It's been a life changing year for me in so many ways.
I thought it might be nice to share some more personal pics with you rather than the usual "promo" stuff.
The amazing thing about working with a crew made up of friends is that every photo seems personal and un-staged. It all feels very genuine and not at all posed...
However, these photos all have more of a sentimental effect on me.
They mean a lot.
I have literally hundreds of pictures in dozens of folders. I feel like much of this year has been lived through a lens, but these are some of my favourites...
Here's a snapshot in a hotel (one of many over the last year) with me, my co-Director and Editor Nick and Tony Blauer.
Tony has had a massive influence on me. He made me re-assess all the awful stuff that happened to me as a teenager in such a profound way that he literally changed my outlook on life. If anyone has been a victim of violence or bullying I really believe Tony and his teaching is the way forward. I can't praise him highly enough.
Me and Nick hit up Hollywood.
Nick was a good mate and frequent collaborator on all of my projects before we began Is it 'cos I'm Fat. He knew all of the Cold Steel stuff inside out and was one of the few people I believed was on the same wavelength as me.
The making of this film meant that Nick was with me pretty much all the time for 12 months. We drove each other insane and had plenty of crazy adventures along the way.
He's a true amigo
This photo was taken in California on our one day off in 7 weeks. We went to the airport to pick up my coach Ben. On the way we hit up the Hollywood sign and cruised around Compton.
An awesome day...
I love this photo. We had organised an "open-day" at my training space to promote the film. About 20 or so people came down and tried their hand at throwing axes and knives, stick fighting and lifting weights.
I had spent nearly 6 months training in that freezing cold warehouse, often on my own or with Ben or Nick for company. It was a pleasure to share that space with more people and have fun.
This is actually an old photo. My good friend Herod took this picture of Lynn and Ron after a boxing session in 2008 during the Life on the Edge shoot.
People only see the tough side of Lynn and Ron. I feel this photo shows the other side to that Warrior Lifestyle that they have chosen. These guys are buddies...lifelong frinds and training partners. There's no ego here, they just had a laugh and a good training session.
Phil doing his thing...
This is a great photo of my good mate and kettlebell coach Phil Earley.
A quiet and unasuming guy who made a massive impact on my life.
Phil was my first coach in the UK and I spent six months training just in kettlebells before I ever picked up a stick.
He saw me at my worst and was always there with words of encouragement.
A true warrior and dear friend, he has been a huge inspiration to me.
His NKC Kettlebell team and students have all become great friends and an extended family.
An incredibly serious photo with Luke LaFontaine.
Luke is an amazing swordsman and martial artist. He spent a lot of time training with me at Cold Steel and never once lost his patience with me.
He was a friendly face and an encouraging voice throughout my trip to the States and I have to say he really really inspired me.
Another great example of the true Warrior Lifestyle. You don't have to be scary to be tough. Luke was a lovely welcoming guy with a kind word for everyone...and he was hella tough!
It was an honour to train with him.
Me and Robert.
Robert is another old mate from Cold Steel.
He is a mountain of a man who can't help but kick your ass.
Robert is a big hearted, generous and funny dude who really made me feel at home at Cold Steel.
He has an awesome family and he's a great guy.
He spent a lot of time training with me to prepare me for the challenge.
I owe him a lot
Me on TV!
The premiere of Is it 'cos I'm Fat on TV was incredibly exciting.
A whole load of us live-tweeted questions and answers for the evening and chatted to people about the film.
We had a great response, particularly from Anti-Bullying Charities who really appreciated what we tried to achieve.
A great night
Knife Club!
I spent some time training with John and Richard at Knife Club and learned a lot.
If you look carefully, you can see that John is actually throwing 6" nails!
Me, Ben and the guys from Cold Steel UK spent a day learning to throw everything from knives to pliers!
A great training session and the chance to make some new mates
Richard actually competed (and excelled) at the Cold Steel Challenge. It was wonderful to see a familiar face when I was so nervous and it was amazing to see how well he did against international competition!
