Steve Craig.
Born as a mixed twin in 1955.
Due to very premature birth my sister and I were left without oxygen, to see whether we would survive.
As a result of this early birth our immune systems were compromised, this would have devastating consequences later on in life.
Always having a pencil in my hand, my ambition from an early age was to be an artist.
At the age of sixteen I helped my parents run a music and arts club. Where children attended once a week and had experience of all the creative and performing arts.
The age range was from five years to sixteen years. The MAC's as it was called (music and arts club) although based in a congregational church hall was open to all.
This led me at the age of eighteen to attend the College of All Saints in Tottenham to train as an Art Teacher, at Junior and Secondary age ranges.
Whilst at the college I became a trained part time youth leader for Haringey youth service.
I also set up and ran a Sunday night youth club at the church hall
This was open to all faiths and ages between eleven years and twenty one years of age.
With over one hundred youngsters on the books we were told at the time by the local London union of youth clubs representative that we were unique.
Having qualified in 1976 with a teaching certificate, and the following year gaining my B.Ed, I went to work for the London Borough of Enfield at Albany School.
During my long period at the school I gained promotion within the creative and performing arts, becoming a faculty head and then a deputy head.
During this time I ran youth groups, after school clubs in the arts, and outdoor education clubs and projects.
All were self funding and all were about putting a little extra back into the school and the local community over and above my annual remuneration.
I also became an art examiner for LEAG, became a voluntary art adviser for Enfield LEA, and was jointly responsible for training the boroughs art staff to run the new GCSE exams
During this period I married my childhood sweetheart and was lucky enough to have three amazing boys, all who have grown up to be mad keen on the environment and extreme sports.
After a severe flu like illness in 1997, I was told by my GP that I was unlucky to have picked up a bad bug, probably through surfing, but I was alright and I should now get on with my life.
Taking his observations as a fact, rather than a judgement, I moved schools and LEA, only to find myself within six months being bedridden.
Unknown to me the post viral fatigue that was diagnosed at the time was in fact M.E./ Chronic fatigue.
I resigned from my new school, so they could replace me quickly and have spent the last ten years of my life researching the illness and trying to rebuild my life.
Over the last four years I have been trying to build an exhibition that tries to convey the reality of this illness, which is often dismissed as being Yuppie flu.
Although I have had positive feedback on the work, no one is prepared to take a gamble, so as in all other aspects of my life I have decided to do it myself.
Hence this website
So if you will indulge me the first exhibition on the Givingallery website will be my own work, on the theme of living daily with M.E./ Chronic Fatigue.

Finally the spelling of Givingallery is correct (even though dyslexia has been a constant battle in my life).
It's a play on give in, something that I consider I have never had the luxury of doing from the day I was born, to my present battle with this chronic illness.
It also reflects the fact that as artists we must never give in. We are constantly struggling with media, ideas and their applcation,to produce an artefact.

So that’s it my life in an instant.

I hope that you are still reading this and now want to see the artwork.
Be patient with me if you want to get involved with the Givingallery, as I still manage my symptoms on a daily basis, and hate IT.
If you are reading this and want to help me get this off the ground in its infancy you can also contact me on; craig368@aol.com