Paradoxical Vista

The Paradoxical Vista website is packed with free poetry, wisdom & philosophy. Enjoy new creations on the poetry edit, which are revised for books that can be purchased on the Amazon store. Readers and followers can also purchase beautiful artwork and merchandise. I will be updating the store with lots of new stuff soon.

Poetry & Wisdom Books

Over the last few years, I have started compiling all my work together. Check out my Amazon book profile which has some exciting titles for you to purchase. Hold the power of poetry in the palm of your hand and read mind-bending wisdom and philosophy saturated in the art of creative writing. You can also purchase the 500-page coffee table book (Collectors Edition), which combines my recent poems, photography and wisdom.

Poet’s Edit

The Poet’s Edit has poetry, wisdom and articles on philosophy and theory. These are adapted and edited before they make it into the books. However, I hope these edits bring a little inspiration to any readers out there. I hope this will give you insight into what is actually in the existing and new books coming soon. I post all my work on this website for students, poets, creative writers, the general public, and anyone looking for inspiration or something a little different to read. It’s free because I believe all information should be accessible to the public. You can buy physical things to read and enjoy if you like my work.

Art Prints – Wall Art

I have created fantastic art prints using content from many of the poems and wisdom from this website. You can purchase something handcrafted by a designer and poet with a lifetime of knowledge.

You can choose from a wide range of frames built to museum standards. Be the talking point of your next event or evening party with these beautiful works of wonders.

About Me

Growing up on a council estate was fun. As a kid getting on with life, you tend to accept what’s in front of you. It’s expected to be a moment of “This is how it is”. I got to meet plenty of people, went to school and kept out of trouble – well, most of the time. My grades at high school were below average, and when I left school, I was working in one of the warehouses at the bottom of the road. I was the funny kid in class, trying to crack jokes all the time and making people laugh. That was more important to me than listening to the teachers.

A few teachers did inspire me, like Mr Madge, a science teacher who commanded the room and took me on adventures within our solar system. I could tell that most of the other teachers were bored out of their minds. They were teaching, but there was no passion and excitement.

When the day came around to sign white shirts and say goodbye to all my’ sort of friends, I felt a huge relief. I didn’t care about my grades, and I didn’t care for that school. I was off, and it felt exciting, free! And I was alive.

I would always get these ideas for poems, books, films and songs, but I ignored them, forgot about them, and spent most of my money at the snooker hall in the town centre of Wellingborough. Those years were essential to a young man finding his way. It shapes you, teaches you, and you learn from all those moments. I joined the gym and trained five days a week, had my first girlfriend (Amanda – A beautiful tall blond girl in my class at school), and I was happy.

I started working in warehouses and factories over the next 3-4 years. I earned a fair wage, paid my way and gave my brothers and sisters plenty of money when they needed it. However, one day I stood talking to one of the older men working on the track-line making Dr Martin boots. He was tired and had massive varicose veins running through his legs, black nails, and a glass eye. We always had a good laugh and cracked plenty of jokes. “How long have you been here, Richard?” I asked. He replied with “Since leaving school, Dave! – It just about pays for my mortgage and puts food on the table; what more do you need?” I saw his wage slip two weeks before asking that question and knew he was on about £40 a week more than me. It was at that exact moment in time the switch flipped. I had to escape, leave, run and be more ambitious with my life on this journey.

My younger brother Stephen was both creative and academic; he was off to the University of Loughborough and had his mind set on a degree in design. I couldn’t even compute what a degree was. I just knew it meant more learning. I asked for his advice, and he pointed me to the career centre. I was offered places at college learning to use computers and learning to type. I knew that was the future, but it didn’t inspire me to learn and proceed with education. The young lady could see it across my face, my concern for my thought processes, and she adapted, smiled and asked me a straightforward question “What do you like to do in your spare time?” I smiled and told her about training at the gym. She offered me a course in sports studies, which I had no idea you could even do.

It was perfect, and I did three years at college, starting with the foundation course. I loved it and met my life friends and wife, who kept me on the straight road with love, smiles and happiness. I noticed that I could compile information together, and some of my thought processing was strange; I had no idea where most of the content for my assignments were coming from; it just seemed to fall out of my head. I handed in my course work and got merits and distinctions; I would shake my head in disbelief.

I went onto university and failed one of the subjects on the course. It was called SPSS and was mathematic equations for sport science and nutrition. I left, never to return and said goodbye to some amazing friends I met.

I moved to Norwich, where Emma lived with her parents, and they said I could stay. I worked in banks, telesales, landscape gardening (which I loved), shop floors and bars to make a living. But I felt lost, hurting for something more with no idea what to do or where to go. I went to see my brother again, who owned his own business in the design and digital media world. I was inspired.

I decided to go down to the local library and teach myself HTML, CSS, Javascript and PHP programming. I took those books home and studied them every day, letter by letter, word by word and page by page. Slowly and every night of the week. I started offering web design services for free to people I knew. From that, I designed and built my first website for Emma’s nursery where she was working.

I loved it because time didn’t stand still! It didn’t wait for me anymore, the days were too short, and I started smiling again. I found myself, which unlocked my mind to build, create, design and think beyond my imagination. Me and my brother Steve went for a long walk shortly after those new websites I made. He offered me a job in his new office, and he turned my natural flair for creativity into a fully-fledged designer. I worked for real clients and carved out ideas inside my mind that were waiting to fall out.

From all of that, well, when I get time from my wife, four kids and a full-time job, I work on my little brand – Paradoxical Vista. I’ve created four books of poetry and one book of wisdom, wall art, and now working towards six new book titles available in the future.

I write lists down and follow them through. When I get new ideas for poems, wisdom, philosophy and book titles, I write them down on my list. I look at that list and spend a few hours every day working on it. That’s it! When I’m driving home from work, my mind tends to wander into the outer rims of the universe. I like to live there, sitting in a spaceship watching galaxies form or watching over an advanced civilisation living out their lives in a peaceful, free society. I can see a future where everyone smiles and enjoys this moment we define as reality.

Life is about growing, learning new things, adapting, getting it wrong, getting it wrong again, and most importantly, enjoyment. Most of the answers are inside books written by people who came before you, desperate to pass on their knowledge, so you – the reader – moves forward.

I hope you enjoy reading all the content that sits before you, and I wish you all the very best with your creativity. Without creation – life would be very dull. Do what makes you feel happy, and people will love you for it. Don’t worry if you can’t afford the books I create; all the content is on this very website for free. Enjoy!

Books I’m Working On

Paradoxical Vista – Mind-Bending Poetry
Paradoxical Vista – Mind-Bending Poetry – Fully Illustrated
Death – Composed From The Shadows
Love Poems From The Universe
Paradoxical Vista – Collectors Edition
Colourful Mind – Words Of Wisdom
The 4 States Of Meditation
Observations – The Keys To The Universe
The Brands We Live With
Heart On A Sleeve
Paradoxical Vista 2 (Maybe)
Poems & Rhymes For The Coolest Kids In Town