Pictures of Me

PICTURES OF ME

Hello dear readers. I hope you're swell and dandy and spiffing and enjoying this delightful premature summer. Isn't it just wonderful to wake up to blue skies and sunshine every morning? I don't even mind that I have to wear my factor 50 suncream from Superdrug. It's defo worth it. And what's more, as if life couldn't get any better, I've been able to wear my sandals 24/7, and the citizens of Manchester seem to love seeing me get my toes out, judging by all the looks I've been getting as I walk around town. I've also been able to go for some delightful early morning runs, so as if seeing my toes wasn't enough, the citizens of Manchester have also been treated to me red faced and panting with my hair sporting the electrocuted look. You can't say I don't do my bit for the community eh.

Anyhow, back to the blog post before I start gushing to you about another thing I'm loving right now, The One Show. I came up with the idea for 'Pictures of Me' a couple of weeks ago, and it originated from a variety of different sources that just kind of amalgamated together somewhere in the depths of my mind. One of those sources was this wonderful little Zoella 'draw my life' video (isn't she just a fabulous drawer!), another was this video featuring one of my fave girl power icons Jemima Kirke from Girls, and the last was my own thoughts which occurred over a couple of days. I was walking down a road near where I live, and reflecting on recent life events, as I always seem to be doing, and it got me thinking: how could I perfectly encapsulate the most definitive aspects of my personality and characteristics, in the most concise and simple way? How could I give someone the most accurate and to the point summary of who I am as a person? And that's when I started coming up with these little doodles in my mind to represent just that. I didn't know what I'd do with them, but I kept a mental note somewhere in the depths of my mind, and decided that I would come back to it later.

Over the last few weeks I've been thinking of more of those little images, and today is the day I decided I would do something with them, and turn them into a nice old blog post for you dear readers to enjoy. I don't recall seeing a blog post doing something like this before, so I thought it would be something a bit different, a bit innovative (hopefully), as will it give you a little bit more insight into who I am, in a more creative and engaging way than you reading twenty million paragraphs of word vomit and emotional splurging. I also think that drawings are such a personal, beautiful and insightful way to communicate with someone, and to truly express who you are inside, because you know what they say, a picture often speaks a thousand words. So with that, I hope you enjoy, and if you're a fellow blogger and you want to do something like this too, leave me a link and I'd love to see what you've created!

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001. 2 + 2 = 5

Because that's exactly the way my mind seems to work. It puts two and two together and comes up with the most imaginative, far fetched, and least logical answer. The kind of answer that seems totally reasonable and probable at the time, but in hindsight you're just like eh? How on earth did I get that? I also have the tendency to put two and two together and end up with a conclusion that's as far away from the truth as is humanly possible, and I don't even realise how wrong I am. It sucks.

002. Wallflower

I never used to realise I was a wallflower until I read the best book ever, 'Perks of Being A Wallflower' and it completely changed my self-perspective. My default setting seems to be sitting on the sidelines. I just do it instinctively, and that's mostly because I love listening to what other people say, and taking note of their opinions and the transmission of them. I also love watching how other people interact with one another, how they present, carry and conduct themselves, how they hold back, how they dive into the deep end, how different personalities combine. In that sense I'm very perceptive, and I find it very easy and extremely interesting to read people and pinpoint the distinctive markers and characteristics that make them who they are. In a group of people, I don't have an overwhelming desire to attract attention, make my voice heard, my actions known. I like to settle into the background, I like to be the observer, I like to drink in as much of the scene before me as possible, and as much as I'm enjoying my attempts to get out on to that dance floor and actively participate, I must admit that a part of me will always treasure being a wallflower, and probably will do for as long as I live.

003. Hand

This one came about whilst I was walking home one day. I was thinking about what I'd say if someone asked me what my favourite part about me was (aka the most important questions in life). And for years it's been a cross between eyes, freckles, smile and figure. But the other day, I randomly thought, 'but what about my hands?', and that's when I realised how bloody awesome my hands are. As someone who loves to be creative, my hands are essentially my most treasured possession, and their dexterity literally leaves me in awe. Especially when it comes to drawing, the fact that my hands have the ability to translate these abstract notions and designs in my mind, into real life physical entities right before my eyes, is just insane. And it's not just that, there's an incredibly long list of other things my hands let me do, but I won't bore you with that right now. All I'll say, is hands= amazing, and I'd be utterly lost without them.

004. Everything Happens For A Reason

This is literally my life mantra. I'm not a particularly religious person, and I'm personally not keen on organised religion, but I am drawn to the notion of higher beings, higher powers, something far bigger than us and this world in which we live. I believe there's so much more out there that transcends this life, and for me I like to think of it all as fate. Fate is the power influencing and guiding our lives, and hey maybe it's because I'm an analytical person, but I really do believe that everything happens for a reason. Whatever may happen, good or bad, there's always a reason. Always a purpose. And I'm a massive advocate of this belief, because I think that being able to spot those reasons, or make your best assumption as to what they are, is crucial in helping you to become a better, happier, stronger, wiser person and to enjoy your life as much as you possibly can. This way of thinking absolutely changed my life for the better, and I'd highly recommend it.

