I have to admit to being a bit of a late-comer to the art world! I was a shy, socially awkward child (and adult) and unwanting to draw attention to myself and so when I kept hearing about how good I was at scribbling down the products of my active imagination, I started to worry that it might stir expectation in me from those scary adults. At the time I was quite happy to just be doodling the Pink Panther in various scenes of my sister's nativity books (sorry, sis - though it was fun giving the three wise men a more anthropomorphic twist to their tale) but when I started hearing about how I was no doubt going to be a famous artist one day, I suddenly wanted to do anything but.   Somewhere around the around of 20 my interest in being an artist started to pick up again. I'd spent the preceding decade mostly gawping at the awesome talent in British Sci-Fi comic 2000AD, in particular a beautiful strip called Mazeworld by Arthur Ranson. I suddenly wanted to draw again, having not picked up a pencil since leaving school where I failed the dizzy-heighted A* expectations of my art teacher with a measly B+. I spent a few years taking little commissions here and there that I'd found in dark corners of the web until, at the age of 25, I decided it was time to make a decision - either have a genuine, full-hearted go at making a living out of this or keeping it as a hobby that I'd probably always hate myself for not even trying to take further. It's hardly a choice when you think of it in those terms, is it? So, I quit my part-time job and enrolled on a Degree course that was starting in two weeks, took out a huge loan to pay for the entry fee and substantial equipment list and jumped head first into a new life that, I have to admit, was absolutely terrifying to begin with! But the plus side was that I wouldn't have made as good a use of the time as a teen than I did as a 'mature student' (though I still spent the odd afternoon whizzing around on wheely chairs so don't take that 'mature' part too literally). I was very productive in my time on the course and, if I'm honest, I'm sure I probably turned in more work than most as, for some god-forsaken reason, I decided to launch the first in my stress-increasing projects called 100 Days of Art. As the name suggests, the project consisted of me creating a brand new, fully-coloured piece of artwork and putting it on the web every day for a 100 day period. I won't lie; although it was an immensley useful thing to do (the progression and development of my style over this 100-day period is quite significant), it was an absolute nightmare on some days and I don't know how I managed to balance it with my Uni work (nor how I managed to have any friends on the course, they must have hated me, coming in with reems of new work every week!). But, I got through it and also found myself accepted into a juried annual put out by the Association of Illustrators, The Best of British Illustration 2010, (more commonly called 'Images 34', though the subtitle sounds more impressive..). This was a significant moment in my yet-to-start career at that point as my tutor had told me that inclusion brought with it a level of validation for clients and although I never recieved any jobs directly, I'm convinced that having that on my CV played a big part in getting an agent in 2011.   After graduating with a Distinction (which did come as a surprise as, although my workrate was impressive, essay-writing was far from my strong point!) and finding myself suddenly without any work, I decided to pass the time with Another 100 Days of Art which proved to be even more tortuous than the first but was equally rewarding in the end. One image that I drew in particular, a Simpsons parody of Army of Darkness, picked up a few thousand reposts and began to spread around the internet. It doesn't mean anything in terms of bringing in any work, but I have on the odd occasion spoken to someone who's seen the picture before knowing it was me that drew it which is pretty cool! (I also had Bruce Campbell, the star of Army of Darkness, tweet the picture recently which was like geek heaven!)   As I sit here now, aged 27, I'm still someway off achieving that 'famous artist' dream but I have somehow gotten into the enviable position of being paid to sit in my house and draw all day. I can even do it all in my pants, if I wish... though, let's be honest, it's a bit chilly around here more often than not. But still, having spent years in my teens wearing awful uniforms, the choice is nice.