"I like art"

Richard is one of our volunteers at the cafe. He can put his hand to all sorts of things and has just finished making a broom cupboard from reclaimed timber. I noticed today that he's added, unbidden, this delightful sign made from clay and wood.

Richard always wanted an art-related career but, as the youngest of 7, family circumstances dictated otherwise and instead he drifted from job to job never acquiring any qualifications. Now he's at an age when it's difficult enough to find employment even if you are qualified and for him it's impossible because,for whatever comes up that is well within his capabilities, he lacks the right bits of paper to prove his competence.

I get the impression that Richard is a creative and original individual who's probably one of a multitude of unsung geniuses who have much to offer but little opportunity to do so in our over-bureaucratized system. When climate change brings society to a halt he's the sort of person we'll need to have around. Until then he's at least agreed to have a look at my dead lawn mower and I've no doubt he'll get it going.

Richard is so modest about his talents that he needed some persuasion to appear in the photograph. His explanation for making the sign was simply "I like art".