My name is Ethan. I am a 31-year-old Aboriginal man from the Palawa mob. I am currently at the Melbourne Assessment Prison (MAP). I have been here for about two months now. This time since I have been in prison, I have been incident-free. It's a big thing for me to be incident-free in prison. Before this, I spent the last two and a half years in the slot at Port Phillip and Barwon. The thing that has helped me this sentence to keep out of trouble is painting. I love doing art, it helps me with my mental health and my depression a lot. Without my art, I would be struggling.
Since your magazine/paper has been coming to our unit, I have wanted to send a picture of my artwork I did on the large concrete pillar in the common area of our unit. But it has taken me four months to get approval to get photos taken of it. I would love to send a copy of your paper to my family to show them I am coping okay in here. Even if telling my story of how doing painting can help with mental health or even depression. If it helps even one person, I'm a happy man. Because before I started painting, I was really struggling a lot with my mental health. When I paint, I'm not in prison anymore. I'm lost for hours in my artwork. If I paint for one hour a day, I'm not in prison for that one hour, and if I paint for six hours, I'm not in prison for that six hours. And to see what people can create when they put their minds to it, it's crazy. If you don't like to paint, then even try poetry. The more hours you spend doing something creative, the less time you will see in prison. There is something for everyone if you look hard enough, you will find something that gives you enjoyment. Maybe if you like to read, then get some books from the library. If you don't read, try going to the gym. If you're at a prison where you can cook for yourself, try baking cakes. Anyway, what I'm saying is the more time you spend in prison doing things you like, the quicker the time will go.
I have started doing another design on another concrete pillar in our unit. When it's completed, I will send a picture over to you.
Thank you for your time reading this. And thank you for giving me and the other blokes something good to read here.
My name is Ethan. I am a 31-year-old Aboriginal man from the Palawa mob. I am currently at the Melbourne Assessment Prison (MAP). I have been here for about two months now. This time since I have been in prison, I have been incident-free. It's a big thing for me to be incident-free in prison. Before this, I spent the last two and a half years in the slot at Port Phillip and Barwon. The thing that has helped me this sentence to keep out of trouble is painting. I love doing art, it helps me with my mental health and my depression a lot. Without my art, I would be struggling.
Since your magazine/paper has been coming to our unit, I have wanted to send a picture of my artwork I did on the large concrete pillar in the common area of our unit. But it has taken me four months to get approval to get photos taken of it. I would love to send a copy of your paper to my family to show them I am coping okay in here. Even if telling my story of how doing painting can help with mental health or even depression. If it helps even one person, I'm a happy man. Because before I started painting, I was really struggling a lot with my mental health. When I paint, I'm not in prison anymore. I'm lost for hours in my artwork. If I paint for one hour a day, I'm not in prison for that one hour, and if I paint for six hours, I'm not in prison for that six hours. And to see what people can create when they put their minds to it, it's crazy. If you don't like to paint, then even try poetry. The more hours you spend doing something creative, the less time you will see in prison. There is something for everyone if you look hard enough, you will find something that gives you enjoyment. Maybe if you like to read, then get some books from the library. If you don't read, try going to the gym. If you're at a prison where you can cook for yourself, try baking cakes. Anyway, what I'm saying is the more time you spend in prison doing things you like, the quicker the time will go.
I have started doing another design on another concrete pillar in our unit. When it's completed, I will send a picture over to you.
Thank you for your time reading this. And thank you for giving me and the other blokes something good to read here.
Your contributions are the centerpiece of the paper. If you would like to contribute to our Letters section, please send your letters to the below postal address:
Or via email:
I’d think there are a lot of inmates looking for someone to talk to, for some people it might help with the healing process.
Since having my first ever grandson nearly 3 years ago now, it’s made me realise that I not only want to change, but I need to do it not only for myself but for my family.
My name is Jean. I am a wiry spitfire, 65 years young, and incarcerated for the past 24 years with a L.W.O.P. (Life Without Parole) sentence.
Prison doesn't easily allow outside support to provide the love and care many inmates require, let alone access professional support.
Help us get About Time off the ground. All donations are tax deductible and will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.
Help us get About Time off the ground. All donations are tax deductible and will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.
Your browser window currently does not have enough height, or is zoomed in too far to view our website content correctly. Once the window reaches the minimum required height or zoom percentage, the content will display automatically.
Alternatively, you can learn more via the links below.
Leave a Comment
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere. uis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.