I'm an in-lens abstract artisan & wily-wise wordsmith. I'm currently preparing for my first solo fine art exhibition in April 2016.

As an adult survivor of childhood sexual abuse, I have rarely felt in control of my own circumstances. After years of illness due to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) I finally came out as a survivor in 2013. I then gave evidence to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in 2015. This has been central in my recovery from childhood trauma, enabled me to return to my original calling as an artist as well as taking on a leadership role in speaking publicly about child emotional, physical & sexual abuse, & the lifelong impact adult survivors experience.

I have regularly experienced mental health issues as a result, impacting upon every area of life from breaking links with dysfunctional family in my early teens to a lack of opportunities & circumstances many people take for granted: . education opportunities, continuous employment, housing security, social inclusion, healthy relationships & financial security . Whilst I have worked successfully - in social justice roles, campaigning on issues affecting my life from gay law reform, adequate HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment funding, disability discrimination legal advocacy, sexual offences law reform, community and organisational development, and alternative dispute resolution - these intense roles and successes took a toll on my mental health. They were also separated by periods of debilitating illness, a cycle that stymied opportunities to become financially independent.

It is my hope my story as told here & in my first solo exhibition might inspire others to act. If as a result just one victim / survivor seeks help, speaks out & reclaims their life journey - then the whole campaign will have been worthwhile.

Whilst I could speak to the injustices of my past at some length, I'm now focused on my recovery & my continued self-employment & future financial independence. This first solo exhibition and crowdfunding campaign is the starting point for this journey with many more milestones to come.

https://www.generosity.com/fundraising/a-survivor-s-journey-my-1st-solo-art-exhibition/x/13192707

https://australianculturalfund.org.au/projects/a-survivors-journey-to-abstraction-early-emerging-and-new-photography/