I was born in Galashiels in 1971 and have lived most of my life in Newcastle upon Tyne. I am a Deaf British Sign Language (BSL) user.
I have always dreamt of a career in art, but at school, as a Deaf person, I was told there was no hope for me in that field. I trained as a chef and spent my twenties working in various hot, sweaty and, often, fairly bewildering kitchens – bewildering because of lack of communication.
In my thirties, I realised that my heart was still in art and design. I enrolled at Newcastle College, where I took a BTEC National Diploma in Graphic Design, followed by a Foundation Degree in Animation and Illustration. I graduated in 2005.