To Grin and Bear
With
parts
of
a
dead
pig,
lashed
onto
the
end
of
a
stick,
I
smear
crushed
rock
around
-
aka,
I’m
an
artist.
A
love
of
art
has
played
an
integral
part
of
my
life,
it
somehow
helps to further understand my own misunderstandings, and understand the general complexities of life itself.
As
a
young
kid,
I
only
ever
wanted
to
be
two
things
-
old
and
wise!
Happenstance
alone
has
taken
care
of
the
biological
aging
process,
but
little
did
I
know
the
price
I’d
pay for the acquisition of wisdom!
Life
is
a
teacher;
we
are
its
students
and
our
experiences
are
just
lessons.
Unfortunately,
some
lessons
you’ll
just
have
to
repeat
over
and
over
again!
Needless
to
say,
I
flatlined when I should have been paying attention, and so as always, I had to learn things - the hard way.
A
few
years
back,
I
got
to
acquire
some
hard-earned
wisdom
and
knowledge
–
not
gifted
on
a
silver
platter,
but
earned
the
hard
way!
Out
of
the
blue,
I
stumbled
upon
an
interest
in
both
psychology
and
psychopathology.
But
to
be
truthfully
honest,
I
was
unwillingly
dragged,
kicking
and
screaming
into
the
necessity
to
learn
about
psychology and psychopathology.
“Know
thy
self”
is
a
quote
attributed
to
some
bloke,
they
nailed
onto
two
planks
of
wood,
yonks
ago!
Taking
the
time
to
know
yourself
is
always
time
well
spent,
and
by
default
it
also
helps
you
to
better
understand
others.
Despite
an
ability
to
psychoanalyse
myself
at
a
profoundly
deep
level,
personally
like
everyone
else,
I
still
haven’t
managed to get my shit together.
I
was
questioning
what
to
do
with
this
newly
acquired
knowledge?
Being
the
bright
spark,
that
I
never
was,
I
combined
a
love
of
art
with
an
interest
in
psychology.
I
decided to paint a series of paintings outlining the trait behaviours of disordered individuals, using a teddy bear to visually represent empathic people.
The
aim
of
these
teddy
bear
paintings
was
to
help
others
and
validate
their
lived
experiences.
Those
whom
had
also
lived
the
dream
and
suffered
abuse
at
the
hands
of
a disordered individuals. Some friends suggested that I put some words to the paintings, to help others better understand the underlying dynamics of abuse.
While
I
enjoy
being
creatively
challenged,
the
thoughts
of
writing
scared
me.
I’ve
learned
to
head
in
the
direction
of
my
fears,
in
the
hope
of
learning
something
new
or
gaining
a
fresh
perspective
on
life.
Bad
grammar,
bad
spelling
and
dyslexia
aside,
I
was
reluctantly
cajoled
into
writing
a
book
to
accompany
the
series
of
teddy
bear
paintings.
Where art meets psychology.
About.
Where art meets psychology.