# Sakara ## Posts - [Gig Diaries: Grace Petrie @ Cambridge Junction | 19/10/2022](https://sakaradee.co.uk/grace-petrie-19-10-2022): What was the first gig you went to? The first time you saw an artist you loved live, somebody who’d previously only existed for you in recordings and on album covers? My answer to the first question is a little sketchy, as I’m a singer-songwriter so started going to small, local gigs and open mics a few years ago. Before that, aged 13, I went to “The Clothes Show Live” with my textiles class. I was the only person on the coach who was excited that Stooshie (possibly long-forgotten girl band who sung “Black Heart”) were playing instead of uh, […] - [Why I Customise My Mobility Aids to Suit My Style (and why I don't)](https://sakaradee.co.uk/why-i-customise-my-mobility-aids-to-suit-my-style-and-why-i-dont): It’s a beautiful thing to see, disabled people customising and decorating assistive devices. For years I’ve had my smiley face wheel covers on my manual wheelchair, then I acquired a new chair from a friend and it led to a few months with with her bright pink wheel grips, while my covers sat unloved on my old (now ‘spare’) wheelchair. Yesterday I went out for the first time with both wheel decorations on the one chair (looks amazing, thanks for asking), and it’s inspired me to write a post about my experiences with customising the mini-environment that is my very own portable […] - [Chronic Illness: When Social Media is your Social Life](https://sakaradee.co.uk/chronic-illness-when-social-media-is-your-social-life): It’s February so everyone wants us to buy stuff with hearts on, and it felt like a good moment to talk about how reliant I am on social media as my main form of social contact. Because, sometimes I forget the world outside these walls exists. Physical touch? What is it? I resent my own community online Hate to say it (in case you all unfollow me) but disabled influencer posts get on my nerves. Cottagecore reels get on my nerves. “Get dressed with me” videos send my eyes rolling. Those carousels I know you only posted because they get […] - [The world of an Ambulatory Wheelchair User](https://sakaradee.co.uk/the-world-of-an-ambulatory-wheelchair-user): I forget how the journey to accepting my wheelchair used to feel. I felt bad for not being able to brazen it out, be like the cool women I saw on the internet, seeming proud in their disabled existence. But some days, that just couldn’t be me. I want to take the hand of my teenage self, to be there when she asks her mum to take her straight back out of the chip shop because those kids are staring at her, to be there when she wears quirky clothes as a defence, a way to distract the people who […] - [New Year Plans and Intentions: 21 in ‘22](https://sakaradee.co.uk/new-year-plans-and-intentions-21-in-22): Does anybody still feel excited for these posts? I’m all for a good introspective ramble, or a sharp rush of motivation that makes the future feel like a friend again, but how is it best to discuss new year intentions when avoiding both “positive vibes only” and absolute depression? Let’s try and find that balance… Play the file above for an audio version of this post (read by me!). Accepting what we’re not Letting go is hard. But often it’s just the thing we need in order to have a “new” year in any sense that feels real. Anyone with […] - [Cake Review: Vegan, Gluten Free & Refined Sugar Free - Holly Tree Kitchen](https://sakaradee.co.uk/holly-tree-kitchen-cake-experience): The box was bigger than I expected. Inside, it wasn’t a box at all, but a cake-cooling fortress. A layer of metallic bubble wrap-like insulation, brown paper, cool packsAnd then, the inner box. More paper, a plastic edging around the cake itself with little circles of specially... - [What is Accessible Fashion to Me?](https://sakaradee.co.uk/accessible-fashion-to-me): What is accessible or adaptive fashion?It’s clothing specifically designed for disabled people with limited mobility, it’s underwear with side fastenings, it’s fastenings which themselves are easier to operate with limited dexterity or strength, it’s clothing designed for seated wearers and it’s “accidentally accessible” clothes which happen to cater for any of those needs and more, even though - [M.E. Awareness: "I've Always Been Here"](https://sakaradee.co.uk/ive-always-been-here): Below, I will be sharing my M.E. awareness campaign from May 2021. ‘Invisible Disabilities Awareness Week’ felt like an appropriate time to share this curation of my Instagram posts, along with additional photographs and thoughts I didn’t share