Recently I seem to be bookmarking my life with mugs. They hold much more importance than the tasty life giving liquid inside and are never judged on there aesthetic. They do not define the most important stages, but simply the dog eared markers on a larger story.
I received this fine specimen as a gift from some great Glasgow friends. I took a portrait of there ace family right when I was starting to become a professional photographer. They gave me some amazing advice and put me in touch with just the right person to make my move to London a success. The portrait I made was taken at the moment I knew how I wanted to shoot and I am very proud of it. This mug came from the US army barracks in Iraq. The reverse graphic has an army guy saying 'how about a nice cup of whoop ass' jeeeeez America
This mug is quite a hard one to post as it has two layers. It was given to my wife by her team at her first big job in London. This job was really the first time she took on a role that was perfect for her skills and had a great team around her, all vibes were good and I was very proud. Unfortunately it was also the time when I changed shooting types and concentrated much more on commercial/money earning work. I now think of it as the time I made a wrong move and dug myself into a hole I am now really struggling to get out of. I don't resent the work as I met great people and supported my household well. It also tought me how to be a true professional but creatively I was drowning. The mug represents every aspect of that perfectly.
I think this beautiful little number has only been used once. It was bought for us by my loving mother from #OrlaKiely. Although it is very hot it is strangely tiny. I remember the discovery moment well. I was shopping with the old dear and this mug seemed like a great gift for my wife. We both like having Orla Kiely stuff in the house but are far to poor for such habits. The mug was surprisingly cheap so we though, yas! Without other mugs for scale it wasn't until the next morning when I threw a tea bag in the disaster was discovered. Me and @notthekind are tea junkies so this would not do. I keep it as a reminder that nothing is easy and great things are rarely cheap.
The greatest Christmas present I ever received was episode 4, 5 and 6 of Star Wars on VHS when I was a little boy. Every year I get some king of Star Wars related present from my mother. Last Christmas it was this. I am old. I love Star Wars. I love BB8. She knows me well.
My wife bought this mug from a designer at a market called Renegade. Although beautiful we were not allowed to use it until our offices were complete. The rule was strict and adhered to. It's now daily use is a sign of success and achievement.
This little beauty is @camillewalala 's Hackney mug design. We purchased it at some exhibit of hers in Islington. It was when my wife was launching her business and we were both big fans of Ms Walala. Thanks to the wonder of Instagram my wife had told her we were coming and wanted to say hello. The night was crazy busy so we just managed a little acknowledgment and a wave but it was very exciting. Seeing the success of Camille Walala has inspired and driven my wife and it's a pleasure to watch them both succeed more and more. It also holds an ace amount of tea.
This mug was bought as a partner to the Brora mug. When the two are used together I always remember exactly what the inside of the gift shop looked like. It sold Brora related tourisim gifts and cleaning products.
I have a funny relationship with my north of Scotland heritage. I grew up in a small town called Brora and when people ask where I am from I still give that as an answer. If the truth be told I dotted around a wide rage of friends from lots of different villages and never really settled in. Despite teaching me everything I knew and making me who I was I always wanted to move, and did so as soon as I could. I often think back to those days though and a few years ago I did a large photo project based in Brora on the mighty Brora Rangers fans (more details on this later). This project had me travelling from London to the north quite a lot and I got to see the place, and the people, from an adult perspective. Without all the stresses and pressures of youth, I fell back in love. I use this mug for coffee every day and my coffee pot is also red. COYR
I bought this fellar on my first week living in London. At the time I was walking around as much as I could trying to force in my bearings. I stumbled across a small photography exhibition which, at first glance looked to simply be photos of #facesinplaces. After chatting to the person in charge I then found out that the photos were taken by her close friend who had recently passed away, they then found these photos and put together this exhibit to remember him by and also to raise money for the charity that helped the artist through his life. These details are very vague as my own memory is terrible but I think about it every time I use it and I will never get rid of it. I hope that the fine people who did this amazing selfless task know that it worked. Also it's the perfect mug shape.
The next two mugs are reminders to myself that you should always buy your wife presents. I spotted this out of the corner of my eye in a shop window on one of those, strolling round London feeling happy, days. I knew it would cheer Carrie up drinking tea out of it of a morn. (update: this story may not be true)
I am unsure if these mugs have ever been used. They were bought specifically to hang on some hooks in a flat me and my wife had in Whitechapel. We loved that flat with its amazing landlord, crazy shower and beautiful kitchen plus it used to be a corner shop, but we hated Whitechapel. We had to call the police at least 4 times a day, even at Christmas. Every day we basically lived with 20 pathetic little wannabe gang member pests gaggilling right outside our windows. I was on first name terms with all the police and I hope to never set foot in Whitechapel ever again. It has made me angry even typing this. The mugs look very nice, they work as a set and match our plates so for that reason they never get used. We keep them anyway.
One of our favourite things to do in London is Public Transport Day. This involves getting the Underground, the DLR, the Cable Car and the River Ferry. On one adventure we pulled off the classic Maclennan family move. This move has been handed down through generations. The mid point to this adventure is the O2 arena, so we stopped in. On closer investigation we noticed an Elvis based exhibition and instead of paying the entrance fee we simply perused the gift shop. It's just like being there.