Plymouth seems to be a real hub at the minute for film makers, musicians and all round creative people. Right in the middle of this is Westopher Baker who is getting ready to release his debut album and first feature film. Emily Smith joined him for a cuppa at Rumpus Cosy
Westopher Baker, aka James Daniel Baker, is the 28-year-old all-round creative - making fresh sounding music and hard hitting short films. Since graduating from Plymouth College of Art with a BA in film making, he's ready to release brand new material.
Music has been the driving force behind much of Wes's life and after going through a rocky time as a teenager and turning to drink - he is now t-total and making music that Weekend has on repeat.
He says: "After college I fell off the rails - I had a lot of problems with alcohol. That's what the new album is about.
"Between about 14 years old until I was 25 I was drinking. I was working with some councillors and we decided that uni was the right thing for me to do. I didn't want to go from ten years of partying into an office environment.
"University was really good for my self-confidence because I didn't have any GCSE's or A Levels.
"I was working on and off but I couldn't really hold down a job. It wasn't like I decided to drink - it just happened.
"Music has helped me deal with it all really."
WASTE-MAN(AGEMENT) is the title of the 28-year-old's new release - a reference to being a waste of space within the hip hop world. The music is influenced by hip-hop, grunge and folk and is a project that explores Wes's past and looks forward towards his future.
Wes plans to start a masters in September in sustainable practices - he is also part of the three-man team at Plymouth-based film company French Honey Films.
"I produced a video last year as part of a college project that went viral. We were asked to write an essay or produce an artefact - I made a video and put in online and it ended up on Reddit with more than 40,000 views in a couple of days."
Music has always been a passion for the young creative after learning to play the piano when he was just eight years old, and the guitar when he was 12. Although Wes loves music - he does admit that making films is where his career lies.
He says: "Music is my passion - I would rather keep it as a thing I do than a career.
"Music is really positive. I'm working on so many videos as well to go with the album. It's good for me to keep working after finishing uni. I am channelling all that fear of not knowing what to do into my album.
"I used to play a lot by myself acoustically but that has taken a back seat while I have been studying - I intend to get out more and play over the summer. The music industry is such a saturated market - you just need to be constantly doing something."
Wes has a fresh approach on life, he's not a fan of huge cooperation's and used his music to channel his thoughts on the way people live their lives.
"Within film and my music - everything I push towards is about social realism.
"There is a quote by W B Yeats that I live by: 'we need true satires and tragedies, dramas and comedies that shine a clean light into the dingy corners of the human psyche and society. If we do not the centre will not hold.'
"Art is a powerful way to change things. I can look at the bigger picture having been on both sides."
Wes married three months ago and has a little boy, aged two and a half. He admits that it is these two people that have helped him through the hard times.
"We have a little boy called Logan - my wife, university and Logan have helped me through everything," he smiles.
The album, WASTE-MAN(AGEMENT), will be released in a couple of weeks and is an honest collection of Wes's thoughts. He certainly doesn't beat around the bush.
He says: "This album is about a time in my life. It was an album to get opinions out there and try to change the way people think about certain things. If people enjoy my music then that's enough for me. I want to change people's perceptions."
Collaborations also play a huge part in Wes's creative process.
"It's really important to collaborate. There isn't a huge creative scene in the south west so working with everyone gives everyone the chance to be part of something big. If someone is going to get somewhere then we would like to drag everyone else along," he says.
Things are looking good for Westopher and one thing is for sure - whether he is making music or films - he will give it 110 per cent.
You can check Westopher out on