I have multiple things that get me through life, many things, but I’m just gonna limit them down to things I do most often.

• Drawing
• Writing
• Listening to music

I’m only gonna do three or else I’d be here all day, and then all day turns into a week and all week turns into all month and then all month turns into one year and now you get the pattern, okay I’m gonna get to the actual assignment now.

Drawing

I have been drawing, as a hobby/pastime/coping mechanism, since the fourth grade. I got really into Pixar, and wanted to work there. As time went on, my ideas of a career changed, but I still LOVE to draw. When I was in eighth grade, my older sister recommended that I write and illustrate a graphic novel. Luckily during that time, I had made an OC (original character) and a whole story line that was fresh and new. I’m still working on that one, but first, I’m working on a tester graphic novel. I wanted to do more of it over the summer, but I had a lot of other things going on like driving lessons. A good chunk of the time, whenever I needed a break from reality, I would go straight to drawing on my ipad. I could draw for hours on end, until recently. I just say I have art block, but I haven’t drawn in a while like I used to. You’d think I’d be drawing 24/7 over the summer, however that wasn’t the case. Actually, I haven’t drawn at all over the summer. Maybe that’s why I got a good case of summertime sadness? I don’t know, but I’m gonna get back into it. I was able to do a drawing the other day, and it took my mind off of things for a while. 

Writing

This one goes well when I draw. Writing stories of people who aren’t real, but only in my head, help me get through challenges. When I write or think of an idea for a graphic novel/movie/Tv/play/etc, everything that bothered me is gone. I got into this when I was in fourth grade, along with drawing. I would dissociate and just think of these storylines and these characters. One time, I was in the bathroom for three hours because of one of them and I loved it. I was plotting the entire story from start to finish in complete detail while just walking in a circle in my bathroom and then out of nowhere I’m back to reality and I find out I was in the bathroom for three hours. When I write, I have control, it’s the only thing I have control over in my life, and that’s fine. I’ve been trying to write a graphic novel over the summer, but unfortunately, I couldn’t get to it because of a lot of other factors, most of which weren’t in my control, so I want to get on with other factors that get in the way. I really love making these stories, I love that when I do this, everything is out of the way, nothing can bother me. 

Listening to music

One last thing that gets me through my challenges is listening to music. When I listen to music, it involves a wide variety. Sometimes, I listen to 90’s grunge, alternative, pop, 70’s-80’s glam rock, etc. Similar to when I write, I walk around in a circle and listen to music and then tune out reality. It hits super hard and good when I’m home alone. It feels great when I’m home alone listening to music because I know that nothing can take me out of that void that divorces me from what’s actually happening and what’s actually going on in life, especially my life. I got into this when I hit a really bad stump in my life when I was in middle school. I was listening to Nirvana, MCR (My Chemical Romance) Nirvana, Green Day, Nirvana, basically I was coping with rock music and then that stemmed into a wider variety. It all just helps me tune out the rotten stuff that’s in this world.

Drawing, Writing and music get me through challenges. When I hit a challenge in life, like when I feel anxious or I need to get my mind off of things or I just don’t wanna hear what’s going on down stairs, I just turn to one of these, sometimes I combine them. It feels good, and I love it.