I am from a suburban area on the border of Southwest London and the County of Surrey in England. I attended school at Thames Ditton and Kingston-upon-Thames where my main focus was art. My formative years were spent immersed in the creative industries; working in television and audio/visual media and later, in various roles, in the world of live and recorded music. This also included some engagements performing live music with London based musicians. Through every stage of life my love for music and art has remained a constant source of inspiration and expression. Now for many years in New England with my wife, I’m grateful to be close to our two grown children both of whom work in artistic and creative fields of endeavor. I continue to pursue my writing, composing, recording music and painting as part of a creative life that still evolves. I’m the author and illustrator of Gracie and Gary, a children’s book inspired by our feline friend Gracie, which blends my love of storytelling and illustrative art. Over some time I had toyed with the thought of writing and visual arts as a profession, and now I find the idea seems to have materialized. My music can be found on Spotify under Hector Addison with Michael Ward. I am planning on publishing a collection of original photographs, painting and artwork in the near future as well as more books.