About

trains, attics, hiding in broom cupboards…

…hanging out in cafes, alone in big halls, alone in a shed, bedrooms, friends’ sofas, trying to be quiet in libraries, empty houses… all stretched over a good number of years dwelling in homes, hotels and cars between cardiff, dublin, bristol, london and reading. creating art.

we all start somewhere and we all have a story to share. 

this is mine.

i always knew i loved art but it took me a while to realise i could create it too (can’t we all, in our unique ways?). discovering art came soon after i had a camera in my hand for the first time and a dear friend told me what he saw. 

the discovery of photography opened up the discovery of art but both were very late comers in comparison with music – that happened when i was the princely age of 7 (or was it 8?). it began as a christmas present for my sister – the most simple of small keyboards – which very quickly revealed a treasure within me; i could play by ear. never interested in having lessons, always wanting to write and compose. 

and the clothing. well, that’s left field and a journey i’m still uncovering – a lot of which will be showcased in a different way at a different time from a different place. perhaps that story is best kept for another time. 

so who or what is my northern sky? and, who is christopher joseph?

in everyday life, i live by the name christopher joseph ryman. but there has always been something missing when i live by this name alone. 

for so long i have wrestled with having a name that in one sense reflects who i am, but in another way doesn’t at all. 

and maybe that’s just it – when you find yourself expressing yourself in a diversity of ways and you see worlds of spaces and places through a simple phrase or song title, or a story awoken by a title of an art or photographic piece, you need to find a way of expressing and communicating your identity in a different way. 

my northern sky is the name i go under when playing music and is the name i use for this store. christopher joseph is my name when i create and sign my art. 

there are other names, but, much like the clothing story, perhaps that’s best kept for another time. 

my simple hope

all that you see, read and hear among these pages has been created out of a deep pursuit of being true to myself and a deep desire to share it. 

my simple hope is that you will find something here – an experience, an inspiration, a hope – that you can take away with you (absolutely regardless of whether you buy something or not) and that for however long or fleeting the moment you experience, it is special to you.

let’s go get ’em,

christopher joseph / my northern sky

Get In Touch

If you have any questions, thoughts or would just like to say hi, i’d love to hear from you. you can get in touch here