It's always hard to know where to begin with journals. But I'm happy to be here even though my gallery is small and I'm dissatisfied with every piece I post. (Hey, but I'm posting!)

Art and me have always had a complex relationship. I remember drawing these stories for my parents from the moment I could lift a crayon and I liked building armies of creatures out of my play-do set.

My mother is an artist - she paints exquisite oil pieces that cover entire walls - and she encouraged me to develop my skills. But others would look at my very different art abilities/interests and go "Maybe one day you can be like your mother" except of course, that was not what I wanted to be at all. So as I grew older, my drawings trickled to nothing.

When I entered university, I pursued an art degree for my first year - but I think that was mostly to anger my father who wanted me to be an engineer. There, they told me that I needed to do "serious" art (whatever that is) and again, I found myself discouraged. I've doodled sporadically since then but it's been a lingering ache in the back of my mind. I'd pretty much given up on that trajectory in life.

A couple of months ago, a friend contacted me, wanting to put together an ongoing comic where I would be the artist. I jumped on it (he's a wonderful writer) and here I am. I'm doing what I can to improve my technique and find my own style. We're hoping to launch the web comic later this year. It may never pay the bills but it makes me happy - and I think that's what counts.

Storytelling is where my heart is.