005. Sunshine

I chose to draw a sunshine because not only do I love the sun in general, but because to me it represents optimism, and I like to think that I'm quite an optimistic individual. It's looking on the bright side of life, choosing to be happy, enjoying the life you have irrespective of how perfect it is, trying to find the positive out of all the negatives and holding on to it. It's believing that tomorrow will be a better day, the relentless hope that your time to shine is just around the corner, trusting that life has your back, and everything will be okay in the end. 

006. Book

Obviously I had to choose a book because I am always reading.As someone who finds it very, very hard to sit still and do nothing, as do I get bored doing things that don't stimulate my mind, I always need to be doing something. And 99.9% of the time, that thing is reading. I will literally read anything and everything, and I read whenever and wherever. I read leaflets, magazines, cookery books, fiction, newspapers, online websites, blogs, social media, my own diaries and journals, CD inserts, textbooks, the back of cereal boxes... essentially anything that is lying around. I always have a book on the go, and I always carry a book around with me in my bag. The day I forget to bring a book is a bad day. And when I do have a book with me, you can find me reading it in the park, on the bus, at the table, in my bed, beneath the table in lectures... I just adore reading. And one day, in the distant future, I would love to summon the energy, drive and determination to sit down and write a book of my own. Proper dream come true.

007. Eyes

I did this drawing to represent the term 'go-getter', because tbh I didn't really know what else to draw. The eyes are meant to be looking into the distance, searching for the next possibility, action, plan, idea. As I previously mentioned, I'm not one for sitting still and letting my life pass me by. Even when I have time off, the thought of sitting around and chilling interests me for about 5 seconds, because I'm already feeling like I'm wasting my life sat there doing nothing. I want to get out and do things, make things happen, be a part of the world, have things to show for my time. To put it simply, I just want to live. And that in turn, has made me into a go-getter. I'm always seeking out my next opportunity, planning ahead for the short term and long term, thinking of ways I can make change, push myself, explore, dream. Even when I'm afraid, I think 'oh what the heck' and just do it anyway. And I love to look back on my life, and the things I've already done, both big and small, because even if they didn't work out as I would have liked, it makes me so happy and proud that I've seized my chance at life, instead of letting it pass me by absent-mindedly.

008. Person with an exploding head

Two words: over thinker. And when you put that into an equation, over + thinker = head that always feels on the verge of a massive explosion. Hence the drawing above. Over-thinking is the bane of my life. Although in some respects, it's actually a very useful skill to have for certain things, for the majority of the time it's a tiring, debilitating, draining, pointless, and sometimes very harmful weight on your shoulders. I've definitely got better at controlling it over the years, and I'm still trying so hard to not let it affect me, as am I trying to find ways to chill the heck out and give my mind a rest. Sometimes I just wish my mind was a white, blank, quiet, peaceful space, but I know deep down that would drive me bonkers, because as much as the over activity in my head is grinding, and an exploding head feels like a tantalisingly close possibility, it's also the very essence and driving force of who I am. I wouldn't be who I am without it.

009. Why

This one ties in with the over-thinking, and may in part be responsible for it. Growing up, I was one of those annoying kids that always wanted to know why. And I used to believe my Ma & Pa knew everything and anything.The day when my Ma said to me 'I don't know everything', in reply to one of my questions, was a sad but exciting day, because it alerted me to the fact that there is just so much out there to experience and learn. And Ma & Pa might not know the answers, but someone out there does.And that person might even be me, and I just haven't realised yet. And it's weird because at school I didn't really like solving equations or figuring out problems, and finding the answer has never been much of a motivator for me either. It's more convenience, if anything. But I still love to mull over things, find out and learn as much information as I possibly can about a whole host of different things. 'Why' is my favourite question word because it gives justifications, reasons, explanations. It makes you really think about things at a deeper level, in order to gain more insight and clarity. In my eyes, it is synonymous with knowledge, and I'm a right sucker for that. I want to understand, I want to learn, I want to form those links, I want to know this world, and I want to question everything like crazy, because to accept without giving in to that curiosity to go beyond... well as Skepta once said so beautifully, 'that's not me'.

010. Love heart

This one is a simple one. I have a lot of love in my heart. I can't be bothered with negativity and bitterness, and as Charles Dickens once said, 'have a heart that never hardens'. I think people are awesome in their own individual ways, and I think everyone deserves to be loved, respected, cared for, accepted, welcomed, valued. I also think that everyone should try to be kind to others, that whole treat people how you want to be treated. It isn't hard to fill your heart with goodness and positivity, and the difference it makes, when that's the fuel you choose to power you, is immense. Personally, I love to make sure the people I surround myself with know how much they mean to me, as do I like to make sure that I'm nice to people I don't know, just to give them a bit of hope if they should need it, because I know how much it means to me when a stranger even just smiles at me. So I try to put that back into the world myself. 

011. Music

.... is life. I always have music on the go. At home, I've always got my tunes on. When I'm out and about, always got my headphones on with sweet music playing through. There's something so beautiful and comforting about the way music can fill a room, fill your mind, fill an open space, and electrify it with life. Ever since I was little, I've always adored music, and as I've gotten older the importance of music in my life just keeps on growing and growing. It's a core part of my soul, I swear, and I always say this but I don't even know who I would be if I didn't have music. I don't even know if I would be here now, if it wasn't for music. It's a beating heart, a solid and reliable backbone, your oldest friend, a journey of exploration, a light in the darkness, a living, breathing entity, the sunshine illuminating the skies, a medicine, a beam of hope and goodness. Music is everything.