Today we’d like to introduce you to Miles Gray

Hi Miles, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.

Well hi, I go by Gray! My journey with art started as a kid but what I’d say is relavent here is moving in with my now fiance. Nothing has been better for my art than being surrounded by people who love and care for me, and bring hope to every day mentally ill life. I wanted to be a small business owner for candles and wax melts last time you interviewed me, but these days? I just want to be myself. Including the business. My fiance encourages me to be myself—and as someone with DID, he encourages me to be myself *whatever that means that hour.* My art journey is intrinsically entwined with my fiance, and if God forbid we ever part ways, I will always thank him for helping me find my voice.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

It has not been a smooth road. I have a medley of mental ailments and I drag myself out of bed every day. I love marketing but it’s a nightmare. It feels like screaming into the void and there are days I put my heart and soul into it to get nothing back. Hard days happen. But the sun always rises, right? I’ve actually been in the worst depressive episode of my life for 3 months, but I’ve been working close with my therapist and psychiatrist and I’m confident we’re making headway. I also will always have my sister in my corner, no matter what happens.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?

My art will be focused on mostly video making and gardening/ranching for now! My fiance and I want to raise chickens, grow produce, and run a side hustle vegan home bakery! But I CANNOT wait to get back to polymer clay and wax. There’s a time and a place for everything!
I’m most proud of the fact that I’m still alive. Days just keep getting harder, and I don’t always handle them well. I make mistakes. I hurt people. But I clean up my mess and I try each and every day. I’m proud I’m still here, because if I wasn’t, there would be no art of mine to speak of.
As for what sets me apart from others? I’m me. My name is Gray, I’m a DID system, I have severe BPD and depression, I love painting and sculpting and dancing and singing and oh my god I love writing. I’m actually working on an autofiction piece inspired by a dog I inherited and my relationship with her and the house! They just called her “dog;” so I named her Maple Syrup :’)

How do you think about luck?

We’ve had a crazy amount of bad luck, mostly financially. We’re struggling a lot right now. I’m notorious for my bad luck in fact, but sometimes I think I’ve been saving my good luck for when I really need it. Sometimes I think it’ll come to me exactly when I need it.

Pricing:

• For writing commissions, I’m happy to reasonably work in your budget
• My fiance takes fursona headshot commissions! He can also work with your budget!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://8bitgardenbooks.neocities.org
• Instagram: . https://www.instagram.com/september.birds?igsh=MXhjZnE0bHQ2Ynl5cg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/YrgfDXfbr3r6c4zp/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@47andcounting?si=f2XRH3eSuQK-Tcmn
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/8bit.garden?igsh=MWlrMG5tc2Zpajd4ZQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr