It suddenly dawned on me the other day what a creative family I come from.

I was stood inside a small room at Burnage library in Manchester UK watching my father, who is a published poet, talking to a gathered audience about his life as a small child in the second world war, and reading out some of the poetry that had been inspired by those times, when I realise what an incredible guy my father was.

I guess I always wondered when I was younger, why I had this lightening mind filled with dialogue and images that just pulsed with creativity, and yet there in that room it hit me, because the depths of his creativity was what I also saw in myself, and my daughter of 8 years. It was then I began to understand that maybe this could well be the reason why my family is actually quite involved in the arts and crafts.

I have an older brother who works for the courts, but in his spare time makes the most incredible scale models of trains and planes etc. I have no idea where he gets the patience from to create such beautiful detail. I have another brother who is very involved with the stage, and even though only an amateur, is a really creative and stunning performer, who has had several awards for his acting, I have often wondered why he never took it further than he has, because he truly could pull it off. He is also hugely talented sketch artist, he does not draw nearly enough, and I would love his talent, for I am a very frustrated artist who paints very poorly. 

My little brother is an avid football fan, well we all have one in the family don’t we? I should also say he also a really hard working DJ, who has brought a lot of happiness and smiles to a great many people, especially children in his work. His ability to create on the spot and make people happy is indeed a massively create skill. And there in the middle is little ole me, the weird one of the family, who rebelled from day one, and blazed a trail of colour through the 1970’s with his hippie mates. At the grand old age of 43, I got busted writing something by a friend, and here I am today having finally confessed to my hidden passion, a published Author of fantasy and adventure, we are a busy lot and no mistake.

It was an odd sort of moment, because as we all know, hair or eye colour tend to run in families but it got me thinking, is this why my days are spent writing as I pulse with creative inspirations, is it actually a family thing that is somehow implanted into our DNA at birth, or is it something else?

There are four boys that as kids fought like cat and dog, I have always thought all of us as are different as chalk and cheese, and yet stood watching my father listening to his words, I could see his attention to detail that would match that of a model maker. I felt the laughter from the group, as he turned on the character for each of his poems, reading some with a broad Lancashire accent like an actor would, and I smiled to see that he has such wide tastes in most things, which is a quality of my little brother in his musical appreciations.

The most surprising thing was listening to his well-crafted words, and the very delicate way in which he fitted them together to create such wonderful and descriptive passages. He spoke of how he creates his written words and is surprised as he reads them back to himself, and there I was looking at an older version of me, and understanding I was actually the younger version of him. I have always felt the odd one out, I honestly felt I was different from all my brothers, but it was there in that silent room, that I understood probably for the first time in my life that I was not different, I was in actual fact one quarter of the man who created me, and the other three pieces are all securely implanted within my other three brothers.

For many years I have always written within my stories that we are all the sum total of those who came before us, it is something I deeply believe to be a massively important factor of every person’s life, and here for the first time in my own life, I was watching it live. Behind us through the annals of time, we all have that long line of people who met, fell in love, and survived long enough to bring children into the world, and the further back we go the stronger that survival skill must have been. But, I actually think that not only that, there is now a very long line of creative people who must have used their skills to help or entertain all of those who came before us. I love the idea of that, somewhere in the darkness of the past, there must have been entertainers, writers, builders and poets, and they have all carried that DNA that I see around me in my living family today. It’s a wonderful thought, and for a moment as I watched my father, I felt a huge sense of pride.

All of us must have these connections, and I would say to everyone who reads this, take a long slow look and let your imagination flow, look at your parents and find those skills and traits that stand out in them, and then see if you or your siblings have them. Think back, and maybe you too will understand the honour all of us must share in the past of humanity, and the very small part our families have played to bring it forward into these times.

My father is a pretty amazing guy, every day he teaches me, which at my age is a massively wonderful thing. If you are reading this Dad, thanks, I love you, and thanks for such a wonderful gift that I hope I will pass on to my daughter, for through her, I now understand both of us like all our ancestors will live forever.

Just so know, it may be your DNA, but the royalties from the books are still mine 🙂