Salem, 21, He/They/It is a queer disabled self taught artist who specializes in digital art.
They enjoy dark color pallets along with drawing and designing characters. He has been learning how to sew and make political patches. They have also been having a rough patch with art lately and what it means to him. It’s been hard for them to feel joy right now, and it has probably been the same for other queer people. Making something so meaningful to them felt scary and he procrastinated it a lot.
“I’ve done intentional healing this year and made a lot of progress in caring for myself, things I never thought I’d live to do. Being authentic to myself and my gender identity was the best thing 12 year old me could’ve done, and yes it’s taken me quite some time to find the right fit but being who you truly are shouldn’t be taken for granted.
This piece is for past me as well as future me, I hope to get gender affirming surgery and stay on hormones because both those things are so important. Gender affirming care changed my life for the better, and of course I still have hard days where I don’t think things will improve. But hormones have helped me feel like myself and I think the little kid inside me is healing too.
To any younger queer people who are scared I see you, you are loved.
To anyone struggling to do daily things or just live, I see you too, you are amazing.”