Bear Arm!
This is a snapshot of a display case that I took at the CLA Game Fair when hanging out with Cold Steel's UK distributers, Bear Arm.
Pete and Mark from Bear Arm supported me a lot throughout this journey. They provided all of my throwing axes, knives and shovels, but more importantly became really good mates.
I spent 4 days hanging out with them at the CLA, meeting people who buy and use Cold Steel products (hunters, farmers, tradesmen and gamekeepers for the most part).
I found it fascinating, and while it doesn't really fit into the story in the film, it was an interesting side journey for me.
The Bear Arm guys have become good long distance amigos. We met up again for Knife Club (learning to throw) and again at Sheffield Doc Fest where they came to support me at my official UK Premiere.
Great guys...
Me at Docfest!
Docfest was a blast. It's the biggest and best Documentary festival! It was a huge deal to be a part of the line up.
I was desperate to make an impact and I facebooked and tweeted for all I was worth!
It all got a bit surreal. Here's a photo of me taking a photo of my tweet on the docfest live twitter feed..I then posted that photo on twitter...I'm surprised we didn't dissapear into a wormhole.
I'm such a geek!
Docfest was awesome!
Asleep in LAX
Taken by Nick (I think, maybe Ben..I dunno) at LAX 48 hours after the Cold Steel Challenge.
At this point I had cracked ribs, damaged tendons in both arms, a twisted knee and a multitude of ridiculous bruises. I was so exhausted that if people didn't talk to me I would fall asleep there and then, wherever I was.
I had taken to carrying all my flight information around my neck in a little pouch in case I lost anything. I had to practically be led from plane to plane.
I was a mess
I wouldn't change a thing!
My view of Ben
I could write a whole blog just about the adventures that Ben and I went through over the last year..
It's been a crazy journey, but it's been a wild ride
Ben is an old friend who stepped up to a massive challenge, I owe him a lot.
This picture always makes me smile. The armoured up Creighton ready to take my head off with a stick. The gloomy fridge in the background...Happy Days!
Mum
It was really tough for me to interview my Mum for this film.
I had to really rely on Nick as my co-Director to handle that footage in the edit. It was all far too personal and I found it pretty upsetting.
My Mum has found this whole journey very difficult and still gets upset talking about it.
She couldn't understand why I wanted to do this and put myself in such a potentially dangerous position.
I'm glad she was a part of this film. She was right all along, I wish I'd listened to her when I was a kid...
Lynn
I would not have done any of this without Lynn.
He remains a massive influence on my life.
Lynn is sincere and very genuine about his Warrior Lifestyle. He is the most dedicated person I have ever met and he has devoted his entire life to this ideal.
I don't know why he took me under his wing and took the time out of his busy schedule to mentor me but I will never forget his kindness and generosity.
Lynn gets a lot of abuse on the internet and has more than his fair share of haters.
As someone who has lived and trained with him I can say he is as far from the thuggish aggressive dude that he is portrayed as than can be. A lot of what Lynn does seems outrageous and controversial to us in the UK, but I will continue to support and promote Lynn and his Warrior Lifestyle regardless of the flakk I get because of it.
I'd like to think Is it 'cos I'm Fat shows a different side to Cold Steel, and one that I think deserves more press.
It's not about fighting, it's about self respect.
Thanks Lynn...
Leonie
Leonie is the biggest part of my life.
She supported me through the low times making this film and encouraged me when things were going well.
She tolerated a production that took over our lives for over a year and she never once complained.
Having her by my side at the challenge was a really big deal for me. Just knowing she was at ringside cheering me on gave me the added confidence to face my demons.
This photo was taken just minutes after my last fight of the day.
She's my best friend and she's also my wife...
I'm a lucky guy
There are dozens more photos like this.
Ones that make me smile, ones that make me sad. Great people who took the time out of their busy lives to help a fat nerd.
I owe everyone a huge debt and I'm eternally thankful for thier generosity
Here's to 2011, new adventures and good friends
Stay safe
Andy
