Home > Interviews > 13 Questions: Andre Jordan
13 Questions: Andre Jordan
24th November 2007
Uppermost in my mind today is ...
It's my birthday. I'm 41, and I'm wondering if I've achieved enough in my life. Also, I am thinking that I would quite like to go to the seaside. It's been quite a stressful month, with my book coming out, and I find the seaside a calming place. I like the sea.
People think I'm ...
Going to be miserable and melancholy and slightly depressed, because of what I do. I am all of those things, but I'm quite happy too. I'm quite frivolous and funny, and I can have a laugh.
I want to ban ...
My brain from thinking, from midnight onwards. I would quite like to sleep at night, rather than lie there thinking of stupid ideas at three o'clock in the morning, then frantically trying to find a felt-tip pen so I can do a drawing of a sheep that looks like a cloud.
Not a lot of people know that I ...
Believe in Quantum Physics Fairies. When I was in therapy, my therapist was very keen on Quantum Physics - though I've added the fairies myself. You are meant to say loud and clear what it is that you want, and then the Quantum Physics Fairies get on with it. But you have to say it out loud, and you have to want it more than anything.
The best piece of advice I would pass on would be ...
Listen to your gut. I learned in therapy that your head and your heart may tell you things, but it's your gut instinct that is always right. The trick is working out which one is speaking - whether it's your head, your heart or your gut instinct.
I struggle with ...
Girls. I am a complete catastrophe with them. The moment I fall for a girl I do stupid things like walking into trees or setting myself on fire in restaurants, and it just all goes terribly wrong.
I excel at ...
Self-deprecation. I find that quite a difficult question to answer, because I'm not very good at saying nice things about myself, so I tend to sugar coat everything with self-deprecation. I'm much more comfortable with saying I'm an idiot. It's easier that way.
I couldn't live without ...
My friends, because they let me sleep on their sofa when I'm having another drama queen moment.
If I didn't live in the UK, I'd live in ...
Ireland. I would quite like to live in a run-down little house in some barren, uninhabited part of Ireland, by the sea. I would spend my days on my own, writing, drawing and painting, with no human contact whatsoever. But I wouldn't want to stay there permanently. I would quite like a retreat like that.
My first job was ...
In a toy factory, where I was in charge of the cardboard boxes. It was not for me. I was based outside in the yard, and people would come out and say "We need ten cardboard boxes of this size", and I would go off and find them.
Success is ...
Being happy. Getting up every day and being able to draw and paint and write, and people around you encouraging you to do it. That's success, because I'm happy.
Being an artist and illustrator means ...
That I am officially allowed to daydream for hours on end, and no one can give me a clip round the ear for it, like they used to do when I was at school. I'm allowed to draw on my pencil case all day, because that's my job. Also, the artist side means freedom. I don't have to worry about being a drama queen, as it's almost part of the job description.
As someone who has had depression, I would describe it as ...
All-consuming and exhausting. But at the same time, it does give you empathy for other people. Depression helps you to look at people and understand that nothing is black and white. It also makes you appreciate the really tiny things that are quite amazing. Does that sound a bit pretentious?
If You're Happy And You Know It by Andre Jordan is out now, published by John Murray.
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