Damo

First server anxiety attack

Wednesday 5th Jul I remember this like it was yesterday. Share

Anxiety at 13.

Monday 17th Apr My recollection of experiencing anxiety came at a very young age, but the one experience that stood out the most was this one. I struggled to fit at school amongst my peers. I drifted between the jocks, nerds, punks and surfers but always feeling like the misfit. Most of my report cards read, “Darren could achieve more if he was more focused and less disruptive.” I often tried hard to impress those around me to gain their approval. This one evening on our way to a blue light disco a mate and I acquired a 750ml bottle of vodka. I’d never drank before this evening. We sat in a dark alley way drinking it straight having no idea how much we could drink safely. I drank 3/4 of the bottle with no idea what was to come once it was gone. We made our way to the disco, I only made it to the stairs of the front door and don’t remember a thing after that. I was lucky the event was being run by the police. I became violently ill and was driven to Gosford hospital in the back of a paddy wagon. My next recollection was waking in the hospital with tubes protruding from my nose - I’d had my stomach pumped. There I laid looking up at my parents in shame and immense guilt. It was a moment in my life that I wasn’t proud of, but it was also a turning point for me as a child. I recognised the path a few of my close friends where walking and it was one I didn’t want to walk. A few of those kids didn’t live to see their 30th birthdays. Share

Why

Sunday 9th Apr I attended the funeral of a close mate at the age of 18, he lost his battle to mental health in complete silence. Since then I've attended 3 more funerals in the same manner, the last one was 3 months ago. I'm hoping that my artworks and this very blog will enable others to seek the support and help they need, or to inspire more to speak up about their experiences and how they have overcome them. Mental health needs to be at the forefront of every society, allowing our children to feel safe about expressing their own emotions rather than bottling them up until it's too late. Later on I will share my own stories on my struggels with anxiety and depression. 
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Who am I

Friday 24th Mar Born in Muswellbrook in 1971 moved to Narara on the central coast of NSW at the age of 1. I have lived on the central coast my whole life. Finished high school and entered the arts industry studying graphic reproduction. After completing my trade I bought a one way ticket to Egypt. I spent the next 11 months bumming through the middle East, Eastern Europe, Western Europe and India. Returning home in 1996 I entered the publishing game working as a graphic artist for the next 7 years. During that time I married and we had a daughter who is now 19 and studying zoology at Armidale uni. Share

Be the change against mental health

Wednesday 22nd Mar Damo was my cousin, he was an artist, musician, skateboarder and a all time beautiful man. He was a quite man, but well liked many people. Damo had many talents but he never boasted about any of them. One of his greatest was skateboarding. One of my fondest memories was seeing him fearlessly launch of a flight of stairs at the ripe age of 13 and elegantly slide down a hand rail. Share