Hello Steemians!

Just to introduce and verify myself, my name is Rich, and I’m a mapmaker, artist and writer from the awesome cities of Bristol and Bath in the UK.

I draw maps and landscapes for a living. If you’re ever in Bath on a weekend, and wander along the main street on the way from the bus and train stations, you might find my stall, Firewater Gallery. And if you’re ever in the UK, you should visit Bath. It’s lovely.

I live in Bristol, and commute the 15 miles to Bath. Bristol is an pretty special place too. This is the city's Brandon Hill, and is one of the finest places to hang out with a few ciders on a summer afternoon.

Brandon Hill, Bristol. Me. Cider. Today.

As well as this day job of mapmaker and artist, I like to write short stories. I’ll start posting them- it would be great to get feedback from people.

I’m loving the community vibe of Steem, and the stuff that I’m seeing. I’m blown away by how it’s been engineered, and the ingenious incentive structure for both creators and curators that create a self-policing community and build value for the long term. I’m only at the beginning of my Steem learning curve, but that combination seems pretty awesome.

I’m particularly excited by how authors can create and receive feedback on their work, whilst perhaps helping to support themselves. For a lot of writers that can buy them more time to write, and thus produce stories that would have never seen the light of day without Steem. That’s a game-changer, and not just for short fiction! I think we are going to see complete serialised novels released through Steem, in a manner akin to Charles Dickens publishing his works through periodical magazines.

I’m telling all my writing and art buddies about Steem, so they can bring their creative goodness to the party and benefit everyone. I guess in the long run the platform is going to live or die according to the quality of the content, but thanks to the clear and quick reward structure, more and more of the big hitters will migrate here. Simply, why the hell not?

Art maps of Cambridge, Paris and Bristol

3 Comparatively Useless Facts About Myself

I was a tour guide at the Roman Baths, the famous hot baths at the centre of Bath. I apologise if I inflicted one of my tours on you- I was often hungover. If you’re in Bath, visit the Roman Baths- it’s expensive, but it’s one of the best museums in the UK.
My other favourite place in the world is Fiji. In 2008 I spent a life-changing couple of months on a desert island, called Vorovoro. Man, it was amazing. I learnt to spearfish. I saw 70-year old men smashing coconuts with their bare hands. All the images of living on a tropical island are true: incredible coral reefs, baby turtles hatching beneath your feet, wonderful people singing songs into the night- and the fact that around half of Fiji’s population is of Indian descent means that curry is a national dish and is bloody awesome.
Once, as a young and innocent 18 year old, I was wandering down a street in Corfu when I was stripped naked by a British hen party. They nailed my boxer shorts to a board, and left me in a bewildered heap on the street.

Drawing Obsession

My art kick of the moment is sketching London street markets. I’ve always loved them. Each has a very individual vibe, and is an integral part of the local area. Here's a picture of Chapel Market. I’ll be drawing more this summer. If you’ve got any recommendations for any smaller markets that are hidden away I’d love to hear about them!

Chapel Market, London

If you fancy a bit of map art related shenanigans- and who doesn’t- check out my website, www.firewatergallery.com.

It’s a pleasure to have the chance to introduce myself, and to join this community!

Cheers!

Rich