I am in my new studio by the window. On the mantlepiece is a portrait I'm working on of my daughter Daisy. I posed myself as naturally as possible to reveal my authentic self to the viewer. I've titled the portrait 'Myself-Portrait' as I've been undergoing a period of deep introspection over the last 18 months to tackle mental health issues relating to my young adult life. Having recently been through a very dark period I feel as if I have succeeded in understanding myself better, which has allowed me to deal with a lot of the pain from my past. It is as if a light has come on where there was darkness. The light streaming through the window represents this and the portrait as a whole represents a new authentic me that is recovering from my troubled past. The portrait of my daughter Daisy is important because it is for my children that I found the courage to finally tackle my mental health issues.