#ashlyburch

I’ve been thinking about this topic for a while, and I wanted to do a video on it. However, I feel like writing it may improve my writing ability and it’s the perfect excuse.  Here are some people who I look up to in no particular order:

ASHLY BURCH 

It’s hard to put into words how much I admire Ashly. I remember when I was in hospital for a month a few years ago, I had sleepless nights. I was scared and anxious for the future. I needed to get my mind off all the troubles I had, so I watched HAWP. I cannot express how important humour is in this world. I remember trying my best to stifle my laughter at 3 am to prevent waking other patients. I felt at ease. I wrote to her after I got discharged and she took her time to respond. It was a way to lift my spirits and obtain a motivation for the podcast again.

I got to speak to her a few times for podcast interviews, and when listening back, my nerves are very present throughout. I think it’s understandable why I was so anxious,even after the amount of time I’ve been interviewing people. Nerves are a nice feeling to have. They make me feel grounded.

DODIE

To some people in the LIS community might now have an idea on who Dodie is, so I’ll give a brief description. She’s an musician who has made so many amazing songs such as “You”, “Sick of Losing Soulmates” and “Would You Be So Kind”. I look up to her openness on mental health topics, and how real they can be in the world. I recall making a pretty idiotic post a long time ago and she retweeted it, so that’s like a good story to tell

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to attend any of her gigs when she’s in Belfast because either physical or mental illness gets the better of me, so I lock myself in my room. It’s unfortunate, but it just makes me more determined to go the next time.

HANNAH TELLE

Hannah Telle is unique. It’s a friendship that I never thought I’d actually have. I remember how nervous I was speaking to her in our first interview 2 years ago, and I am grateful for the amount of times she’s joined us on the show. Her passion for the creative arts and her being so open helps make her something that Life is Strange fans can easily relate to whether it be her funny anecdotes, or the emotion behind her music. 

If you told me 3 years ago that I’d be friends with her, I’d highly doubt it. I cannot express how emotional it makes me. We message each other occasionally and I plan to meet up with her later this year. I am honoured to call her my friend. Still makes me tear up thinking about it.

LADY GAGA

Okay kids, this is where it gets complicated. Lady Gaga was my life in high school. Her music got me through a hard time. I got bullied for liking her music which kind of made me stop listening to her music, but her messages about acceptance stuck with me, and I feel like it’s heavily shaped me into who I am today. I’m currently listening to her work to catch up on what I missed and it’s been like 5-6 years since I last listened to her, so I got a bunch of catching up to do.