MAT LLOYD

Poet, Spoken Word Artist, Skateboarder...

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The post performance calm before the storm

I found myself hanging out on a random street corner in Switzerland waiting for my cab to the airport. It seems to be a popular corner as I approach the first cab and he asks if I'm part of a group of three? This happens a number of times and it's always the same cab company (that's booked to take me to the airport), but never my my cab.

(I flew out to Switzerland late on Sunday night to perform the following evening in a 250 seat auditorium. The location is right by the boarder and I've been put up in a hotel in Italy. The performances went well but it's now Wednesday, I've done enough mingling and I am ready to go home, I need my bed.)

Now that the back story is out the way - I'm in Switzerland waiting for my cab and it's ten minutes late. I've called the cab company and chased it, they tell me he's stuck in traffic. The cabs now 20 minutes late and I've started to sweat. Stupidly I 'Google Mapped' the directions and there's traffic, a lot of traffic!

Smiley cab guy (as I'll now refer to him), rocks up 30 minutes late exclaiming "Traffic, traffic!", while waving his hands in the air. Ten minutes in, we are speeding down the motorway and I'm looking at my watch starting to believe I might just make it. Just a calm starts to set in, he pulls in to a garage to fuel the car. Of course there's a queue and all hope drains from my body. The earlier nervous sweat has restarted. He is quick once we reach the pumps and dives back in the car exclaiming "You'll be fine, plenty of time!" I love his enthusiasm, but I'm beginning to think its too late.

I promise you I'm a glass half full type but I've never missed a flight and I didn't want to start now. I also didn't want to have to make that call "Hey, I know you were super rad to fly me out here to perform and put me up in a hotel and pay me, buuuuuuut"

We are now two miles from the airport in standstill traffic, my flight takes off in 30 mins, I'm wondering whether I could run to the airport faster and smiley taxi guy is waving his hands again still telling me "You'll be fine, plenty of time!"

We are one mile away and I'm googling how far Zurich is just in case I have to get a cab there to make my connecting flight, it's miles I'm fuuuuuuucked! We finally arrive I'm trying to pay and he's now taking what seems like an age to write my receipt (yes this is an expense I can get back, I'm a poet not a rock star), finally I fall out the car, run into the airport with twenty minutes to go before take off sure I've missed any chance of getting on the plane...

The airport was tiny and check in/security were three foot from each other and the tiny propellor plane was the largest aircraft that could take off from this airport due to the length of the runway. The smiley man (yes another one but no relation I assume) behind the desk didn't bat an eyelid at my late arrival and just ushered me towards security after handing over my bag and to the ground crew who loaded it straight in the plane. This twin propellor flight machine seated about forty people and only about ten seats, including myself, were taken. For the plane nerds among you, this was so old it's not included in the Swiss Air magazine, although this isn't a complaint the beer on board was free.

I made it to Zurich and then I made my connecting flight to Heathrow, hell i'm typing this at 35,000 feet. It was a great trip, even better now that my 'never missed a flight' record is still in tact. See you on the Tarmac, after a good sleep that is.

Skateboard videos. Sometimes when I'm a bit sleepy (read hungover) on a weekend and I'm getting ready to go skateboarding with the crew I pop on a skate video in the back ground. The weekend normally means an early start and some mornings I could use a little stoke! It's the same with poetry, sometimes, I could use a little stoke.

We've all been there, those days when we lack inspiration. Those days when we just can't seem to get anything down on the page, those days when everything we write just doesn't cut it. First I would say write anyway, even if what you've written today is bad, at least you have written. I try to write something everyday, and if you follow me on instagram you can see some of these daily scribbling's under the hashtag #notadaywithoutaline Writing everyday keeps me thinking and developing ideas. Of course not all (read most) of the ideas are good, but at least I'm writing. And every so often those ideas, some new, some old eventually develop into full poems that I use on stage.

Secondly when you're feeling really uninspired, remember, CREATIVITY BREEDS! Its true!! Whenever my tank is low I find surrounding myself with creative people is the best way for me to get inspired to be creative. Recently I've found myself going to the Poetry Cafe for Poetry Unplugged and just sitting watching other poets. Seeing other people perform gives me ideas and the drive to put pen to paper and start writing! Just being around creative people makes me want to create!!

Back in May I started recording a podcast called 'Skateboarder And...', where I get to sit down with skateboarders who have an artistic passion. Across eight episodes (number 9 is in the works), I've talked to; illustrators, photographers, company owners, furniture makers, artists and skate shop owners, and their passion is infectious. The great upside to taking the time to sit down with all these creative people is that it's made me more creative! It really has improved my writing, my drive and the ideas just kept coming. I would advise everyone, when your tanks running low, push yourself to write something everyday (good or bad), watch/read other performers/poets and definitely talk to other creative people and share your ideas!

To listen to the latest episode of the Skateboarder And... podcast click below:
https://soundcloud.com/skateboarderandpodcast