Here are a few things you might not know about me:

When I was young I didn’t always feel like a girl so I got my parents to call me Jack.

Up until age 12 I excelled with numbers so much that I was the only person in my class in primary school that could work out a particular equation on a test – the teacher didn’t know how to work it out either and got me to teach it to the class. Sadly I went on to be bullied by my maths teacher at grammar school and lost all my confidence in my ability and was put into a lower maths class so that I could only achieve a B at GCSE. My new teacher seen my potential, taught me the higher maths material – two months before the exam I got moved up to the higher class, got my A and came second in the school.

It was one of my goals to reach 30 without a kid, car, house or husband. Freedom has always been important to me. I’ve never sought security in a relationship.

I still believe one day I will be a professional athlete as well as an artist.

When I was 17 I said I was going to change the world.

I’m not fearless, I’m extremely courageous. I’ve always been the captain of my own ship.

My mum said I was like a child from the military. I never had to be told to do my homework, I pushed her out the door on my first day of school, I made my own bed every day since I was 3. My teacher told her I was an academic child and that I loved to learn. I told my mum at age 7 I was going to the academy because it was the best school there was and at age 11 I got accepted.

When I was 9 my parents separated and it affected me so deeply that I started failing my mock papers in school so I took the opportunity to repeat a year in primary 6. I lost all my friends, my confidence and my home life security. Within a few months I was top of the class again. This tragedy of moving from top to bottom and back to top again happened to me more than once before 18. And it has been one of the biggest factors in nurturing the tenacity I have to keep going despite disappointment. When I want something I never give up.

I decided to be an artist in March 2005 – it was the hardest and best road I could have taken. It still challenges me more than anything ever has.

I’m the kind of person that could have done anything with my life. I excel at most things I do. I excel because of my attention to detail and dedication to achieve whatever it is I am doing. But achievement is easy, love is hard – I want to live in love and bring something to this world that it needs. I believe in love above all. There are many things I’m good at but only a few I’m passionate about – love is top of my list.

Lisa.c