Happy Birthday Transpotting!

Well, here we are then. An entire year of this stuff. 52 weeks of constant unfiltered emotions, a roller coaster of feelings laid bare onto the screen for you to read.

What I'm trying to say is happy birthday Transpotting !

And what a year it has been. Last year I expected to write short posts here and there with a tiny readership but it's become much more than that. It's been a lifeline to the outside world and a chance for me to push myself further. I wouldn't have thought even at this time last year I would have started presenting as female in public, the idea was so far off in my mind but writing here has given me the confidence to be myself. I've attempted to be far more active in the trans circles too, since starting this page I've come into contact with some absolutely amazing individuals who help me day in day out. This page started as a way for me to vent my feelings, for a long time I thought I was the only person who identified this way but I now know that I'm not alone. And I hope in some way this blog has made others feel the same. It's become more than just a personal diary of sorts. A few years back I was totally unaware of this vast and exciting group of trans men and women kicking all sorts of butt online. More than anything though I've done something I never expected I would do. I started a vlog. I've put not only my face out there but now you can hear me, you can listen to my rather weird accent go on about feelings and stuff.

It's not all been sunshine and rainbows though. Being public with these sorts of details does open you up to a decent amount of abuse from a minority of small minded individuals. I've faced enough vile talk to last me a life time, this isn't about them though. This is our day !

I want to thank you all for the kind words of support this year. When when things get to me as they often do the odd comment here cheers me up greatly. Or when someone sends me a personal message saying how my words helped them through a difficult situation well, that makes it all worth it. I wish I could thank all of you individually, I wish I could throw a huge party and bring all of my visitors over for cake and cider, although I'd need a lot of cider :P

So. Grab the closest drink to hand and join me in a toast. Happy one year Transpotting. Here's  to many more :D

Charlotte xxx

2015: A Preview

So here we are then, 2015. Two Thousand and Fifteen. Two Zero One Five. Dwy Mil a Pymteg (That's sort of Welsh). I'm back refreshed, recharged and ready to show this year who's boss. So taking inspiration from my Facebook friends I'm going to write a little bit about what I have planned this year, both personally and for the blog.

Despite the rather slapdash nature of my blog I am incredibly organised when it comes to my plans moving forward. I'm aware that you have to keep one eye on the future and this year is hopefully when most of my long term plans are going to come together. Above all the normal moving to a new home, making strides to improve in my career etc this is the year that I'm finally going to talk to someone about my Dysphoria in a professional capacity. I.E I'm going to chat with my GP. Now since writing this blog I've discovered a lot about myself and where I think I fit on the Gender Spectrum however it's about time I got the advice from someone who has perhaps seen this sort of thing before. I want to keep you all informed as I go on what's exactly going on there so that's probably going to be an ongoing segment.

Speaking of blog stuff. Although I was on a break from writing I've been building up connections and ties with Trans groups around the web. I want to start building on my Trans Talk Interviews and make that a key component of this blog. The first one was so successful it would be a shame to just do them once in a blue moon. I think I will put out a call for volunteers in the coming weeks and see what sticks. I've got a few events lined up too over the next year. I won't say what they are just yet, I know from past blogs that promising things is never the best idea. When they get closer though I will write the details on here. The hope is I can meet some of you amazing people and share our experiences here on this page. I guess the one I can talk about is Sparkle. A weekend of Trans celebration. With any luck I can do some press related things for the blog so if you are planning to attend and you see a brunette with dip died hair, sporting an Against Me! T-shirt, frantically writing stuff down onto a laptop then come say hello.

The real big plan I have is to incorporate my Film & Video knowledge into the blog. I have extensive film experience and I want to not only produce video content here but eventually shoot a Trans short film. I have a unique gift and it would be amazing to show that. Maybe it will go further and we can get a Transgender entourage to head out to Cannes or Sundance or somewhere. Obviously video content is tricky and time consuming so it's about creating a balance between written and video work. We can use 2015 as a barometer for that.

When will the first real blog of 2015 be published then? Well I'm putting the finishing touches onto one right now and that should be with you next week. Other than that I don't have a specific time and date for everything. It would be awesome if I had a dedicated schedule for things to create consistency but the type of work I do means that stuff can change at a moments notice.

Let's all look forward to 2015. 14 was such a pivotal year for Trans people all over the world and let's see if we can all build on that together.

Charlie xx