"Blue Boy" (front cover)
Résumé
The years I spent in therapy evoked many nights of internal angst. It became my practice to keep a pencil near at hand even whilst in bed I needed only to reach out in order to either write or sketch out an idea. This particular piece began life as an ink drawing titled ‘It’s an Inside Job’. Alongside the work our artist in residence was doing in relation to masks and toxic masculinity I was thinking about how much of my life consisted of avoiding what lies beneath the multitude of masks I felt the need to wear. Am I brave enough to not only scrutinise, but actually share with the wider world that scared little boy who spent as lifetime incarcerated? Even as I look upon the image whilst writing this, I feel a whole host of emotions ranging from sadness and shame to anger and resentment. The difference today is I am no longer beholden to the core belief that I should not feel this way and certainly must not let anybody know I might experience emotions. I feel what I feel and that is okay with me. Embracing vulnerability has given me a newfound strength in both my life and my artwork.
