A Start.

Ah yes, before I forget I should tell you who I am.
Hmm where to start... My name is Joshua , though most call me daimien or hellstorm these days. I'm a 3rd year art major minoring in graphic design at algomau and 20 years old. I live in a small city in Canada which I have no complaints about. I like small places where I can hear myself think. The location I live specifically is much to my liking, I live on the beach in the forest about 30 minutes out of town. Its quite and the city can be seen in the distance.

As for myself as a person there is both little and alot to say depending on the topic. I write poetry, stories, paint, do photography, and draw alot. The subject matter varies from almost complete abstraction to lifelike but the themes of death and identy run deep in almost all of them due to my interest in it.

Death has always been a big part of my life, the lose of loved ones, friend and family alike. Seeing death with my own two eyes more times then I would like to recount. It had a large effect on me as a child so I explore it in hopes of finding about myself in the process. Identy is something that I think all humans deal with in some manner or another, the feeling of trying to etch out my own future and trying to understand the paths I have already taken. What makes me human, what makes me myself, how do I know that I am who I think I am, why do I think the way I do, do I even exist? these questions plague my mind. Perhaps I am far to into the ideas of self but it is my nature I guess if you could call it that. I shall walk this path we call the world around us and write my findings here I guess and the day to day things I find interesting.

Feel free to check the links on the previous post for my art and poetry. One specific poem I shall share is the one that spawn the name for this blog, it was written back during highschool more or less around the depth of a low point. Though it may seem depressing it's about hope really, the acceptance of a self destructive nature and the will to move past it.

(Pic of me back when I wrote this)

Ebony Gates Of Depression
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've seen a hundred beginnings

And felt a thousand ends

Just when you think your defenses are holding

The seems of your world begin to bend

What is even left to defend?



A bottle of pills makes the pain go away

Small companions for bloody razorblades

Black clouds cover every single day

Signs of hope readily fade away

This hole is deep and has no name



Let me through these ebony gates of depression

Through these black gates of stone

My heart beats for this decision

Within these pillars you will never feel alone

So step into the unknown



This world strangles me till my eyes turn blue

It beats me till I can not see

Pushes each blade to cut right through

I don't care let it be

I'm almost free



So let me through these ebony gates of depression

Through these black gates of stone

Will the emptiness hear my confession

Because I never wanted to be alone

As I step into the unknown

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**copyright 2004, Joshua Richards**



More to come another day perhaps, time has run out for me this day....