“You sound like you’re sucking on a helium balloon.”
anomaly/anomaly
by anomaly
3y ago
The title of this blog also happens to be a comment I received from a new contact I’d made through work and had been working with over email for a few months before virtually ‘meeting’ them for the first time on a video call. I mean, the guy was absolutely 100% correct, I did sound like a children’s entertainer or Stuart Little. My voice on that particular day wasn’t that bad, it was better than it had been and my words were at least audible but they changed in pitch and were unpredictable. They certainly didn’t sound like what my ‘normal’ voice sounds like in my head, especially whe ..read more
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Bonfire Night Black Peas
anomaly/anomaly
by anomaly
3y ago
Now for something a little different: distracting myself from the world by writing about my favourite Autumnal tradition on Bonfire Night. Scroll down for the first of many collaborations with talented illustrator Emily Maud who created an incredible image of the scene based on my words. My Mum introduced me to the autumnal Lancashire delicacy of black peas. I can remember being around 7 or 8 and it was Bonfire Night. There was a cool, crisp bite in the air and a sense of anticipation building as we huddled together in a field waiting for fireworks. I was kitted out under strict instruction to ..read more
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“You sound like you’re sucking on a helium balloon.”
anomaly/anomaly
by anomaly
3y ago
The title of this blog also happens to be a comment I received from a new contact I’d made through work and had been working with over email for a few months before virtually ‘meeting’ them for the first time on a video call. I mean, the guy was absolutely 100% correct, I did sound like a children’s entertainer or Stuart Little. My voice on that particular day wasn’t that bad, it was better than it had been and my words were at least audible but they changed in pitched and were unpredictable. They certainly didn’t sound like what my ‘normal’ voice sounds like in my head, especially when verbal ..read more
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Ticking the boxes
anomaly/anomaly
by anomaly
4y ago
I wrote this a couple of months as a submission for Issue 5 of the incredible Drawn Poorly Zine. Drawn Poorly is a Manchester-based project providing arts opportunities focused on chronic illness, disability and mental health conditions. Issue 5 invited people to submit words, art and photography that explored the theme of “FOMO” Fear Of Missing Out. Drawn Poorly is keen for access for all chronic conditions, disability and mental health conditions to be considered for everything. Their mission is to continue honest and important dialogues about chronic illness, disability and mental health t ..read more
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Abrasion
anomaly/anomaly
by anomaly
4y ago
I wrote this essay-style post as a submission for a zine. It wasn’t quite the right fit for them but it’s a response to the theme of ‘abrasion’ as it relates to the body and mind. Abrasion as a pain, a wound, friction, the scraping away of skin, a spot of raw flesh, a badly healed scar, a surgical incision site, a scab, exposure, a trauma. Can an experience be abrasive? Can a relationship? Can an invisible illness inflict a type of emotional abrasion; a tension felt inside, a process that grinds and erodes? Can an abrasion be confronted, articulated, overcome? If not, why? — I am famili ..read more
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It’s a mixed bag | SICK ZINE
anomaly/anomaly
by anomaly
5y ago
I was lucky enough to have a short submission to SICK ZINE accepted, see below for a scanned entry the full version of the entire zine will be available online shortly and I’ll post the link. This was part of a project led by Lara Plavčak during a zine residency at Fish Factory in Cornwall. Brief below: Going through any illness can be a solitary experience of feeling powerless and misunderstood by doctors, family, and society. Facing your limitations and establishing new perspectives can be as much of a stressful factor as coming to terms with your diagnosis. That is, if you are ‘lucky ..read more
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Summer sunflowers
anomaly/anomaly
by anomaly
5y ago
I really like sunflowers. Compared to most plants, I like to think sunflowers are pretty ambitious. They come out about once a year and are capable of growing up to 300cm – that’s nearly double my height. Aside from the thrill of cultivating some wild cress heads with my class mates in primary school, I can’t think of another plant that is naturally so fiercely competitive. Sunflowers can keep even the most hyperactive of 5 year olds occupied over the summer months with annual ‘sunflower growing competitions.’ They’re also pretty cheery to look at. My love of sunflowers can be traced all t ..read more
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Mind the gap
anomaly/anomaly
by anomaly
5y ago
In the same way our ‘shoulder bone is connected to the neck bone’ and our ‘neck bone is connected to the head bone,’ the physical symptoms of any condition are linked to our mental wellbeing. Our minds are connected to our bodies and physical health has huge ramifications on our emotional state and vice versa. There are so many ways to describe how we think and feel; our mood and sense of self fluctuates depending on so many factors. Nothing is constant about our bodies and we’re pretty much always in a state of flux. To account for this, we’re often asked by our friends, colleagues and clinic ..read more
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Voice and identity
anomaly/anomaly
by anomaly
5y ago
Pretty much everyone cringes when they hear recorded versions of their voice. It’s hugely different to how it sounds in your mind. My voice has always sounded ‘normal’ to me. It’s been steady and regular and it’s developed alongside my vocabulary and life experience. Speaking objectively, my voice is a little higher than average. It’s laced with northern undertones which places me within the community I grew up. Other than when I’ve been forced to do some public speaking, I take my voice for granted. It’s natural, it’s consistent and I don’t have to think about it. It’s almost a reflex, just l ..read more
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