Special thanks to the following people, who, in very specific ways, directly or indirectly contributed to this art project:
- Bernd Goldschmidt
- Marion Goldschmidt
- Sophie Figueredo-Hardy & Martha Routen
- Susie Giddens & Mandy Gunter
- Tina ‘Avril’ Scheerle
- Rebecca Rödder
- Leen Zaher
- Suzan Salah
- Nadja Diakonova
- Dr. Ursula Opitz
- Dr. Susanne Niemeyer-Langer
- Shena Baugh
- Lena Mülhaupt
Wendy says …
There is someone I wish to thank.
Bernd Goldschmidt. Without his help, ‘I’m Always this Close to Screaming’ would not be circulating the globe as it is now. I sent him a couple of sample sketches at the end of 2022, hoping they would resonate (feeling slightly vulnerable in case the response was confusion, or even worse, indifference). Bernd is not a natural born liar so faking enthusiasm is not in his wheelhouse – I just hoped he would appreciate what I was working on. When the response came: ‘The world needs to see these, how can I help?’ he reflected what I was feeling, namely that the Traumatized Ninja has a place out there, connecting and confessing. Saying out loud what we are often too afraid to even think.
He asked, ‘if this becomes successful, you’re not going to turn into an arsehole, are you?’ I was staggered that he didn’t think me one already, so I promised myself there and then that no matter what happened; epic fail or global domination, I’d make sure I didn’t let him down.
Thanks for everything Bernd.
Where do the thanks stop? How far backwards should we express our gratitude? If our parents hadn’t given birth to us, and their parents to them, and so on, ad infinitum, the project would never have come into being. Once on that route, we end up with no choice but to thank the planet earth and then the universe, and then we find ourselves in murky existential waters that leave us paralysed with anxiety. Let’s stay reasonable and thank the people whose obvious contributions, whether directly related to the project or not, helped to get us here.