What Glasgow means to me!
In June 1990 I found myself in Glasgow for the first time. With some friends from college we had ventured to the city from the North East of England for what was one of the most incredible music and cultural events Glasgow had ever seen.
THE BIG DAY - 40 gigs over 12 hours across multiple venues including George Square and culminating on Glasgow Green with some of the biggest names in the Scottish music scene.
What’s more is that it was all free. There were fundraisers with buckets collecting for the homeless and there was a political undertone to it all. But what struck me, at the very impressionable age of eighteen, was the generosity of spirit, the feeling of pride and the sense of Dignity (with a capital D for a reason) that emanated from the throngs of Glaswegians.
Wet, Wet, Wet, Hue & Cry, Big Country, The Silencers and of course Deacon Blue were just a few of the incredible bands we saw that day. All of which still feature high on my playlist. The moment when the whole of Glasgow Green, it felt like the whole of Glasgow, joined to sing Dignity (now you know, if you did not all ready) while Ricky Ross held forth his microphone having just delivered a tirade against the Tory Government, is a memory I will always hold on to. I felt so at home in Glasgow, and I knew it was a place I would keep coming back to.
Fast forward some 30+ years and Glasgow has indeed been a huge part of my life. In the late 1990s I returned as a student at Glasgow University, where I met one of my best and dearest friends, Karen Winters, who went on to become Karen McIntyre - and there in is the story of my friendship with my now business partner, Scott McIntyre.
Vanilla Ink Jewellery School CIC is now based just around the corner from Glasgow Green, in the East End and I am so proud to be part of a business that embodies the values that I first experienced in Glasgow over thirty years ago.
On my last visit to Glasgow, I had a rare opportunity to spend some time out of the studio and soaking up the incredible vibe of the city. Now don’t get me wrong, Glasgow is not all culture and roses, but it is very aware of its issues and challenges and it does not hide from them. Walking to the studio I passed through one of Glasgows schemes and in the centre is a great playground. Or it would be if not for the detritus of broken bikes, discarded Tennents cans, and on this occasion, the stuffing from some sort of soft furnishing which gave it a weirdly disturbing post apocalyptic winter feeling.
But tell me about a city that does not face these issues. What makes Glasgow different for me is that it attempts to make the good stuff accessible. Most of the galleries and museums in Glasgow are free. Finding creativity and culture in Glasgow is not difficult. I remember at Uni feeling like we could find any kind of music in the city any night of the week. The architecture in the city draws you in and never leaves you disappointed or uninspired. The history of the city is evident and celebrated in turns. Religion and football, so deeply entwined in each other and in the identity of Glaswegians. There is a pride in this city, there is Dignity.
The icing on the cake for this visit was the unexpected opportunity to visit the Banksy Exhibition at GOMA, guarded by the Duke of Wellington, wearing his very own weegie crown. The fact that Glasgow was chosen for this exhibition speaks volumes about the city, about its culture and acceptance of the subversive voice.
Over recent years the artwork in the city has crept out of the galleries and on to the walls of different buildings. Each one tells its own story, each one draws you in. Just like Mother Glasgow herself.
To me Glasgow has educated, inspired and empowered me throughout my life and I am privileged that I, along with the incredible team at Vanilla Ink have the opportunity through our social enterprise work to give back to the fabulous People (that) Make Glasgow.
