At the end of a family holiday Jimmy wrote  poems for all the new friends he’d met. This is his first memory of writing. He later started getting involved with music and lyrics. He enjoys the flexibility of writing, putting thoughts on a page whether he has anything to say or not. “It’s a good barometer of where your head is at - a valuable way to keep track of yourself”. Now as a musician Jimmy writes songs as well writing for himself and can surprise himself in his own lyrics - in how they surface the truth, even if that comes when he hears his own song much later. Jimmy says you should try writing because “writing gives you a way to connect to yourself.” I chose ‘[Writing is] a friend you can bother any time of day” as the prompt from chatting with Jimmy. So if you have a few minutes to spare, why not write down those words and see what comes next. One of Jimmy’s favourite authors is @matthaig. I know Jimmy won’t mind me mentioning that he’s just released a single, ‘You know I won’t’ - James Or, if you’d like to check it out.

Do get in touch if we've inspired you to pick up a pen either again, or for the first time. For more about my work to get people writing either to discover, come back to, or express themselves, go to cpsdayoff.com.