Einstein’s Barber

 

 

Einstein’s Barber is a pseudonym that I created when I started writing music around 2005. There is no great history to the name aside from the idea that the person who cut Einstein’s hair probably had a fair bit of time on their hands. I’ve used the name for (mostly unpublished) design, music, writing and photography projects – all of which were undertaken mainly for enjoyment rather than profit. One main focus of using the name Einstein’s Barber is that anything that we create is worth sharing, and this was just one way to achieve it.

Tony McNickle

  

The person behind Einstein’s Barber (me!) is Tony McNickle. I am always looking for new challenges and new ways to express myself, but part of the reason I started much of what Einstein’s Barber was to help manage depression. During the early part of the 2000s, I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety and it was recommended that I take medication to manage the illness. Having tried this for a short time, I found that ‘polyester smiles’ (as we call them in our family) were not really the ticket for me (I would suggest consulting a doctor if such things are a reality in your life –  a PhD in medicine is most certainly not one of the challenges I have attempted. Each successive hobby, sport or pastime was borne from a period of personal difficulty and initially amounted to a distraction, however these distractions have knitted together to form something far more effective than a pill could ever have been.

Travel Writing

  

I have always wanted to write, and for much of that ‘always’ I have harboured urges to write about my travels, Einstein’s Barber Shop is the vehicle to finally do something about this urge.

 

 

 

 

 

I set out to write less about destinations or specific itineraries, but rather to write on topics that often come up when travelling or talking/writing about/planning travel experiences. Through this I hope to share some of my experiences, but also to generate discussion about travel and the reasons we choose to roam.

Photography

 

Accompanying my writing, you will see a number of images, most of which were either taken by me or my partner, Linh (with a few exceptions where friends or family get behind the lens). There is no feeling like capturing a moment with even a fraction of the energy it contained at the time. This page contains a few such shots that I think provide a little insight into Einstein’s Barber as a writer, and as a traveller.