The “It’s Okay” collection is coming this week!
This is Jeff the Pigeon. Jeff doesn’t look like all the other pigeons – he’s got a droopy wing and that’s okay. Being different is what makes him special – he’s super memorable because he doesn’t look like everyone else. Jeff says “it’s okay to be different.”
Jeff is painted from a photo I took of a pigeon that visits our garden. Being different doesn’t bother him or any of the other pigeons – he visits with his mate, he eats and flies and potters about our garden like he owns the place. He is accepted. We call all of our pigeons Simon but we gave Jeff his own name because we always know it’s him! (We named him after the character Jeff Winger in the TV series Community.)
I LOVE being different – in my previous job as an engineer, I looked so unlike everyone else that if someone heard me ask a question at an event, they’d come and find me afterwards to talk more. It can be hard, but it’s very satisfying!
The power of being different is that people are drawn to you because there’s just that extra something about you. You know you’re not like everyone else, so why should you try to be? Jeff’s challenge is “what is different about you that you’re hiding because you’re worried that people won’t accept you?”
Jeff is painted in acrylic and india ink, on canvas collaged with brightly coloured papers and wax pastels. He measures 31 x 25 x 1.5 cm, and there will be two sizes of prints.
You can hear my talking about Jeff here: