I am an neurodivergent writer and cover artist hailing from Cape Town, South Africa. For 18 years, I have made my living through both professions simultaneously- as Dale (writer) and also as my alter-ego, Joey Hi-Fi (cover artist). As a child, I dreamed of creating comic books and writing novels. It's rather ironic that I ended up penning comics and designing book covers instead. And when I eventually co-wrote a novel, it was someone else who designed its cover (shout-out to the talented Vince Haig). My younger self had chosen novels over television or film because the latter seemed too far-fetched. However, I was fortunate enough to work on a script for a TV pilot based on a published work I had co-written. It's all been a bit surreal and I am reminded of this quote:
“Because something seems impossible. We try, it doesn't work, we try again, we learn, we improve, we fail again, but better, we make friends, we learn to trust, we help each other. We get it wrong again, we improve together, then ultimately succeed. Because this is what being alive is. And it's better than the alternative. So, come on, you brilliant humans! We go again. And we win. Deal?” - The Thirteenth Doctor (Doctor Who, Eve Of The Daleks).
I love this speech because it's one of the best Pep talks ever: 1. It speaks to the power of collaboration. 2. It's also incredibly truthful as it acknowledges the secret ingredient to success, handling failure. My achievements are modest, but both of these are among the most important lessons I've learned in my career.
Join me on my ongoing journey by following along here. I can't wait to see how this next chapter unfolds, and if you come along, I'll make sure to keep you entertained.
Finalist (Writer):
Won (as Joey Hi-Fi / Artist):
Finalist: (as Joey Hi-Fi / Artist):
As Author:
As Artist:
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