“Once upon a time, I found myself starting over. Despite the ads on television and the mantras on Facebook, there is no one-size-fits-all, road map and cure all to starting over. So, where and how does one begin? Drawing is my refuge. But, it took two years of creating cute and happy drawings for me to realize I was still trapped trying to be someone else. I needed to find my voice, to tell my stories and to be heard.
This desire to be heard manifested itself in my very first alter-ego drawing, Beauty & the Beast. Beauty represents the way society wants us to be, especially women: silent, accepting, and non-challenging. The Beast is the way we often feel inside: angry, hurt, and screaming to be heard. These characters are two aspects of the same person. By creating the Beauty & the Beast drawing, I began the journey to unearthing or manifesting my voice.
In my first fairy tale inspired drawings, the women were silent, and their companions actively giving voice to what I was finding so hard to express out loud myself. But, as the women in my drawings began to speak for themselves, so did I…”
Full story available in the book Postcards to the Universe or follow the live readings on IG or Tiktok.
“Fight The Good Fight” ~ Mary