Whip Bloke

Whip Making
Whip cracking and whip making are my things... not just those but, for the time being, they have largely taken over my life.
For the curious, my commercial website can be found at www.whipstore.com .
English whip making - once recognised as the best in the world - was in decline for most of the 20th Century. If it wasn't for a revival of interest in whip cracking as a performing art and hobby in the last few years of the century; and a small but constant demand from the SM community for high quality whips: the craft would probably, by now, be dead in the UK.
I was, for a while, the only person in Britain making his living solely from whip making - other than those companies making mass-produced equestrian whips.
Whip Cracking
When my partner and I first got into whip cracking we found that mentioning it elicited a 'yeeha!' or 'nudge-nudge wink-wink' from those we were talking to. Which is fine, because the Western rodeo tradition and the SM tradition have done a lot to keep whip cracking (and making) skills alive.
But most people didn't realise that modern whip cracking is also a hobby in it's own right, a performing art and a competitive sport. It's cheaper to get into than many other sports and the basics are simple to master. Not only that, but it's accessible to almost anybody, regardless of age or (speaking from experience) disability.
This awareness is gradually changing. As well as working within the traditional techniques and materials of the old English whipmaking tradition, we have, for much of the last decade, run workshops and whipcracking demos around the UK.
During our travels we have been very fortunate to meet a large number of other whip performers; and many enthusiasts of all ages, from all walks of life.
....And the Rest of the Time?
I have also been known to be a poet and artist - after a fashion - plus a rather poor musician and an adventurer.
I still am all of these when the chance and inclination present themselves; and I doubt that poetic thinking, craft and the urge to explore will ever leave me.