Fitt for Life

Andrew Fitt told Sunday Newsday he originally wanted to be a doctor or lawyer, but soon came to realise he would never be able to accomplish this because of his physical impairment. However, he was always interested in drawing and painting, and, by the age of 16, took up art as a hobby. Unfortunately, because of his handicap, he had trouble painting the way he wanted.

Fitt explained that he enjoyed creating art and wanted it to look as professional as possible, without it being affected by his physical limitations. Therefore, when computer drawing programmes became popular in the 1990s, Fitt was elated. He taught himself how to use the technology and it allowed him to create the kind of artwork he always wanted to display. Art therefore, became a professional goal.

He said while society in general does not encourage a person to pursue Art as a career, his parents and other family members, some of whom were artists as well, encouraged him to continue when they saw his work.

“People told me ‘artists don’t make money and they starve.’ You don’t usually get a very positive response from society, which is a mistake because I believe Art is the bedrock of society. From the beginning of human existence people have relied on artists for everything - they created language - writing is drawing images that people can understand.

Cavemen drew on walls to tell their stories. It’s all art,” he exclaimed. With his portfolio of computer graphics, Fitt was accepted to the International Fine Art College (IFAC) in Miami in 1996 where he earned a degree in 3D Animation. While at IFAC, he discovered the computer programme, Corel Painter, which allowed him to do more with his art, and so switched interests to graphic art.

Now, once again, his interests have expanded, this time to writing.

Fitt recently launched his book, an autobiography, “Aching to be.” Like most pe on this planet, Fitt said he had both good and bad experiences. It is his story of life as a very sick child, the struggle of accomplishing things many take for granted, and his growth.

However, being an author was never something he contemplated.

Fitt explained that it was his friend, local writer and designer, Tracy Craig, who convinced him to write a book about his life.

Craig formed a publishing company, Ponies + Horses Books, with Scottish writer Aefa Mulholland, and asked Fitt to be part of one of the publishing house’s projects, “Childhood 6 in 1,” a series of six short memoirs of persons of various backgrounds and disciplines. At first, Fitt said he was resistant to the idea but Craig was insistent, saying that he had an amazing story to tell. Within the week, Fitt began writing his biography covering the period of his birth to writing Common Entrance and passing for Fatima.

Why only up to Primary School? “I got up to Chapter 9 and decided to take a break - I don’t know why because I was on a roll - and that two weeks turned into five months,” he explained with a laugh.

He said he was on vacation around the middle of April this year when the publisher informed him he had to complete the book in two weeks. He decided not to write anything new, thereby making it into a short story, and instead focussed on editing with the help of his long-time doctor and friend, Dr David Bratt.

On July 29, 2015, Aching to be was launched as an individual project at the Medulla Art Gallery, Woodbrook. The book is now available online at Amazon.

com and on the Ponies + Horses Books website, www.poniesandhorsespublishing.

com.

He described it as a preview of the full biography as he had many more stories to tell. Asked about some of his challenges, Fitt recalled his time in Fatima. He said there were some of his fellow students who felt he should not have been allowed to attend the school. He said it was a battle to be accepted by them, which made him feel rejected and hurt.

However, as time passed, he made a circle of friends that accepted him for who he was and he realised he did not need those negative people.

He thanked his family for always supporting him as they tried to give him what he needed.

“ I also have friends who are my friends, not because they pity me or feel obligated, but because they really care about me. So when I have challenges, I can rely on my family and friends.” he said.

Unfortunately, even with the assistance and encouragement of family and friends, life is sometimes frustrating for Fitt as he does not have a regular job and has not sold a piece of art in some time. “I try to support myself because I’m 42 years old and I don’t like to rely on my family for money. I would love to have a career with a regular income. Unfortunately, I’ve tried to get regular jobs in graphic design or ad agencies. When I go to the job interviews and I walk in the door, I already know I’m not getting that job, even if they say they love my work. No matter the ideas I come up with, I think they always feel, ‘Oh he’s disabled,’” he said.