Beneath The Sheets

I

don’t think I should watch programs like ‘Class of 2008′ again, for those of you that are unaware of what that is it’s a BBC program as part of ‘BBC Switch’ which is pretty much aimed at 17-20 year olds, and this particular program is about a group of friends in london trying to make it big. A few of them are models, one of them is Daisy Lowe actually who I fail to see the fascination with, one of them wants to be an actor, one of them is a fashion designer, some are in band and the narator is a dj trying to oraganise his own clubnight.

‘Why should you stop watching programs like that’

Is what you’re probably thinking seems as it doesn’t sound like a bad premise. The reason however why I should stop is that I just sit through the entire episode and seethe to myself. Most of the people I know are like these people, in one way or another trying to make something of themselves. Artists, photographers, designers the whole spectrum they haven’t been approached by the BBC. Maybe it’s because they’re not attractive enough, or don’t go to enough clubs - club kids come out on top it would seem these days. Snort as much coke as you can and you’ll be famous in no time.

I think a part of me gets annoyed at the constant message that to make anything of yourself in the creative industry you have to be in London, it is something constantly pumped into us and anyone on an arts based course. I’m not foolish enough to think it isn’t the hub for the creative arts, but I also know its not as easy as just moving there. People flock there thinking they’ll be there a week and will be the next big thing, and obviously that turns out not to be the case. But even me, who knows this completely sitting watching this program thinks to himself:

‘Damn I need to go to london immediatly, I need to make friends with some ‘hip’ model types, show up to some big events, whore myself out on myspace and then I’ll be world known photographer supreme, and magazines will be queing up for me to shoot for them’

In reality though, it’s hard work and it’s tough. These programs though don’t seem to show this, they show a bunch of teens having a great time - getting all expenses paid trips to Milan to sit and look pretty and if I am deeply honest they make me completely green with envy. I’m not saying that these kids haven’t worked hard to be where they are now, I’m positively sure that they have it’s just programs like this don’t seem to show that at all.

And if I’m brutally honest there will always be a small part of me that wants to be a part of that, a part of this ‘fabulous’ young london life that it would seem constantly gets thrown in my face, even though I know that actually it’s not like that at all most of student life in london involves hard work and being incredibly poor. My getting into LCF was a precursor to that ‘fabulous/incredibly poor’ london life that I seemed to long for before all the shit with government funding hit the fan. I thought I was over all that, but I’m really not I guess a part of me is still bitter and on days like today when I sit incredibly bored with only my thoughts for company I really shouldn’t watch programs that show me what I could be doing with my life ‘if only I lived in london’ which is quite clearly the programs message.

And to top it all off, half of the people in it seem like complete tossers and half of them have been on the front cover of i-D!

1. busy busy boy

   This is Katie, she is another of my favorite models I shot during my work shooting new faces at...

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