As part of our International Day of the Girl Campaign, we’ve invited many amazing women to share their experiences of girlhood with guest blogs. Positive role modelling is an important part of building and maintaining girls’ confidence in themselves.
You can take part in the campaign by donating through The Big Give, now through 18 October, all donations will be doubled.
But first, m
eet today’s guest blogger, Jessica Martin, actress, artist and author.
I had big dreams from the earliest age I can remember. I loved singing, acting and drawing.
When I was about eleven I was made aware that not everyone is pleased about your hopes and wishes. After being in a school play, I found myself being bullied for a while.
It was very upsetting but it did not deter me.
I later understood that the bully was very unhappy and frustrated about whatever was going on in her world.
To see someone looking as if they are free from care and confident – although that was not the case, I had plenty of insecurities – must have been triggering.
Luckily, I had a supportive loving family.
My father was a jazz musician, so I knew that it was possible to earn a living in an artistic field. I eventually grew up to realise many of my ambitions.
I am to this day, a professional actress and singer, and ten years ago I started writing and drawing comics and graphic novels.
I wrote and illustrated a book about my life, ‘Life Drawing. A Life Under Lights’.
My motto in life is ‘conceive, believe, achieve’, which my daughter had printed on a mug for me. I have passed on my belief that when you think right anything is achievable in life, to my two children.
I hope that you can be loving to yourself and encourage your dreams to grow into a beautiful tree.
Thank you to Jessica for sharing your story of girlhood. We hope all women reading this will join in by sharing their stories and advice on our virtual wall.
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