Every Piece Of You - Interview with Sara Hook

Every Piece of You is unique and important! Katie Abey has created this motivational 1000 piece puzzle, reminding us to celebrate the weird and wonderful pieces of ourselves in her usual fun and colourful style. The illustrations in this puzzle represent real people and their stories.

To celebrate Pride Month, we are promoting of Katie Abey's 'Every Piece Of You' puzzle. We interviewed some of the characters who were happy to share their input about their character and relationship with Katie.

Q1. Hi! Congratulations on being part of our jigsaw puzzle, Every Piece Of You! This 1000 piece puzzle is filled with magical and diverse human beings, including you! Can You describe the character that Katie has created for you?

So my character is a portrait of me dressed as a witch and holding my cat Molly (who is missing one toe on one of her paws), and I am holding a pencil aloft as rainbows come out of it. The reasons for that, is that my portrait was done to accompany a testimonial for some of the events that Katie runs, and basically she channelled my own writing magic via that rainbow pencil goodness.

Q2. How do you know Katie, and how did you end up in our jigsaw puzzle?

Wow.

Where do I start? So, I'd been following Katie for years, ever since her business was just on market stalls. Her funny but uplifting take on things, has gotten me through a lot. But when she branched out into running stuff with Angela, and they became Happiness Enchanters, ti was the perfect timing with my life. Getting to know Katie through attending her first cacao ceremony and then bigger events, they held has been such a delight over the last few years. 

I've ended up on the jigsaw because Katie asked me! It was totally out of the blue, and to be totally honest, our of everyone she has drawn, I'd expect to be the last one on the list! It definitely feels like a massive honour. 

Q3. Please can you share which 'Sparkly and Weird' parts of yourself you used to hold back?

Oh, only almost every single sparkly and weird part of me going!

I used to not wear any colour, because I felt that a fat person couldn't. I was too worried about what people would say about my outfits, if I dressed as weird as I wanted to. I now don't care!! I also used to not show my personality. I used to be very very quiet and would rarely speak because I was so worried about what other people would think of me and what I had to say, so I never voiced my opinions or expressed myself.

I'm certain anyone that's met me recently will that has changed! I also never used to embrace what I call my 'woo-woo' side. I was so worried that people would judge me for being into things like crystals and tarot.

Q4. How did you learn to embrace them?

Mostly it's been therapy, getting older, working very hard on myself and meeting people from different backgrounds. To me who live their lives authentically and realising I could do the sae, attending workshops like the ones Happiness Enchanters hold, to creatively explore myself. But the biggest reasons I've embraced my whole self is becoming disabled.

I've gone through a lot over the last decade wit various different chronic conditions, an when you've ended up stuck in hospital beds, back and forth to the GP and your own sense of self changing, it makes you realise now is the time to embrace every little part of you and not give a hoot about those that don't matter.

That and I turned 40 and I think getting older does help give less fluffs about it at all.

Q5. We are hugely proud of this puzzle and think the message is so important. Do you have any advice for people who are struggling to celebrate every part of themselves?

Just do it for you! If every single other person in your life won't like it, then it doesn't matter, as long as when you step out of the door and you feel fabulous, that's what should be on your face.

Also embrace your little self - think of what would have made you happy when you were a child, and try to do something for that part of you as often as you can, everyday if possible. But know that even those that are sparkly and weird, still struggle - I'm sat here in my pjs at teatime writing this, so you are not alone.

Q6. Is there anything else you would like to add?