Nathan
Fergus, Ontario
Creator for the Reconnecting Ontario Project
July 2021
About Nathan
“My favourite thing to do is to make art and to do illustration. It’s such a real fun pastime for me and I’ve been doing it for the past 10 years.”
My favourite things
“My name is Nathan and my favourite thing to do is make art and to do illustrations.”
“I’ve always had a really big interest in art and doodling. I doodled all over my math papers in school as a kid. When I became a teenager, I was looking for a mentor and I found one named Meredith. She helped teach me painting, and she got me into using colour more in my art and use a wider variety of styles.”
“It was just really fun and it peaked my curiosity, and I just kept making art since then, really.”
A bit more about me
“I’m a compassionate and kind person! I love talking about my art and illustration. And I love talking about movies.”
“Being disabled, I also have certain needs. And I try to speak openly about that with my friends. When a person has a disability, they really have to learn a lot about themselves. I mean everyone should. But I have to really learn about myself and learn what’s good for me and what’s not good for me.”
“And I think because of that, it’s important to listen to people when they’re being honest and being vulnerable about themselves.”
“It’s important to be welcoming. And understanding. We should appreciate other people talking openly about their vulnerabilities and what’s affecting them."
Importance of community
“I’ve always loved the concept of community. Over this year, I’ve really thought about how much it meant to me. I’ve started to realize how much I’m grateful for face-to-face conversations in life."
“I love talking to people. And while I do love using social media, I just don’t find it as satisfying as a face-to-face conversations.”
“Community is like a lot of people being authentic and lowering their walls, and being authentic without fear of being harm or judged. It’s always so amazing and fascinating. It’s the energy within community groups that’s just so wonderful.”
About my Postcard
"It was neat coming out of my comfort zone and just trying something new. It was just a lot of growth for me in that respect.”
Let’s Connect Postcard
“So much of the card is inspired by going to the coffee nook with JOE at the medical centre. It was so great going there. And just being there for people. We met a wide variety of people too. I Remember someone telling me once that even just the smell of coffee there really brightened people’s day.”
“I just love drawing cute animals. And I just love what they represent. It was going to originally be a simple sketch. But I just went overboard because when I start drawing I just didn’t stop. It’s an image of a dog working at the actual JOE stand and handing out a cookie to a bird in a wheelchair. To me it represents community.”
To people who receive my postcard
“You are good enough. You’re worthy. And you deserve to be loved.”
“You should be proud of yourself for making it through this pandemic. It’s important to love yourself and validate yourself.”
“You matter.”