Back then - the early 80s - I was spending a lot of time drawing and sketching. I was obsessed with getting the values right and how smoothly I could lay down the lead. I earned the ability with hard work. Not everyone appreciated it though…

The class had an art exhibition (taped the work near the ceiling over our lockers in the hall) and I drew a pretty good portrait of pop singer Corey Hart, complete with his sunglasses. He had rainbow rays of 80s crap emanating from his likeness in the centre. It got the anachronistic equivalant of a bunch of likes and then someone defaced it. My first bitter critique.

I probably cried, and I did repair it, but it didn’t stop me. I got pretty good at drawing hair metal band singers with ballpoint pens during science class in high school.

Drawing is my first love. It took a lot of years to learn that drawing realistic or recognisable subjects wasn’t necessarily “the best” or “real show of aptitude” in art. It’s really freeing when you let go of that damaging mental limitation.