. But, exactly as you say, first and foremost, I did this for me and it was like a weight had been lifted. Any sales come under the ‘nice to have’ heading! And the world needs you and your beautiful creations, to balance out those of us who are pushing ‘mean and moody’! 😉

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  15. I just visited your shop and it’s lovely!!! Congratulations:) I’m also absolutely fascinated by your idea of cutting around the edges of the furniture–was it the carpet or the furniture itself that you were cutting? I’ve been tempted to just cut the ruffled edges of the couch that hang down to the floor. It’s nearly impossible to sweep the floors around the ruffled edges stuff–cutting the edges off with a good pair of shears would really do the trick. Cheers!

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    • Thankyou so much for visiting my little shop 😊. As for the carpet; we will be having some work done which needs access to under the floorboards, so it was a good excuse to rip the carpet up, also giving us chance to see how good/bad the flooring is. So it was the carpet that we cut, around the furniture. And not very neatly either. Bit of a hatchet job! It will all go eventually, once we’ve decided on a new floor covering. I’m sure with your creative ways and crafting skills, you will find a solution to your unwanted ruffles! 😉

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