a few months ago. [A brief visual description: This post contains a series of photos of Sakara sitting on her bed, holding up signs with the statements quoted in the text (like “where were you”), written on them in strong bubble writing. “I’ve always been here” is written on her chest in pale brown, her skin is white and she wears a […] - [Project: Immunity Is Not Absolute](https://sakaradee.co.uk/immunity-is-not-absolute): I first shared these photographs the day after laws like wearing face coverings in certain settings were lifted here in the UK. To begin with, many still showed more caution than I expected. However, we all knew that cases would undoubtedly rise and the safety of shielders would decrease. It wasn’t #FreedomDay for everybody. Or anybody, really. No level of immunity (be it from vaccination, age, health status… etc) is absolute. We are not free from this virus. We are not free from the risks of serious illness, death or long-covid. I wanted to make something to support and validate anybody who’s […] - [Sakara is 21 (and hasn't released an album yet)](https://sakaradee.co.uk/sakara-is-21): On July 23rd, I turned 21. I want to write a post to mark the moment but it’s dawning on me that I don’t have as much to say as I thought I did. Many people use words and intellectual understanding to create distance between themselves and the terrifying world of emotions worth feeling. I suppose you can guess - [New Year Thoughts and Intentions -Hello 2021](https://sakaradee.co.uk/new-year-thoughts-and-intentions-2021): I sought comfort, as December 2020 drew to a close, by reaching for all the things I’ve done in the past year which 2019 Sakara would be proud of. Then I realised, I wouldn’t have been proud of myself at all. I can’t romanticise a past version of myself and make her out to be a self-loving angel. She’s me. And I don’t give myself any credit. [Please click here for an audio file of me (quietly!) reading this post aloud. Some devices will ask you to download it first but it’s simple to do and should play without issue, […] - ["Dating Yourself" with a Chronic Illness &/or Disability](https://sakaradee.co.uk/dating-yourself-with-a-chronic-illness-or-disability): Today’s post is an expansion on something I shared to Instagram earlier this year, my thoughts on being single as a chronically ill person. The first half the caption was as follows: [ For an audio file of me reading this post, please click here (you may have to download the file before it will play but the process is simple!) this will open in a new tab so you can come back to the main post easily ] “In theory I hold arguments for the benefits of being single in high regard. In practice they’re not always inclusive. The […] - [Book Recommendation: the deepest well (by Nadine Burke Harris MD)](https://sakaradee.co.uk/book-recommendation-the-deepest-well-by-nadine-burke-harris-md): A few months ago, flicking through a recommended reading list on Instagram, the deepest well by Nadine Burke Harris drew me in. Its tagline “healing the long-term effects of childhood adversity” promised answers to questions I’ve been asking myself more and more in recent years. As the tagline suggests, this is a book about how traumatic events and circumstances in childhood, go on to affect us throughout our lives on a biological level, how this leads to one generation’s traumas being passed onto the next and, crucially, how to minimise these effects. If you’d like this post read aloud, please click here (a […] - [Snapshots: Sanity in Septemper](https://sakaradee.co.uk/sanity-in-septemper): As half of Instagram reposts back garden bikini shots and the other half start throwing pumpkins and redefining “rainbow” as “many shades of golden-orange and red”, September is an interesting time to be alive. If you’d like this post read aloud please click here for a link to an audio file on google drive (I’m hoping to embed audio more smoothly in future but ran a marathon of technical glitches this time around! Google drive will open in a new tab). Last month was a struggle for me (an odd sentence to type in this draft, referring to my 29th […] - [That Time I Made a Music Video in a Day](https://sakaradee.co.uk/that-time-i-made-a-music-video-in-a-day): When I was 18 and our boiler leaked, we ended up with a massive hole in our living room ceiling and an urgent need to move out… We lived temporarily in a flat on the 8th floor of a building who’s lifts regularly broke down (I take no issue with the flat itself but a massive issue with the owners/managers for allowing it to remain inaccessible for great