Silver Linings

The first time I remember experiencing fear I was four years old, I'd started a new school in a new country and I went and hid in the bathroom. This was probably my first encounter with anxiety. Not knowing what is going to happen, the unknown, or not known how to do something are really big triggers for me. Of course, at age four all I knew was that I was in a room full of strangers and it suddenly made me very uncomfortable. Hiding in a small bathroom, with four walls and a closing door, felt like safety. That is until the teacher came to coax me out of there and back into the classroom. As life would have it, anxiety was not something I grew outgrew. I suffered it when I had to go to school after being picked on by the older girls the day before. I suffered it when I thought I didn't look pretty enough, or thin enough. I suffered it when there was a test at school, usually in PE because back then physical exercise was not something I loved! I'm sure you get my point,...

I love inktober. A whole month of drawing prompts, calling for ink based drawings. It’s definitely my type of challenge. And I do love a challenge! I’m not sure when I first picked up a pen to doodle, or even when I first picked up a pen to properly sketch. It was years ago now, but it can’t have been that long ago, as it wasn’t something I ever did at art college. Firsts are something I always romanticise. Always have. Maybe it’s because firsts stick with you. First day at school, first time you ride a bike, first pet, first kiss, first love. The older you get the more import these firsts have. My first story I ever wrote was about a little boy who made friends with a robot. I’m sure I’ve talked about this before. My first ever “completed” novel was called Santos, and it’s a supernatural thriller with gargoyles that come to life and a prophecy that’s been waiting for the right person to come along a fulfill it. This first novel was completed in one month, during my second attemp...