Wednesday was International Women's Day, and I made a quick illustration to celebrate.
It came about because the members of my roller derby league Preston Roller Girls were talking about the 'Be Bold for Change' theme for the day this year, and what makes us feel bold.
It came about because the members of my roller derby league Preston Roller Girls were talking about the 'Be Bold for Change' theme for the day this year, and what makes us feel bold.
One of my best friends, teammates, and fellow creator Wensdi (or Mentle Wentle - if you'd like derby names) wrote:
I feel bold when I put on skates and push myself physically and mentally, when I sweat to achieve my goals and I ache from working my body 100%. Fat is not unfit and muscle is not unsexy. I am awesome, my body is awesome, what I achieve is awesome!!!
It got me thinking about how much I benefit from her attitude and confidence in herself on track - it makes me feel amazing when we skate together and I know we have each others backs. I feel bold and brave and awesome because of my trust in her and my other teammates. So I quickly sketched up an image to express these feelings.
I've found that playing roller derby - I've learnt a lot about trusting other women, building each other up, sharing our wins and losses, and not being afraid to sweat, jiggle, or do other 'un-ladylike' things with lots of other people looking on. I feel proud of what I can achieve, and through coaching and training I have a new confidence that spills over into lots of other areas of my life. So yeah, I feel pretty damn bold.