The power of a pen: How this artist drew himself out of abuse and poverty

Katlie Mokhoabane had no escape. Growing up in an impoverished and abusive household, there was nowhere for him to run when the violence erupted.But the one thing he did have was a ballpoint pen.

Drawing strength from the arbitrary item, Mokhoabane is transforming his past traumas into powerful works of art. After losing his mother at the age of six, Mokhoabane’s life was thrown into disarray. Once cheerful childhood memories became stained by abuse from his new step mother.

Turning to his creativity in times of great hardship, he started teaching himself how to draw. “I would wake up and say, ‘I hate the situation I am in, but stand up and go get your pen’,” Mokhoabane says. Without the funds to afford professional training after high school, he was rejected from art galleries and struggled to establish himself in the industry. Yet he remained resolute. Honing his skills in his free time and sharing his work on social media, Mokhoabane’s work soon began to receive the recognition it deserved.