Pistashi

Pestilence 👽

Tried using lasso fill during sketch to practice shapes and silhouettes.

"So many small lives fit inside the big one"

Back in January 2024, me and my wife moved to Canada. After 2 years living there, our visa got rejected and we had to come back to Brazil.

After constantly going through all stages of grief, from bitter to extremely sad and hopeless, I think I'm finally able to move on.

I'm so grateful for all the people I've met, the opportunities that came with it, the experience acquired from different jobs and the validation and love I've received as a newcomer.

Before going, I never thought I would be able to do the things I did. When I found out I was autistic, so many doors opened for me. It was a huge step torwards self-acceptance and forgiveness.

Working in the disability field, especially when I thought I wasn't empathetic enough to work there at first, made me realize how much I actually care. I cried so much when I found out I had to leave, I hope they know how much they meant to me.

Even working as an order picker meant a lot. As the second job I had for a while, it was exhausting and brought a huge burn-out at the time, but it helped me grow as a person and at the end it felt like I conquered the "incompetent" part I saw within myself.

I also did so much for my art. Stuff I never did before like doing a mentorship program, participating in a gallery exhibition with my own illustrations, putting my comics in bookstores, even a radio interview!! I've met so many talented artists through those, it felt inspiring.

My wife graduated from college, we were both employed and getting established in the country. The world seemed to shift a lot in the past few years, and so many laws came through, changing how immigration works in Canada.

At the end of 2025, things got really depressing. It felt like we weren't welcomed anymore. We were already prepared for the worst, so when we got the news about our extension getting rejected, we took it pretty well at first, only to have a full meltdown soon after.