I have started a new facebook page for my People Painting business! Come and look and like it here. I’ve been posting pictures of my work, especially those of my own designs such as this lovely glove:

Things are moving on the business front! I am currently studying a Cert 3 in Microbusiness Operations through Learning Potential International as part of the Skills for All program. This course has been designed to help people with some kind of disability to turn a hobby into a home business. I’m learning a lot, making some new friends, and spending a lot of hours thinking and planning my business. There are some areas (paperwork, record keeping, and suchlike) that I’m really struggling with, and others (marketing, social media, customer relations) that I feel a lot more comfortable with and inspired about! We’ve just finished three full days with early mornings and a bit of warm weather and today I am a bit trashed. The next block of  classes isn’t for a fortnight but it will be interesting as I’ll also be starting my college classes for the B. Visual Arts and Design by then too, and this term I’m trialing doing three classes at once which is the most I have ever tried to do since I first became really sick back in 2003. I’m nervous and excited and spending my days off mostly in bed feeling like my skull is shrinking and crushing my brain, and watching episodes of Would I lie to you? on Youtube.

I have two People Painting events booked, I’ve made some great contacts in the local face painting industry, have found an inexpensive class to upskill my one-stroke techniques (I’m not expecting you all to follow that, it’s a body painting thingamy), and I’m also booked in to deliver a (voluntary) presentation about Dissociation and DID to a local group of mental health staff. This all makes me very happy.

On the scary front, I’m just starting a trial of not taking one of the meds I’ve been on for the past ten years, so that my doctor and I can assess how it’s been affecting me and how my illness has progressed in that time. This is rather nerve wracking and may turn out to be wonderful and clear up frustrating side effects, or may leave me curled up in bed crippled with pain. Only one way to find out!

I am hoping to find a Cert IV Training and Assessing course through the Skills for All program later this year to add to my skills base/resume as a Mental Health Peer Worker and Consultant. I’m also keeping my ear to the ground about a proposal by Shine SA to develop a new course about healthy sex/uality specifically for people with a mental illness that sounds very exciting.

The rest of the time, sleep and study are high on the agenda. Looking forward to autumn and cooler weather,  and hoping to find a new and better home for my lovely dog Zoe very soon.