Because it’s a way to free my mind.

My inspiration is to be as successful as Tupac.

I took this photo when I was on holiday. I had just started doing photography and I took the picture in the moment.

The sunrise inspires me as it is a sight of a new day. This allows more opportunities to start fresh each and every day. Whatever may have happened yesterday doesn’t matter anymore, as today is a new day.

This summer, I went on a hike up to the peak of Sugar loaf Mountain in Wales. The scenery was beautiful and I felt the need to capture it within the camera lens. I wouldn’t be able to enjoy this scenery on a day to day basis so to have this reminder to keep means a lot to me.

It represents the staff and me, without those I may have lost my life. They are my inspiration!

I have chose to draw Venom as he is his favourite Villain.

I am passionate about animals and would love to rescue every animal I could.

I have drawn a picture of my support worker; Nick. He inspires me to be strong and brave. I like to sit down and talk about things I have on my mind, and Nick is always there to talk to me when I finds things difficult, or worried about anything.

My picture is me sitting in front of the white cliff and one day I want to go there as my dream. It is quiet, peaceful and a beautiful place.

This is my drawing of a carnotaurus. I have drawn this because I have a huge love for dinosaurs, particularly the carnotaurus. This relates to my experience because while I was away from home, I studied and learnt a lot about dinosaurs.

My inspiration is my family and a secure home environment. Growing up the in the care system and being adopted was a scary and unsettling experience. Since my childhood I have strived to build a loving family and secure family home. This has been one of my greatest achievements and continues to be my daily inspiration.

My life could have been very different, but thanks to my beautiful angel who I call Mum and the man who is my hero who I call Dad, my life turned out to be everything and more. My Mum and Dad fostered me at 18 months old, and on the 9th of May 1978 the day after my 4th birthday, they officially adopted me, providing me with the most beautiful family that I might never have known. That will always be the greatest gift I ever had. I will forever be grateful for their love and care, which has made me the person I am today. My photograph is of the Millennium Bridge in London and is an image that I took a few years ago. For those who know me well, they will tell you that I have always been creative, and photography is one of my passions, something that my Mum and Dad always encouraged. My inspiration behind the photograph is simply this – “Don’t let a bridge be a barrier to your success. You just need to take the first step to find hope at the end”. The children’s home was my bridge, my Mum and Dad were my hope.

My art teacher used to provide a safe space for me after school. I was talking to them about a dream I’d had, which seemed to be so random, but my teacher started helping me to explore the symbolism and what it might mean for me. I became really interested in psychology, particularly the work of Freud, as I first learnt to safely explore my experiences through dream interpretation. This painting is of Freud, a person who inspired me, but the fact I was able to produce it is because of the inspiring people who allowed and encouraged me towards self-expression.

My auntie is my inspiration because she could help anyone but she choose me and my siblings over everyone else. Me and my auntie have a good relationship because I’ve been with her for four years now and I and her have been through so much. She has helped me pass my SATS in primary.

This is a portrait of my best friend Keisha who is my inspiration and keeps me calm.

I’m inspired by French bulldogs because you can teach them how to do tricks such as paw sit. I am also inspired by teachers because they help other people and their really important people wish they could be a teacher.

One of the subjects I wrote about in the lyrics is privilege, and how people aren’t treated fairly. This is evident in the care system, since some people get less/ worse treatment than others for no apparent reason. However there have been some people within the Care system that have supported me and helped me to move forward towards what I want to do.

My picture represents images that make me sad, happy and where I want to be in the future and present.

This is my family, family means having people around me that I can trust. The heart wraps around my family and that keeps us safe, it’s what we have no matter what happens in the world. Just to share that the infinity symbol at the bottom of the heart represents the love that’s involved in the world of adoption.

I chose to draw seek from roadblocks game because he is his favourite in the game. I play games as it gives me a way of escaping.

No matter what happens family will always be there for you. Love Stitch because he knows how to make people happy and he is friendly.

