Audio Stories

‘My Front Room’ Mat Amp.


Reported by Mat

Published on Thursday, July 22nd, 2021

Creativity Recovery Substance Use
Audio Stories

‘My Front Room’ Mat Amp.


Written by Mat

Published on Thursday, July 22nd, 2021

Creativity

Recovery

Substance Use

 

Photo by Mat Amp Instagram @matamp67 

 

 

 

Audio Transcription.

I originally came up with the idea of doing my front room for one of these reports because, you know, you’re kind of how life is…well. for me, anyway, my whole life is on the walls. You know, there is the music, the African art, you know, my dad was Nigerian. I was brought up in Nigeria and used to be a DJ/ you know, it’s all just there, your whole life, who you are, what you represent.

And it was funny when Lockdown’s started, I became less and less fond of this flat because I was stuck in it, but you know, it’s been an oasis in many ways, and so I’ve kind of gone through phases of loving having it, just thanking the heavens that I’m not still in that really dysfunctional hostel I was in in Brixton when this lockdown started.

And I have got my own flat, but the trouble with being in a one bed flat on your own is you’re on your own, so, you know, at least if I was in that hostel, I would have been with you know, been with other people. The fact that a couple of them, you know, were people I didn’t want to be with, that’s a polite way of putting it, I guess. But, you know, there’s always that sort of thing and it makes you think, you know, just about the whole move on sort of thing,. You get your flat finally but you have to get a life to go with that which, you know, is different from the way you’ve been living, especially if you’re in recovery. You can’t talk to or hang out with the same people you were hanging out with if they’re in active addiction, especially.

So they’re always difficult things and it feels disloyal to turn your back on friends and stuff, but anyway, yeah, this is where I’ve spent…this is my flat and it’s where I’ve spent the last year. And I’m just you know, at the end of the day, when all is said and done, I’m really happy I have it because it’s a really nice place. And, you know, it’s the system that’s giving it to me, so I’m going to be happy about that.

And, you know, also this project, which is community journalism, has given me a purpose and something to do. And I’m a great believer in projects like this. And, you know, my life’s just moved forward progressively year on year. And everything was going just swimmingly until the pandemic came along. And that gave me a whole load of different problems to deal with, you know, with isolation and not being connected. And I’m not the sort of person who organises stuff. So, you know, I just let life live itself in a way and just go along for the ride. And if that’s makes it very difficult in a pandemic because you have to really sort of like make arrangements to see people. So I just stopped seeing people but the last few weeks have been great because it’s all starting to kick off again. Thank the Lord over and out from me.

Written by Mat


Mat came to Groundswell in 2018 after several years as a volunteer for the Pavement Magazine where he is now Deputy Editor. Part of his role at the Pavement was to help deliver ‘From the Ground Up’, a partnership between the Pavement and Groundswell that taught core journalism skills to people with lived experience of homelessness. As a Project Officer he continues to develop his one on one interview skills and runs focus groups all over the country. Mat’s involved in all parts of the research process, helping to produce: research frameworks; the foundation questions for semi-structured qualitative interviews and focus groups,; the content of quantitative surveys and data analysis. He also has experience of speaking at conferences, working on grant applications, podcast production and as a consultant for film production.

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Creativity Recovery Substance Use