When you were growing up, where for you was the place that held within it the gateway towards adventure?
Was it through the theme song of your favourite cartoon, or perhaps through the double doors of your local library? I had friends that could stride into a local park and be transported to the high seas. I often found myself whisked away to worlds unexplored, from the past, the present, and the future, as I lost myself in a beautifully illustrated comic or book.
That sense of wonder as your child-like self transcends the normal world is the feeling I want to capture here for us, together.
This journal will be a place for us to share in that wonder. To lose ourselves in stories, craft new ones, and to celebrate and study not only what a story is, but what it implies. A vessel towards curiosity, creativity, and an opportunity for us, as the crew, to explore this rare globe we call home, as well as stretching our collective sense of wonder out into the universe.
My own obsession with these worlds started a long time ago…
I used to be in love with some of the classic European comics as a kid. I would read English and French comics a lot, such as the Beano from the UK, or Asterix from France. Equally I was in love with some of those classic 90’s shows and films, The animated adventures of Tintin, Thomas the tank engine, Paddington, Disney's Ducktales. (I am showing my age here).
I had, up to that point, done lots of copying of the illustrations and images that I relished, trying to draw the trains from Thomas the tank engine or sketch out the characters from the Beano. One day, however, I was taken to the cinema to see The Hunchback of Notre Dame, by Disney animation studios. It was my first cinema experience, which in of itself was exciting, but afterwards, as we enjoyed a McDonalds I was given the inside track on how these movies were made. That’s where the real excitement began. I was taught how there were specialized people, all drawing away at little light filled desks, just like I did. But they weren’t copying pictures, they were creating them, and what’s more, they were making their pictures move! The movie itself was constructed like a ship, many parts all coming together to form a whole greater than its sum.
There were people in this world drawing a film.
That was game over, I was hooked then and there by the idea of doing the same thing, and suddenly instead of copying pictures from books, I was creating new pictures, and new stories to go with them.
That feeling—that a world can be constructed, explored, and understood—is the foundation of this Atlas. And I want you to be a part of the construction."
That desire to construct, explore, and share is the energy that will power this Atlas. So, what can you expect on our voyage together?
As your captain on this particular voyage, I'll be navigating, but the discoveries belong to all of us. Here is what you can expect to see on our weekly dispatch:
Uncharted Stories: Here we’ll chart the main course, following the journey of my primary project, the 'Strings of us,' a story set in an alternative universe which documents the history of an Earth where Humans and Rabbits have both achieved sentience. This section will be replete with finished chapters and progress updates.
The Cartographer's Desk: We’ll pull out the maps and tools of the trade, with essays on the craft of storytelling, world-building, and navigating a narrative, using both my own projects, as well as more famous examples, and perhaps even your own.
From the Logbook: My personal captain's log, with musings, behind-the-scenes thoughts, and progress reports on other shores we might explore. Here you will find updates on many of the other stories that I have tidied away in my various notebooks.
Concept Art: Field sketches and illustrations from our travels, bringing the worlds we're discovering to life. Featuring art from both myself, as well as art from further afield.
Join the crew.
While I'm at the helm, this is our shared adventure. I am just as excited by the ideas and insights you'll bring as I am by the worlds I have to share.
So, to kick off our journey, I’d love to know: What was the first story, film, or game that made you feel like you were discovering an entirely new universe?
P.S. You can also find my daily field notes and connect with other writers on Bluesky, where my handle is: