Things people have commented as they have walked past my stall where I display my body line art:

"Dad'll like that" - says a middle age woman about her father.. gross?.. This has actually happened on a few different occasions.. and on one occasion they bought the print. Could I have refused the sale? Yes.. but it was quite a slow market and I wanted the £15.

"Oh naked ladies or donuts how can I choose" - says a man, probably aged 50 as he stands at my booth looking at my art about body autonomy next to an illustration of a donut stall. You're right sir, they are both the same thing.

"Kind of ironic selling a print of your body whilst trying to say 'my body is mine'" Says a young man as he and his girlfriend walk past my stall. The look on his face was smug and amused, as if he had just found the plot hole in feminism. The look on his girlfriends face showed she was reconsidering her choice in partners.

"ahah that's me" people say as they walk past my 'Roll With Me' print, as if they are making some sort of self deprecating comment. Little do they know, that print is literally me- the young woman sat across from them. I made that illustration by putting on a bikini sitting in a natural way that shows my body rolls, taking a photo and then tracing over the photo. So don't worry folks, if that 'is you' that's, okay. Because that is what a lot of bodies actually look like, including mine.

When I first shared my my body line art series on instagram I was terrified. It felt a bit like I was sharing nudes with the internet. I messaged my friends before hand asking them if they could tell it was my body in the illustrations.

I was nervous my boyfriend of the time would be embarrassed or mad. Boy am I glad I pushed those feelings aside. Ladies, please never silence your voice for the sake of a boy.

I have now spent three years sat at busy markets with these 'nudes' right in front of me for the public to goggle at and place their opinions on.

Definitely thickens the skin a bit.

These prints scared the hell out of me when I first shared them but I did it anyway because I felt the words mattered. What upsets me is that these prints are now taking on a whole new meaning.

When I released 'My Body is Mine' in 2022 I wasn't even thinking about abortion rights. It was made in response to past experiences of SA. A few months later Roe vs Wade was overturned in the US.

We live in a world where men are selling t shirts saying 'your body, my choice'. We live in a world where I had to serve two grown men sat at my bar as they discussed how 'consent culture has gone too far nowadays'. We live in a world where policies about women's bodies are being made by men and trans bodies are being made by cisgendered people.

If I was quicker to respond to the boy that thought it was ironic of me to be selling these prints. I probably would have told him that just because he can buy a piece of art with a depiction of my body on it, doesn't take away any of my bodily autonomy. Just because he can look at my body, doesn't give him any claim to it. I'd also probably have told him to piss off. Sadly, I wasn't so quick witted and said nothing.

The quote up above is by Paula Rego, one of the great artists of the 20th century. She was never afraid to share exactly what was going on in her work- depicting injustice, sexual violence and even the facist regime in which she was living under.

After a 1998 referendum to legalise abortion in Portugal failed, Rego created the Abortion series. A real and painful depiction of illegal abortions. The series was considered to contribute to the changing public view, leading to the 2007 referendum passing.

Isn't it a shame that these rights still aren't given across the world? That they have since been taken away in countries where we thought they were enshrined?

Isn't it a shame how many people relate to my print about body autonomy, shouldn't the words 'my body body is mine' be an obvious statement? Isn't it a shame how many women look at my drawing of my body rolls and think that it is some how an insult if their body looks similar?

Art is powerful and important. My long term hope with my art is not just to make pretty creations, but to turn a few heads even if it is on a small scale. I hope I can be brave enough to continue sharing my voice through pictures.

I've covered a lot of negatives in this newsletter. It definitely hasn't all been that when it comes to these prints. I'd like to finish on the lovely anecdote of a woman that bought 'Mine'. At the next market she came up to me to tell me how it is hanging in her foyer so that whenever she brings a date home the first thing he sees is that print. One women refused to pay the price given, instead gave me £5 extra. 

I love having these prints in front of me because they have also sparked so many lovely conversations with strangers. The words I wrote take on their own meaning for everyone that reads them. Whilst I slightly wish that the family above didn't buy one for their creepy dad, I feel truly fulfilled by every other sale I get.

To wrap things up - art is a powerful way to use your voice.