Lost Bear.

Once upon a time…I’m just joking it’s not that kind of story. I will have to go back to the beginning though.

The Lost Bear. It all started with a concept, I wanted to create a piece of artwork that tackles stereotypes surrounding the homeless community. I wanted to tell the story in a hope that people wouldn’t feel so far removed. But how the fuck do I put all of that in a single piece of art? It can’t be a single piece, maybe a book that I can illustrate? No, I’m not wordy enough for that (see?). Maybe a series of artworks.

I believe that most people are only a few bad decisions or a few bad situations away from the streets, and I wanted to prove this. So I set out to hear as many stories as possible. I emailed a few homeless shelters to see if I could talk to some people but heard nothing back. I didn’t want to intrude on anyone’s space by approaching someone on the street, so I started talking to friends, who spoke to friends and finally someone wanted to speak to me. We will call him Dan.

Lost Bear Vol.1. By Hendog

I set up a meeting with Dan just for a chat and a coffee. I started by explaining who I am and what I do and why I think it’s important, and Dan just sat there politely nodding along. We got over the boring bit about me and we were finally getting to the reason we were both there. Who is Dan? And how can I tell his story?

From the moment Dan started talking I was completely transfixed on every word he said. I felt instantly connected to his story and the issues he was bringing up that were a part of his journey to homelessness. I myself have been through a lot of these things, maybe you have too? A bad break up, mental health issues, the need to isolate, abusing alcohol to name a few. I felt like we were cut from the same cloth but our outcomes were just different. I felt like I was Dan and Dan was me and I felt like I needed to tell his story through my eyes. Telling his story became the most important thing in my life. I felt a great level of responsibility and I didn’t want to fuck it up.

Chapter 8. “I’m gonna wake up drunk”. By Hendog

After my meeting with Dan I thought about his story for about a month non-stop. I knew it inside out and back to front, but I just didn’t know how to tell it. Dan was more than I ever thought he could be, he was someone who was kind with a big heart but he became lost in a cruel world full of unfortunate events. With that train of thought, the Lost Bear was born.

The Bear follows Dan’s story really closely and represents a lot of the key issues he struggled with along his journey. Once I’ve finished my story of the Bear I will give a lot more insight into the whole series. But for right now his story is in the streets, you just need to follow him.

Chapter 9 “The Fallen Bear” by Hendog

You’ll see him again soon.

Hendog