MEET NATHANIEL

How it all began...

Nathaniel's Bio

Born in Manchester, England in the mid 80's to Caribbean parents born in both Jamaica and St. Kitts and Nevis I grew up in a household heavily influenced by West Indian culture filled with reggae, soca, dancehall and the rich aromas that come with Caribbean cuisine. Later on in my childhood I was exposed to hip hop by way of my older sister who was a huge fan of artists such as MC Lyte, Salt-n-Pepa, Biggie Smalls, Queen Latifah and Tupac Shakur. I found myself paying close attention to their word play and also to the stories they would tell about neighbourhoods they lived in which were not too dissimilar to my own and their experiences growing up black and underprivileged in society.

When my mother remarried I was then introduced to the likes of singer/songwriters like Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Van Morrison by my stepfather which further piqued my interest in story telling. He also introduced me to the works of Tolkien whose books quickly became my favourites in how they used poetry and song to build a world within which the stories were based.

Jazz music was something I discovered later on in my childhood. I would buy old Jazz records at local record stores and listen to the way lyrics were written so poetically and spun around the melody so effortlessly it really intrigued me. The history of Jazz fascinated me, being a concoction of old African rhythms and grooves combined with classical European instruments and its tendency to not follow traditional musical rules. But also for the fact that (not unlike Hip hop) it was also later used as protest music in the fight against segregation and the racism rife in America at that time - Not much has changed.

My interest in Poetry began at 16, I was a shy and awkward teenager and was extremely guarded with many things in my life not making much sense at all. Then I stumbled across Allen Ginsberg a gay Jewish Poet/writer from Newark, New Jersey far away from my Manchester home life. Allen wrote about topics many at that point had not dared to speak about at least in literature to extent that he did. Sexuality, multiculturalism, illegal wars even the love of Jazz music and addiction. I related to him and a lot of what he was writing about, it was a revelation.

This began my journey into writing Poetry and led to my debut collection 'Lighthouse' published by Written Off Publishing a book about a journey to be the person I've always strived to be, ever growing, ever changing.

My passion for visual poetry propelled me into the realm of filmmaking, leading me to direct the mini-documentary film titled "Ode to Black Women." Inspired by a profound admiration for the extraordinary resilience and strength exhibited by black women, this project aims to weave a visual tapestry that captures the essence of their remarkable journeys and untold stories.

My journey as a filmmaker continued when I was awarded a fellowship with the Creative Futures Collective x Soho House. This opportunity gave me the space and resources to deepen my practice and develop Drowning: The Art of Survival a documentary filmed in both Thailand and the UK that explores how art and creativity become tools for navigating and healing from trauma.