2007- Age 13.

So starting at the very beginning (my pictures get more elaborate, i promise!) was a scribble of a drawing I put together in retaliation to the anger I felt in my first few weeks of CBT. Being asked questions about your past and thoughts on the future is extremely hard to answer at 13 years old. Which is yes, unfortunately when the start of my mental health issues began. An age when you are meant to be starting secondary school and going through the 'terrible teens' was not the ideal age to be spending an hour a week talking to a child therapist. However, I was very lucky to have had such a good support team in place. 

This picture was after coming home upset that I couldn't find the right words to describe how I was feeling and my anger at the therapist for not knowing what was going on my mind (which was quite frankly, an impossible task). 

I came home and cried and my mum, who felt she couldn't help, decided to give me a notepad. At first the idea of drawing my feelings seemed silly and useless. However, when she eventually left the room I gave it a secret go. This was the product. Not exactly a Picasso piece but it was surprisingly releasing just to grab a bunch of coloured pencils and scribble. Not having to design something specific just simply seeing what came out.

After this simple, yet explosive drawing, I was hooked. Although there was still a long way to go into recovery, I had found my means of communication.