Pamela Sutherland Staff, Graduate Studies, Faculty of Agriculture Everybody has a story and mine had some not-so-awesome stuff in it as a lot of people have. I wouldn’t change it because it made me who I am now. You should see the cartoons that I draw. I’ve been doing it since I was probably 13. I’ve always been that way. I draw the most amazing cartoons — like stick people. But I’m telling you, they’re amazing. So funny and custom. When my bro in-law was in Afghanistan, I would draw them for him. Whenever there’s an occasion, I say to myself, I gotta draw this out. I’ve always just been kind of special and unique. I’ve always been a little different. I don’t know why… youngest child maybe. I have so much fun with myself. I entertain myself, sit there, draw a cartoon and be there in stitches by myself. Woodworking is pure bliss. It is a total escape. I enjoy the craft, the making of it. So it’s not that I’m doing it to get to the final result. From the time I take a piece of wood until the very end — the whole process I just love. It is a total outlet for me. When I’m in my shop and I’m creating, I’m floating. I’m literally floating. It’s seriously the happiest that I feel — ever. When I’m out there and I’m creating, I feel like I’m weightless. I feel nothing but happy. Light is the only way to describe it. People say, this is your hobby. It’s so much more than a hobby to me. It’s who I am. If I didn’t have it, I’d be lost. I can’t imagine not having the space and the ability to go and make. If I didn’t do it, I’d feel a bit empty. If I’m at a store looking for something I can’t find and I ask for help at the front desk, they automatically assume that it’s not for me, that it’s for my husband. Or they assume that I’m making a little craft or a Pinterest project. I want people to know that it’s not just a little craft — I can’t stand that. If I say that it’s my second full-time job, people think I do it a lot. It’s my passion. 100 per cent.I guess, I have a lot of self confidence issues, anxiety — that all held me back. This has totally opened me up. And here I am sitting here with you – before, I would say no thanks. I was so afraid of what people thought and was seeking acceptance. That’s who I was before and now I feel, take it or leave it. In the past year, I’ve just totally changed as a person. As I started putting myself out there and pushing myself to do more things, I stopped caring about whether people were accepting me. I’ve made a conscious effort to try not to care about what other people think so I can push myself harder. I put my headphones, get good music going and it’s such a free feeling. I hope that I can do what I want to do and not worry about what the outcome is. If I’m happy, that’s really all that I want. I don’t have any bucket-list plans that need to be done, I would just want to be truly happy. This is the year of throwing myself to the wolves. I’m just going to throw myself out there and see what happens. ← Abdirahman ↑ Home Rob →