lengths of time). My parents had to travel over an hour each way for work and other commitments so I was alone more than usual. Meaning my energy was devoted to practicing […] - [Conflicted thoughts on Forming a Sense of Self](https://sakaradee.co.uk/conflicted-thoughts-on-forming-a-sense-of-self): “Who is she and how can I be her more often?”, the phrase in my head when I looked through the photos I’m sharing with this post. As I sit in the garden to type, our small wooden table is covered with the rain from only moments ago (so my laptop is living up to its name by sitting safe and dry on my lap) and the sun is warming my floral-jumper covered chest. Jumpers and sun cream, I do love this time of year. I’m sure there’s more than one of me I suppose everyone feels this to some […] - [4 Recommendations: July '20](https://sakaradee.co.uk/3-recommendations-july-20): Welcome to my final monthly summary of things I’ve been reading, listening to or discovering. I’ll talk more about why I’m wandering away from this format at the end of the post. For now, let’s get started on these recommendations. I have a slightly smaller set this time as I know I’ll do 1 of my planned recommendations more justice at a later date with its own full post! 1) Queer as Folk, an album by Grace Petrie If you like folk and are anti-austerity, I can’t see any reason you wouldn’t enjoy a song like “Farewell to Welfare“. “Someone’s […] - [Turning 20 as an Unemployed, Disabled Creative](https://sakaradee.co.uk/turning-20-as-an-unemployed-disabled-creative): As I begin to write this, I’m a teenager. By the time you read these words… I won’t be. Last year I couldn’t imagine this month, couldn’t imagine getting to know who I am as an adult. All I can say on that one is it’s been a heck of a mess to untangle. [Image descriptions for most photographs are available via alt text, overall there are a mixture of brighter photographs featuring my floral colouring pictures and more muted pictures, often of me/my bedroom/my warm cream and beige toned surroundings. I do make my interior design tastes sound rather […] - [Researching my Grandmother's Dress](https://sakaradee.co.uk/researching-my-grandmothers-dress): Today I’ll be sharing my investigation into one of my favourite garments. It’s a delicate blue-green summer dress which belonged to my Nanny (grandmother). She gave it to my mother who didn’t wear it, but then… I got hold of it! It’s a few sizes too big for me but lays really nicely, when pulled in gently with the tie at the back. I started calling it my “Miss Honey” recently, it has a certain feeling that reminds me of her character in the film of Matilda.  When I first put this dress on it was like I’d found something I always […] - [Quiet Evenings with My Music](https://sakaradee.co.uk/quiet-evenings-with-my-music): Someday, I’ll look into why my digital camera comes up with little faults/coloured dots on photographs when I turn up the ISO in fading light (sometimes it’s dust, other times I’m unsure). For now, I’m going to fill a post with grainy photos which occasionally feature a constellation of these pretty little mishaps (which turned out less noticeable than I expected, especially when viewing this on a smartphone screen). I love that these pictures have a fuzzy, film photo feel. It suits the atmosphere, the way I felt that night. My bed used to stand under the window in my room, […] - [Chronically Ill and Uncomfortable with the Easing of Lockdown](https://sakaradee.co.uk/chronically-ill-and-uncomfortable-with-the-easing-of-lockdown): Today I’ll be sharing my thoughts as a disabled person, experienced in social isolation long before this current pandemic. I’m vulnerable. Initially I wasn’t classified as “very increased risk” shielding-category-vulnerable. Then I received a letter in late May -dated April- advising me to shield. I’m still confused by this as my condition is supposed to put me in the middle (“increased risk”) category. People like me weren’t supposed to receive letters, and my mother was unable to take time off from her part time work (outside of the home) as it would’ve been unpaid. (Only those in the higher category […] - [5 Recommendations: June '20](https://sakaradee.co.uk/things-i-came-across-in-june): Welcome to another summary of things I’ve enjoyed recently. I’ve been making a massive effort with listening to music this month, I’ve always been terrible at knowing how to find anything I might love so I’m throwing myself into a variety of playlists, searches and recommendations. Honestly? It’s stabilising. I feel like I’m getting to know myself all over