I’ve been drawing since I was a kid, however, I didn’t REALLY start drawing til 2015. Currently I’ve been in IMU (solitary confinement) since August 2025 with no real contact with the outside world and don’t know when I’ll get out. Being in solitary confinement is tough on its own, but knowing I have art as a weapon to combat poor mental health, loneliness and just being bored should be a comfort, right… sadly it’s not. This is due to the restrictions we are placed under while in solitary. To put it mildly, they could care less. They think “you did what you did to get in there, so deal with it.” For me dealing with it comes in the form of my art. Supplies are, well, less than limited, but I have been lucky to have been able to put my creative mind to work and make paint, well kind of.
For me, what it comes down to is growth, trying, never giving up what makes you you and not being afraid to try something new and fail at it. Every step forward is a step in the direction of growth.
I was sitting there looking at the materials I had, which were two black ink pens, lotion, toothpaste, and vaseline lip therapy (chap stick). Now mind you, I didn’t think for a minute this would work but I said what else do I have to do? So through some trial and error I figured out I could use vaseline to blend the wet ink. I then thought, can I build my layers or would the ink just sit on top of the vaseline? After working with it for a minute or two, I figured out that if I blended the ink (with home made blenders aka rolled up paper) and the vaseline, I could use more ink with my blender - kinda like a paint brush. To my surprise, this more or less worked, however, anyone who has worked with ink knows it’s pretty unforgiving.
I did two drawings like this. The first was an elephant, this one didn’t turn out too bad, but my second was this zombie skull “flash art.” This one shows my mistakes, which is why I like it. However, not every IMU is that restrictive. Luckily here at Stafford Creek they have an art program in IMU where I get 8 colored pens and typing paper to draw with. Although it is not the same as being in general population with all of my pens, pencils and different kinds of paper, it is a start.
For me, what it comes down to is growth, trying, never giving up what makes you you and not being afraid to try something new and fail at it. Every step forward is a step in the direction of growth.
To view more of Mikey’s work or to share your thoughts about this post, please visit his artist page to learn more.