Extraordinary People: Jenny

Hi readers,

As you know, part of my mission of creating this blog is to inspire others and to become my best self along the way. I could not do that without the help of some of the amazing people that I met in my life. Without further ado, I would like to introduce one of my mentors; Jenny Lorito.

Think about some of the memorable things that have happened in your life. Who introduced you to your passion?

Who helped you realize that you are enough or who showed you that everything is going to be okay?

When I first met Jenny, I was 8. I joined her art classes. The room made me feel inspired. It was not like any other art classes I had ever been to. She was not the kind of teacher that said” Here’s this image, make it happen”. Instead, she encouraged me to create whatever I wanted. I remember it clearly. She spoke to me like an adult rather than a person with special needs. She would say things like, "That art piece looks interesting, do you want to continue working on it or take a break from it."

Jenny assumes that every child is already an artist even though that they might not have the skills to be a professional artist yet. This may sound strange to people who think that art classes should be taught like; here’s a lesson plan, follow it. Jenny let me draw things that other people would often perceive as rude. In her classes, I challenged the limits and explored things that I was confused about. I had a phase where I focused on blood. I had another phase where I focused on the naked body—especially the penis and bodily functions which included menstruation. Some of my art pieces were called Nude Boy, Bum Infection and Mr. Scrotum. Jenny is also a writing tutor, so she encouraged me to incorporate words and letters in my poetry, and art. I created a comparative poem called Girls vs. Boys. I challenged the limits again and made myself afraid of the letter E and Z. I wrote about this in my Strange Phobias blog. What I discovered about myself is that I am an abstract artist and I love to shock people in a funny way.

Jenny's extraordinary traits helped me discover myself through:

• abstract painting

• illustrations

• poetry

• funny wordplay

• film camp

Phases I Had When I Was Younger

Blood phase:

Bodily functions phase

Title: Bum Infection by JD

Colours phase

Milking cows and udders phase

Penis phase:

• Nude Boy- Magazine inspiration

• Mr. Scrotum- Seen below

I was stuck on it for a while but I knew that I had to move on. I was learning about my changing body at this time and had a lot of questions that dealt with puberty.

• Girls vs Boys poem

The most extraordinary thing that I learned with Jenny was the importance of mentoring. Through mentorship I:

• Gained enough confidence

• Gained a friend

• Learned from others

• Collaborated and shared ideas with others