again. Tracy Chapman I’ve had her saved as an artist to go back to on Spotify for SO LONG. This is one of my most irritating habits: saving stuff for a “later” which never comes. Fortunately this live performance of Fast […] - [Week With M.E. 2020](https://sakaradee.co.uk/week-with-me-2020): May contains awareness weeks and days for multiple chronic illnesses, including M.E and E.D.S. (which I am diagnosed with) and Lyme disease and Fibromyalga (which I don’t have). From Monday the 11th to Sunday the 17th of May 2020 I shared daily snippets of my life for M.E. awareness week. Instagram stories, where I originally posted this content, aren’t the most accessible medium. So I’ve used this blog post to transcribe most of my speech, as well as any written text I shared. I’ll also insert each day’s Instagram post from my main feed, so you get a full picture of […] - [5 Recommendations: May 2020](https://sakaradee.co.uk/things-i-came-across-in-may-2020): I’m excited to start sharing monthly summaries of things I’ve been reading or listening to. There might not be a book every month (though I would like there to be!) but I’m hoping this blog will encourage me to find interesting articles, Instagram posts or songs to share with you all. I didn’t expect to be publishing this post so far into June, it’s surprising how quickly things start to feel distant… I did finish a book in the later half of May, so I’ll kick off with that. The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben. As you can […] - [Living On Lost Time](https://sakaradee.co.uk/living-on-lost-time): Hello, it’s been a while since I heard the continuous clicking of laptop keys under my fingers. I’m glad to be back. Given the time that’s passed and the fact that I’m using a new website (more on how this came about in a future post) re-introductions feel appropriate. My name is Sakara. I’m 19 years old at the time of writing (born in mid 2000, so take a look at the year -remember to subtract two thousand!- and you’ll never be more than a few months off my true age). I’m a singer and songwriter… … Recent guitarist and plans-to-be […] ## Pages - [looking for 🌻!?](https://sakaradee.co.uk/sunflower-download): Sunflower Download You’re in the right place! Sign up to my mailing list and tomorrow I’ll be sending out a free download of Sunflower, the same track I sent over when applying for tonight’s support slot! - [Sunflower 🌻](https://sakaradee.co.uk/sunflower): If you signed up for my mailing list when This is Reality came out, you don’t have to do anything at all! But if you’re not signed up yet, use the form below to get an exclusive preview of Sunflower a week before everyone else! - [Unsubscribe](https://sakaradee.co.uk/unsubscribe): Sorry to see you go! I appreciate all feedback – is there something I could’ve done differently? - [This is Reality](https://sakaradee.co.uk/this-is-reality): This is Reality: Out Now 🧡 This is Reality, my debut single, is really here! Released on Thursday 13th of March, it was a recording in some ways years in the making. This song is made from a moment, on the edge of adulthood, when I realised it was time to differentiate expectations from what I really wanted, and start trying to build a life which made me believe those old dreams are worth waking up from. It’s a no-nonsense note-to-self, advising we let go of perfectionism, potential and idealised versions of who we could’ve been. I am who I […] - [Access Doc](https://sakaradee.co.uk/access-doc): Disability & Access Needs Disability comes up a lot in my songwriting, I’ve been known to perform from my wheelchair and I regularly make jokes about my “brain abandoning me” in conversation. So, what does this mean for you if I’m coming to your pub/festival/back garden? You’re in the right place to find out! Please note, this page is not made with a specific event in mind, and only covers basics which I’m happy to share with anybody accessing this link. If you’re in conversation with me about an event, project or performance, I will be happy to have a […] - [Music - Live Performance](https://sakaradee.co.uk/sakara-live): Sakara – Live performances https://youtu.be/sIZcz_vqXvk Sakara is a singer/songwriter based near Cambridge, writing quietly subversive lyrics that might be about flowers & fairies, or could be another metaphor for everything that goes wrong in your life. Her style blends soft folk reminiscent of Laura Marling, with a dash of attitude that speaks to a love of Alanis Morissette, and a little indie sparkle of Sixpence None The Richer thrown in for the fun of it. Behind a microphone is one of her