What do you see? Look deeper! What do you see? I see different reflections of ; which, when translated in English, means ‘Light’. The word ‘Light’ in today’s definition means illumination or an agent that makes something visible. But, in Hebrew, ‘Light’ or ‘Ohr’ means so much more. ‘Ohr’ also means “giving order to something chaotic.” We are to be the Light that shines in the dark, providing brilliance to the people in need. Furthermore, we don’t just shine, we also set things in order, especially for the people with chaotic lives. Because ‘Light’, will always shine through darkness. As a former care leaver, growing up in care, my life was chaotic and felt like everything was out of place. Looking back, I can describe it as “those dark times”. However, during what was dark and intense, something kept me going and helped me to see what you might call the ‘bright side’. ‘Light’! Light kept me going. The beautiful thing about it, is that ‘Light’ didn’t just bring me out of what I termed as darkness, but it caused me to reflect and understand that I can now be the ‘Light’ to the world. This, I achieved through my work with young people. It made me realise that once you have ‘Light’, it can be passed on to others. Likewise, when you have ‘Light’ that shines, it brings you out of any dark situation and will put you in front to lead the way for others. Now, do you see what I see? Look deeper! Remember, no matter how dark it gets, ‘Light’ is always available to lead you through. But don’t just use it for yourself, share it! ‘Light’!

This is Musa’s sister just to complete the circle.

‘My inspiration’ is that I want to be a professional footballer when I am grown up.

My inspiration is Superheroes and their strength and powers. I enjoy drawing and I hope to become an artist one day.

"The planets and space are my inspiration. I have painted the earth before and love nature. I watch lots of nature programmes. I left a dog at home and I miss him. I just want the world to be beautiful again."

I am inspired by her my carers, Jackie and Tony, who have fostered me for 11 years. The cooking and sausage are based on my work placement at a café. The money pictures are because I would like to earn money independently one day as I love going clothes and shoe shopping.

I have drawn a boxing match. I want to be a boxer and an ice man when I grow up. People would watch boxing and eat free ice cream.

I love drawing, and it really helps settle my mood.

YMGB is just a very on the nose metaphor. You know the saying “butterflies in your stomach”? yeah that was the inspiration pretty much. I wanted a dramatic sort of piece to express a very specific feeling.

This is my hamster, Jessie, she is a female Syrian. I am a young person who has been in the care system, which isn’t always great, but I can rely on Jessie to always make me feel better, she calms me down if I’m having a bad day and she inspires me to do my best. I love animals and have done lots of volunteering for Riding for the Disabled I’ve also started college on the Level 1 Animal Care course. It’s my dream to work with animals and so this is my first step towards my dream job, I feel that I wouldn’t have got this far if I didn’t have Jessie’s support.

This piece is simple to represent the simplicity of my experience. My inspiration is my foster carer Jenny. She took in a heartbroken little girl who felt rejected and she gave me her heart. Her inspiration has stayed with me over the last 49 years and was particularly important when I became a parent. I hope that this representation, inspires others to offer love, kindness, and acceptance to children in need and demonstrates the power of it.

Hello, my name is Louise and I work at Shaw Trust. I have done my painting for my Nan. Anyone who knows me, will know that I live with my Nan and have done since I was 5 years old. The reason for the flower growing round the word ‘My Nan’ is because she is a gardener. She has her own allotment, which is her pride and joy. I wanted it to be bright and colourful, not only reception spring/summer which is the prime time for the allotment but my own happiness with my relationship with my Nan. The reason why I have done her for my inspiration is because I owe everything to her, and I don’t know what I would do without my Nan looking after me. What she has given to me has inspired me in my own life, she gave me a second chance at my life. She is kind, hardworking and a very strong person, even when life tries to challenge her.

My dad is my inspiration for my drawing as this was where we lived together.

"I am inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo looks after himself and lives a very healthy lifestyle. He trains every day and is still playing football at an older age than most players. He has earnt a lot of money and inspires me to try and be fit and do the best I can."

I just wanted to draw some cool characters with a sort of eldritch twist on them. I also needed an excuse to practise drawing hands, and the other I was just experimenting with eyes.

