My Declaration Of Independence.

I am not governed by a foreign power; I am self-governed.

I am as free as I can be from the control of others.

I am influenced by love and beauty, kindness and compassion, yearning and striving.

I am self-reliant – an independent mind that cannot be reigned in, repressed or shape-shifted to please the status quo.

I do not depend on someone else to decide whether or not, I can express my voice in the world.

I am not determined by fashion – not the next J.K. Rowling – not trying to write the next Fifty One Shades Of Lighter Grey.

I am not determined by the outcome of statistics or the result of a study, or the promise of a guaranteed 5,000 advance sales.

I will not be watered down, nor have my chocolate sweetened.

I am cocoa, Marmite, chilli and garlic ~ an Independent Artist, Writer or Publisher who creates – simply because I can. I must. I will die if I don’t.

I am poor for my art but rich in my soul.  I cannot DO anything other than express the inner urgings of my vision. I am driven, living in wait for that one person able to recognise that what I create has merit. I crave recognition that will, for a moment, exalt the beauty that’s in me. Then I shall no longer hide for fear of derision or being left exposed, naked and alone.

But if I never receive your acknowledgement, I will not falter.  I will remain the bastard child and grow thin waiting for that which nourishes my soul – that golden patronage that stands against the sky and says, “I see you. I see what you are doing. You are the new adventure, the subversive, pure of voice untainted by the fickleness of the board (bored) room. You interfere with the syntax. You interrupt the narrative. You punctuate like a Jazz Drummer. You make me think, feel, wonder anew. You break the rules ~ because you can ~ because you must. It is your destiny. ”

I am an independent artist ~ harder on myself than others ever could  be, working hard day and night sending my voice out into the wilderness.