Creating printable art allows me to explore and experiment with all of the mediums I love; photography, illustration, and design. I like to create minimal, geometric and abstract designs, exploring shapes, lines, and patterns, with a tribal, bohemian and earthy feel. I usually stick to a minimal color palette and woodblock style designs, which stem from my love of printmaking. Maori art, mythology, and textiles all have a heavy influence on my work and my style often expresses my New Zealand heritage, albeit in an abstract way.

I know what you are thinking, we are in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, who in their sane mind can think about "entertainment" right now? Well, I can, for starters. You see, once this brutal virus begins to dissolve and the curve begins to flatten, we will be able to embrace life again and I don't know about you but I am going to embrace the freaking heck out of it! Aside from seeing my friends and family and sending my children back to school (and get my full body touch up from eyebrows to a pedicure, of course) I cannot wait to indulge in some fun again. With my husband, children, and even complete strangers, I get giddy with hope when I envision all the things I will get to do again. Things I never thought I would be UNABLE to do. However, with such a immeasurable blow to the economy and society, I do wonder how many of my past pleasures will still be open for business. Of course, the movie theaters will prevail and the local mall's and Targets will be be booming with business once again, but how many of the small-businesses that I adore so much will be able to open their doors again? Que in, Escapology, that's right Escapology the number one escape room game in the world! Sure, this is a globally known franchise, but when it comes to each location, these venues are run by everyday people, locals, who, in this example took a chance by starting a business and bringing a new outlet of fun to our community. Despite their household name, they are indeed still a small businesses facing very large challenges due to Covid-19.

In Egypt, as in many other countries, there are many stray and abandoned cats that roam the streets. While some other countries have plenty of shelters and rescues to help these homeless animals, Egypt has very few resources. This means that huge numbers of cats and kittens wander the streets in despair, many of them suffering an agonizing death from eating rat poison as they rummage through trash in the hope of a morsel of food.

I’ll never forget that humid May afternoon--I’d just finished my freshman year of college, and was in search of a cool summer job. I spoke Spanish, and knew I wanted to keep it up, but the idea of working in a Spanish-speaking environment in central Minnesota seemed a tad bit unrealistic. Sure enough, my dad and I sat down for lunch at Pancho Villa, a local Mexican restaurant in Monticello, Minnesota. We’d drove past it a couple of times, but I never gave it more than a passing glance. Its quaint, Latin American ambience seemed displaced in the primarily gentrified, suburban town surrounding it. It really stuck out, and I knew I’d encountered a gem. Pancho’s manager, Mercy, happily took our order. A short, youthful Ecuadorian woman with a radiant smile, I mustered up the courage to ask her in Spanish if they were hiring servers. Taken aback, she immediately responded. “Puedes empezar mañana a las cuatro?” Asking if I could start the following day at four o’clock. Without hesitation, I meekly responded, “Sí.” The search was over--I got the job.

They grow so fast. That sentence has few different meaning for the company that I am featuring in this article.

My parents have always worked hard since I can remember. My dad is very intelligent man and has multiple expertises like engineering, teaching and computers, plus a lot more. Even though he has dyslexia he still tries hard and pushes himself to do his best. He can be very blunt which is why my mum is so great she balances everything out and is also very smart but more when it comes to writing and the accounts. Together they are the perfect team. I’m on the autistic spectrum, got okay grades at school but in class education never suited me. Didn’t have any friends growing up. Tried couple apprenticeship but the first apprenticeship ended up being scrapped by the company and the 2nd didn’t work out. My parents asked me if I wanted a job with there new business. I won’t lie didn’t think they were serious but fast forward to January 2015 the arena was built by all of us by hand and we were opening to the public . Since opening we have had good months and bad months like any business but my parents always found a way to keep it going. My sisters have worked for my parents to pay for university and my uncle now works for the company because he hated his old job. My husband who I met through my parents company also works for the company but as a gun engineer. By opening this business we have made parents feel better about there child’s hobbie because we explain and show parents what it’s all about. Younger kids love nerf it’s a club they can do after school or as a birthday party. Even scouts, beavers and cubs comes to us for there Christmas or Easter party. It’s different there isn’t an indoor arena around our area. My kids have grown up at the arena and me and my husband want to keep the family business going in the future then pass it down to our children. We want to expand, the business has so much more to offer we just need the funding. Covid19 could be the end of us unfortunately which will upset mums, dads and children. My parents hard work will be ruined. I’m doing everything I can think of to keep business going. That is why all money I make goes to my parents business. We have some boot sale items we are currently trying to sell on the company eBay and guns on prefired that are being sold at discount price. Unfortunately we can trade online at the moment but we still trying to come up with ways to make money for the business. Money would also go onto advertising so people know to come to us when we are back up and running. The website is still viewable ready for when we re open and start taking orders online again. We are also in process of trying to upgrade the arena to make it fresher and new for our regular players. Obviously an upgrade isn’t cheap so every penny helps. Loads of small businesses are struggling it’s just personally for me and lot of other people involved. A lot our children who have some sort of learning disability or mental health will also struggle if the company goes under as it’s a release for them and to see or make friends. Promoting gun safety is a big deal for us and hopefully prevent as much gun crime and accidents in future. Guns are not dangerous people are. It’s no different to learning boxing or archery. Any thing can kill if you want it to. I hope you consider my parents business as it’s unique to the area and means a lot to different people for different reasons.

I have written a few things around this subject as its what's on every bodies mind at present. Also though I am a key worker, promoted from low paid nobody to apprentice superhero in recent weeks. I am still low paid though I hope a positive to come from all this is how important some groups can be. I am reasonably well qualified with in the care sector but at present I am barely above minimum wage. The care industry as a whole is notoriously badly paid. I have said many times its a vocation and not a regular job, you need to want to do it as you wont get rich.

In light of everything, we try to take care of ourselves and help others. Bonds are developed even in business levels. We care about our associates and friends as economy pauses for health reasons. You cannot help but wonder what will happen to them. Do I realize how they will support us?

I'm laying in my pitch black room, well before my 4:45am alarm. This is the worst because at this point it's just me getting into my head. I'm just dreading to hear that alarm go off because that means it's time for work. I'm at the point where I really hate going to this job and for anyone, that's not a good thing. Like most people, I can't just quit. I have bills to pay and the money is good for someone in my position.

Poetry will be the main theme of what I write on my page. But every once in a while, I will talk about mental health. My journey to me is strange to describe. I'm always middle of the road on so many things: middle of politics, middle of intro/extraversion spectrum, middle of hot and cold(Autumn: my favorite). Basically, I hear the ends of the spectrum and it is always a mixture of the two.

No doubt, a ripple often starts from the smallest part of the ocean, but once generated, the entire face of the water gets a share of it!