2014 — The Art Journal Group
I stumbled across an online art journal group in June of 2014, that shall not be named (because it still exists). I'd recently tried to begin a certificate in graphic design, but the timing fell through, and I needed an outlet for the reawakened art drive.
In hindsight, my impulsive choice to take part in a weekly art journal challenge makes perfect sense: it fit into my small (!) apartment; I already had everything I needed to do it; and the entire year of 2014 was about stepping carefully from one rock to another, so as to not fall into the dark river of depression.
At the time, though, I had a lot of angst about it (of course). I had never considered myself the “art journal” type, and frankly that was down to doubt about my talent.
I felt amazed that these pages came from myself, in just a few days' work.
Over the next five months, essentially I built an alternate identity for myself from within the gloom. It was instrumental in taking the steps I took in the following years.