When I grow up I want to design and make things. When I look around and see different buildings, I want to design lots of buildings.

My support with Jules has been helpful and helped me discover who I am and grow as a person. I feel that when I first started working with her I was very anxious and depressed. Coming to see Jules every week and knowing she is there for me has helped me blossom and see who I am and the journey I have made and how far I have come. I am my own inspiration.

I picked this photo as it was one of the only ones that caught my eye. It stood out to me as it was simple but effective and reminds me of good memories as I have been on holiday there many times.

As a Supported Lodgings Carer, I have had the privilege of supporting young females, who have been made homeless, through no fault of their own, for the past seven years. Though the practicalities of teaching them life skills are important, I feel that helping re-ignite hope, in these young people is my main job. These young people normally come to us in despair – life has dealt them a very tough deal, when they needed most to be cherished, understood, and cared for. I cannot change their past, only, for a short period of time – demonstrate and help them on their journey to a brighter future. My why? I was homeless at the age of 15. At that time there were no support services, I became a drug addict, finally packing my bags and emigrating to Greece at the age of 17. This is where I found my hope… Caring communities, boundaries of a culture where family values and support are paramount.

My mum is my inspiration and through tough times she has always been there with me on my journey- the words that stick with me are “She believes she could, so she did” and that’s why my story isn’t over.

African clothing to make me feel happy from my country. I choose one colour to shine bright like a diamond.

My inspiration is my previous foster carers, Mandy and Keith. They used to look after me and keep me safe. They used to do arts and crafts and I was happy when I was with them. Because of the way they made me feel and kept me safe I want to do this for others too. If I can be a foster carer as nice as them, I would be very happy.

This represents Easter, The March Hare, plus my birthday is in March.

“Regrets under the Moon” – is the only time when all the memories and moments comes in your mind, trying to make you feel the same way as they used to do. However, there are some of those memories that are difficult to let go and bury them. Some memories fill spaces that makes your heart fulfilled and honoured for being loved. Meanwhile, some memories leave an uncovered grave right at the bottom of your heart, where it most hurts. The worst and painful ones are those who you were the only one who loved and was more dedicated to the other person. Sometimes, you have to give up on memories and people, not because you don’t care but because they never cared.

My mummy said I am gorgeous and a very good artist.  When I grow up, I will be an artist.  I have drawn mummy Joan when she laughs I see lots of colours.

He inspires me to be a better parent, to be a fun person and accomplish my goals. He helps me take responsibility for my actions.

"This photo inspires me as its full of hope, joy and love. The first thing I did when I finally got my own front door key was buy a Golden Retriever puppy. Before even thinking about furniture, bills etc. I bought my own dog. I brought her home and she lived in a cardboard box with a second-hand blanket from the Charity shop and I in a second-hand bed but we were together and she showed me love, patience and was the reason I got up in the morning. This dog helped me heal both physically and emotionally as she would be by my side every step of the way. It was the first time I had experienced unconditional love and felt the warmth of a hug with no apteria motives. To this day I have never been without a Golden at my side, she is my child, my friend and my companion through thick and thin."

"Based on a song that I have always loved. It’s a story about these girls who were really close, but their lives took them in different directions, and ended up with them being (literally) 1000 lightyears away from each other, leaving them to wonder what could have been. The drawing depicts one of them staring up at the sky, singing their song over the city, wondering if maybe they are both looking up at the same nights sky."

Spider-man inspired me to be a hero to help to be kind and to be patient.

"How I came up with the hot eye balloon is that I thought of a floating eye and imagined it being a hot air balloon, and to be really honest it kind of just came to me. No hard work or spending hours of thinking, I just thought of it and drew it."

I was born in Vietnam and came to the UK 4 years ago. Thanks to the support and humanity policies of Social Service care, I could adapt to the UK’s life. When I experienced the new places and wanted to save my capture memories, I saw that taking photos is the best way. Moreover, while I am taking and editing my photos, I seem to be happy and delightful. The picture was taken when I had a trip to Southbourne last summer. It can be said that this photo is one of the most beautiful and memorable ones which can recall me about my short holiday. It was wonderful time that I could relax and enjoy the seaward and discovery the strange places. The views included sea, mountain, field and sky mixed which created a peaceful and free atmosphere.

