Controlling behaviours, jealousy, yelling, bullying, threats: these are just some of the aspects of emotional abuse. You might think that if you’re not physically hurt, you’re not the victim of abuse. This is not necessarily true. Emotional abuse can be just as traumatic as physical violence and lead to depression, anxiety and even suicide.

As an illustrator I express myself through my art and in these illustrations I show how a victim might feel in the midst of emotional abuse. It's as though you become a psychological punching bag for someone else's problems, absorbing the impact of threats and trying to dodge verbal assaults that reduce your self-worth. Your mind becomes locked in self-defence; you are 'up in the clouds' – like the women in my illustrations - and no one can really get through to you.