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About MeI am an author/illustrator and activist. Born visually impaired, later diagnosed with chronic illnesses, and a part of the LGBT+ community, I love creating artwork that empowers those who are different.
After publishing my first picture book at 18, I've has engaged in public speaking in person and on TV, begun creating artwork for nonprofits, and I regularly update a webcomic featuring a diverse cast. New work is posted twice weekly, my books are available on Amazon, and commissions are available upon request. My IllustrationsMy main medium for illustration is ballpoint pens. After years of experimenting with countless mediums and techniques, I've fallen in love with pens! For certain effects, I will sometimes add gel pens, paint pens, and colored pencils. I post finished artwork on my social media every Friday.
Although I'm very proud of where I am currently, I'm always working to improve my skills. I post work in progress shots, sketches, or experimental art every Wednesday. In those posts, you can see what I'm working to improve (or get a sneak peek of projects I haven't announced yet!) |
My Writing
At 18 years old, I published my debut children's book, "Can I See?" for paperback (later publishing it for ebook in 2020). It features a visually impaired schoolchild learning to accept himself. It mirrors a phenomenon in the partially-blind community where children and teens go through a phase of hiding their disability in the attempt to find acceptance among their peers. My hope in writing it was to tackle the subject early into when these feelings arise and hopefully avoid the blow to the self-esteem that this experimentation causes for blind children.
Following in this vain, I've continued to create stories with the theme of self-acceptance. Few have seen publishing at this time, but I have multiple projects in the works and plan to have a finished draft ready for publication in 2021. For now, my webcomic, Lorna and Bryoni, is available on instagram. The comic is updated at the end of every month.
Following in this vain, I've continued to create stories with the theme of self-acceptance. Few have seen publishing at this time, but I have multiple projects in the works and plan to have a finished draft ready for publication in 2021. For now, my webcomic, Lorna and Bryoni, is available on instagram. The comic is updated at the end of every month.
Minority Experiences
Due to the nature of my work and the frequent features of various minorities, I thought it would be fitting to include my own experiences on my About Me page.
I was born with a visual impairment. The condition is called ONH, but the full diagnosis is Bilateral Optic Nerve Hypoplasia. I don't have depth perception and have a narrow field, both of which have impacted my art. It's why I prefer square format illustrations. I do also have low acuity, however it's about 20/80 corrected. (ONH can't be corrected, but I also have astigmatism which is completely correctable.) The main issues are the field and depth perception. Visually, my eyes do shake (Nystagmus) and don't always point in the same direction due to them having different acuities. I use a white cane most of the time. (Note: white cane is just what the device is called. Mine is pink, and I love it!) I wrote Gavin from "Can I See?" with my own childhood in mind. I hope to create more representation for people like me who's vision isn't completely perfect or totally gone.
I do have other health-related conditions, but they aren't well understood yet. My diagnoses are still changing frequently. I generally refer to this pile of symptoms as the general term "chronic illness" or "chronic pain".
I have anxiety and panic attacks. These can be seen in some individual illustrations and in an episode of Lorna and Bryoni. I plan on including more anxiety-related experiences in future work. My anxiety has improved by leaps and bounds in the past few years. I know many public figures mask or otherwise don't show their anxiety publicly. Know that at some points, I have been almost entirely nonfunctioning due to the attacks. You're not alone. I have also had depression which links to my severe relapses of anxiety.
I discovered my asexual identity at 16 years old. Asexuality is the lack of sexual attraction. (This is a sliding scale which includes other nuanced terms. However, I identify with the far side of the scale.) Asexuality doesn't affect my physical abilities/needs or my romantic attraction. I later began identifying as panromantic asexual meaning my romantic attraction can be towards any gender. I often simplify my identity to sapphic meaning woman who loves other women or gay meaning person who loves people of the same gender. I am currently in a same-sex relationship and do find both of those definitions to fit as a part of my panromantic identity, even if they don't describe my entire experience.
I'm happy to answer questions about any of the above experiences and hope that my art will help bring awareness and acceptance to us and all minorities.
I was born with a visual impairment. The condition is called ONH, but the full diagnosis is Bilateral Optic Nerve Hypoplasia. I don't have depth perception and have a narrow field, both of which have impacted my art. It's why I prefer square format illustrations. I do also have low acuity, however it's about 20/80 corrected. (ONH can't be corrected, but I also have astigmatism which is completely correctable.) The main issues are the field and depth perception. Visually, my eyes do shake (Nystagmus) and don't always point in the same direction due to them having different acuities. I use a white cane most of the time. (Note: white cane is just what the device is called. Mine is pink, and I love it!) I wrote Gavin from "Can I See?" with my own childhood in mind. I hope to create more representation for people like me who's vision isn't completely perfect or totally gone.
I do have other health-related conditions, but they aren't well understood yet. My diagnoses are still changing frequently. I generally refer to this pile of symptoms as the general term "chronic illness" or "chronic pain".
I have anxiety and panic attacks. These can be seen in some individual illustrations and in an episode of Lorna and Bryoni. I plan on including more anxiety-related experiences in future work. My anxiety has improved by leaps and bounds in the past few years. I know many public figures mask or otherwise don't show their anxiety publicly. Know that at some points, I have been almost entirely nonfunctioning due to the attacks. You're not alone. I have also had depression which links to my severe relapses of anxiety.
I discovered my asexual identity at 16 years old. Asexuality is the lack of sexual attraction. (This is a sliding scale which includes other nuanced terms. However, I identify with the far side of the scale.) Asexuality doesn't affect my physical abilities/needs or my romantic attraction. I later began identifying as panromantic asexual meaning my romantic attraction can be towards any gender. I often simplify my identity to sapphic meaning woman who loves other women or gay meaning person who loves people of the same gender. I am currently in a same-sex relationship and do find both of those definitions to fit as a part of my panromantic identity, even if they don't describe my entire experience.
I'm happy to answer questions about any of the above experiences and hope that my art will help bring awareness and acceptance to us and all minorities.
