Inky Wright, founder of Inky Illustrates, is a young artist who aspires to create a company that makes the little things no one sees shine, from disabilities and marginalized communities, to fairy rings and the magical things hidden in plain sight. 

 

According to Inky's mum, they've been drawing since the moment they could hold a pencil. Inky compares it to meditation, something therapeutic and comforting. From a young age, roughly 9, they already knew they wanted to take art forwards and make a career out of it, simply waiting to find the direction which was right for them. All they knew was they wanted to create, be it comics, characters, or faeries- growing up with fantasy all around them, their mum showed them fairy rings on dog walks, sprinkling fairy dust (glitter) under their pillow, to creative media like Enid Blyton's Magic Faraway Tree and Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996)

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As time went on, they began to realise that they couldn't see themselves represented in media, in fact, that representation didn't seem diverse in general. As they got older it was pinned in their mind; from body types and skin tones, to disabilities and queer identities- they knew something was missing. It clicked when they were 16, and got a late autism diagnosis and began to find their identity, and was set in cement when they started dealing with health issues. 

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One day after investigating their health for so long, they woke up with a collapsed lung, no clue, no why- but suddenly it wasn't just them trying to get help for their chronic pain and exhaustion, and doctors finally listened- it no longer felt like they must've been exaggerating, or were a fraud for using mobility aids so young. Suddenly it wasn't just anecdotal, or just ASD, but blood work was being sent off, and they were speaking to specialists- their life was completely put on hold. Inky's health kept escalating, and they didn't know why- or feel comfortable using the aids available to help.  They had to learn how to accommodate each symptom, and get comfortable using the resources available- but you don't see any young people using a cane in media, or wearing compression stockings; any autistic representation until very recently has been cookie cutter; e.g. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, or the Big Bang Theory.

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This got them wondering-- how much sooner could they have gotten help, or used different tools that felt inaccessible, if they had saw themselves in media?  What if people saw young mobility aid users in media, and it wasn't this scary and abnormal thing? What if there was more diverse autistic representation? They could've treated the symptoms over time, and prevented a long hospital stay and surgery, or got their ASD diagnosis early- and access the tools diagnosis unlocks.

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This leads us to Inky's goal; to give people that representation they needed. If even one person feels seen, that's amazing. If it helps someone look after their self, speak to someone, or figure out who they are, even better!

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So Inky created Inky Illustrates, a social enterprise focused on making the invisible visible. Starting off with pins, stickers, and prints designed by the community with the community in mind- with a portion of profit going to a relevant charity- and eventually things like hoodies, landyards and t-shirts. Inky also hopes to publish a webcomic alongside Inkcap.Co eventually, with more in depth representation.

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We hope you're here alongside them for this magical journey to a safer world!