favourite places to be and it shows. basPrevious live performances include Strawberry Fair 2023, Cambridge Pride and New Routes […] - [Examples of my work](https://sakaradee.co.uk/examples-of-my-work): Some work I’m proud of 🌻 “I can’t access my own work” written on my skin using iodine (a supplement I was prescribed at the time). “I’ve always been here, Where were you?” is a reference to awareness campaigns for one of my illnesses often labelling sufferers as “missing”. I wanted to turn the question around! (Find more details here). https://youtu.be/SrXUhI6Igkk A video of me performing an original song locally. “I’m right here with you” is cut out and laid over a drawing of flowers, this picture still hangs in my room and feels like an old friend. A used […] - [Friday 26th August](https://sakaradee.co.uk/friday-26th-august): Music in the square Back to Upcoming Gigs Friday 26th of August Come to Saffron Walden town square between 11:45am and 2:15pm for acoustic performances from young musicians. This is a part of Saffron Walden Town Council’s summer of free events, and is hosted by Sakara, a local singer-songwriter who can often be found at Fairycroft house or local outdoor events. The Performers: Katie Dorrington Katie will be singing a variety of covers, in her first solo performance in some time! Katie usually performs as the lead vocalist of Eva’s Dream, who’s website you can find here. Ellie Grace Ellie […] - [Upcoming Gigs](https://sakaradee.co.uk/gigs): Upcoming Gigs Want to know what’s happening next?  https://youtu.be/sIZcz_vqXvk2024 is feeling like a big one for my music! With plans to play live in some of my favourite places, and things coming together for recording my first single (which might even coincide with a website reboot…). With all that in mind, I’m excited to announce a recent win of ‘best acoustic’ at Strawberry Fair’s Cambridge Band Competition! I’ll be playing at Camp Bestival Dorset later in the summer as a result.   My next outing is on June 1st, for the long-awaited Strawberry Fair in Cambridge, which is free for everyone […] - [Music](https://sakaradee.co.uk/music): Music Listen on Spotify That’s the platform where most people seem to find me! But if it’s not your thing, I’ll link some alternatives below… Click here to visit my Spotify Instagram Facebook-f Twitter Youtube There are 3 tracks on most platforms, a live version of Ocean’s Daughter recorded at Cambridge Folk Club in 2024, plus my two 2025 studio releases This is Reality, and Sunflower. And my linktree always has up to date links for recent singles on multiple platforms! https://youtu.be/ainu-Uh_M-g I’m a singer-songwriter performing a set of thoughtful tunes around Cambridge, Saffron Walden and the occasional countryside bookshop. Plus […] - [Contact](https://sakaradee.co.uk/contact): Contact me Get in touch… I recently removed my contact form due to spam issues, please use my email listed on this page if you’d like to work together in some capacity. Thank you! I look forward to getting to know each other. Contact Info Location UK Email me sakaradee@gmail.com Facebook@sakaradeepritchard Social Media @sakaradee Facebook-f Twitter Instagram Youtube - [Blog](https://sakaradee.co.uk/projects): Learning from what I’ve already written Blog - [About](https://sakaradee.co.uk/about): About me I’m Sakara A singer/songwriter with a passion for representing an alternative (true!) story of life as a disabled person. A story with moments of creativity, community and excitement. I hope this site will grow into somewhere I can share other people’s voices as well as my own, a space filled with delicate photography, vintage clothes and -of course- music. I’m currently releasing singles leading up to my first EP, attempting to present the joy and pain of this life as they truly are, not at odds with or in spite of each other, but co-existing in the confusing […] - [Home](https://sakaradee.co.uk/): Musician, Artist and Writer Sakara Dee oh hello I’m Sakara… A singer-songwriter, occasional artist, and deep thinker. My work explores themes of disability and growing up chronically ill, as well as having a strong connection to nature and finding joy in the worlds around and within me. I use this site to share my music, photography, writing and miscellaneous art (I’m forever distracted and inspired by different formats!). I hope you enjoy exploring as much as I do creating. – Sakara x About me Follow me around Instagram Youtube Twitter Facebook ## Optional - [Agent (MCP protocol)](websites-agents.hostinger.com/sakaradee.co.uk/mcp) [comment]: # (Generated by Hostinger Tools Plugin)