Having been a disabled person for most of my life, I’ve long considered myself an outsider. Excused from competitive and recreational sport at school, I would spend the time instead writing and illustrating obscene stories for my own and for select friends’ amusement. My art teachers told me I was rubbish at the subject and, regarding them as authorities, I believed them. I continued to write and draw, however, because I enjoyed it, it amused me, and the stuff I produced made people laugh. Over the years I’ve had a few cartoons and things published in disability arts journals and online forums (as well as serious academic stuff). A few years ago a friend introduced me to acrylics and I have been messing around with them since. I paint absurdly because life is absurd. Being able to see that clearly is one of the best things about being disabled.