People ask me what I do and it's really hard to answer in a short space but I seem to make the most of what life throws at me.
I've had about 30-odd jobs and somehow carved a career as a graphic designer and have amassed a huge portfolio over the years, which is linked in the projects page, if you're interested.
Due to my mental health (diagnosed ADHD and Cyclothymia/Bipolar) and lately physical health, I've found it really difficult to work in regular employment.
So to keep my crazy mind busy over the last few years I've been working and volunteering in the mental health sector with a particular focus on
suicide prevention.
I am not an expert at anything and all opinions are my own, but I hope by sharing my views and experiences that I can help other people survive and even thrive.
I founded and lead this group to represent three organisations who have been set up in memory of three young men who took their lives after taking cocaine and alcohol together. For more about this work go to:
A small local leaflet campaign I set up in 2019 aimed at preventing suicide in young men. The leaflet got delayed due to covid but I published a website and a shared video we created and in 2021 the leaflet was published: www.seesaysignpost.info
I am a co-director of the independent service user engagement forum set up by my colleague and friend Sharon Phillips who has served on the Cwm Taf and National forums for over 8 years.
We hope to become a driving force in mental health service user involvement and continue to inspire positive changes to public and third sector services through our engagement with other people with lived experience.
Recently elected after serving 5 years + on the forum as a service user representative.
![vecteezyactivism-suicide-landing-pageep0621 [Converted].jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/792d4a_848593578e9d496ba3955a2cc670e8fc~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_88,h_56,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/vecteezyactivism-suicide-landing-pageep0621%20%5BConverted%5D.jpg)
This was set up after I published Mindarium Magazine in 2018 to help share lived experience stories and inspire hope and improve communication for other people in my community. Website in development.
I left school aged 16 with a handful of CSEs and amongst a few jobs I tried, I took a shine to typesetting at my local paper in 1988. Without any higher education, just learning on various jobs, I seemed to have a 'flair' and ability for desktop publishing. In 2011 I was accepted on the Masters course in Graphic Communication at the University of Glamorgan based on the content of my portfolio. I now feel able to call myself a commercial graphic designer.