"How I came up with this one is because I was practicing drawing boy in school break in the boiling hot weather and saw a boy in the exact same position sitting of that tyre and drew it."

Life is like a sunset You never know how it’s going to look until it happens.

My artwork is half my face and half Miss Amos’s face. We are sad when we are not together, but e are happy when we are. I know Miss Amos will always be there even when things get tough like they were at home.

My artwork represents the truth of care system, which is often black and white. There is no colour in the care system. I am grateful to Prospects/Shaw Trust who have helped me believe in myself and have supported me to start development of my English and Maths with view to gaining employment.

My drawing is of one of my teachers and she inspires me because she has always been supportive of me with my home situation, my mental health and my confidence as well as with my academic progress. The positive quotes that I have included around my image are inspiring to me because they are things that I have been told in the past and these help me because I feel more understood and less alone which can be something difficult for me with how I am different to other people at my school.

Dragons soar through the sky and burn things alive. Komodo Dragons are the evolved version of a dragon They are powerful, they are brave. There are no instances where they cannot go into water. Graceful when they are flying. Landing, facing you, they show their dominance. White scales so when it flew over you, all you would hear is a woosh as she blends into the sky. She vanishes when she goes up into the sky. Her eyes are red, but she will become invisible. But her natural instincts will guide her. Given a bad name by movies and stories (fairy. They show they eat people and destroy things. When maybe they don’t. Are they mythical or real? A dragon gives me strength and confidence. Pet dragon – fly across the sky. My mode of transport for freedom. People, countries will move out of the way for me. she would care for herself, make a cave and find her own food. Just as long as you don’t leave or betray me. We would be friends. She can talk her own language, which then I would have to learn myself so that I can speak to her and gain her respect.

My picture represents how I see my life as a cartoon as the images all have meaning to my past, upbringing, and future aspiration of who I want to be.

This picture is of Musa, a baby orphaned orangutan I met and spent time with, in Borneo and I adopted him and his sister Cenderwaish. They had just been released into the rehabilitations nature reserve to learn how to survive. This picture means so much to me as it shows hope that you can be healed and overcome life’s challenges. It shows me that if you can find the strength to carry on you can find the resilience inside you to overcome anything life throws at you with the help and support of others. One of the first things I bought with my first pay packet was a camera. I don’t have any pictures of me as a child and so felt I didn’t exist although the memory and pain did. I took up photography to create positive memories, evidence I existed, actually more than existed I started to find more meaning in life and started to overcome the pain than overwhelmed me. I now love to travel and take pictures especially of different cultures and nature in far flung places as I find it touches my soul and I find peace. It’s a privilege to be amongst nature and capture moments like these that just light up the page.

When I first joined care my mental health went hugely down and I developed severe mental health, this piece of art work reminds me of a dark period in my life but it also inspires me as it demonstrates how far I have come since moving to a great Foster placement and what I positive difference it has made.

The world can be a scary place for me sometimes - but when I go to MY world it’s like being in a movie I am filled with happiness!

I had a good experience of the care system and Prospects/Shaw Trust had helped take the next valuable step towards my chosen career path, my inspiration was my little sister Delia, I find children very interesting and kind, they have their own little world, and I find their development amazing and how they learn new things. Hopefully one day I will be a nurse and I will be working with children.

My picture represents the confusion between the reality and imagination, between the cruelty of the real world and a pure hope which gently produce a parallel world, a unique connection. This photo reminds me about every wild wave that I have faced during this long voyage thanks to God’s protection. Often, the brightest rainbows follow the darkest rainstorms which can drown you, but they can never manage to choke you under scary and deep waters. However, always get back to life, look up, and smile because He has never forgot you and you will be always under His protection.

My life has always been a challenge but now my life is better because I’m with my final foster carer and my younger siblings are with me now so this is my story of how my life is like.