When I first started to talk to the Fantastic Mr. Faux (™) via twitter direct-message for this interview, I could tell a couple of things about him right away. First, he was very nervous. Being nervous when I interview someone is a quality I find to be quite endearing. To me, it signals that making a good impression is essential, and that kind of self-awareness can be rare. The second most evident thing I discovered about Mr. Faux is his tremendous capacity for love and kindness.
When the interview first started, these qualities presented themselves subtly. My first hint of these qualities came when I asked Mr. Faux specifically about his artwork, and what kind of illustrations he drew. “The main thing I try to convey in a lot of my illustrations and paintings is very deep, intimate emotions, usually ones that are rather understated or not often portrayed in a lot of current media that I’ve seen. Things like my character, Matiev, reading a bedtime story to his little herd of street children he’s taken in through the course of one of my pathfinder games.” For those uninitiated in the world of TTRPGS (or tabletop role-playing games), one must first understand that the characters players create in their games often share exaggerated qualities that they either possess or wish they possessed, in real life. Some play noble paladins who are steadfast, courageous, and truthful. Sometimes choices like these are made for fun, while other times they may be made on a more subconscious level, owing to the idea that they wish these qualities were more prominent in the waking world.
Aside from being an enjoyable experience, though, roleplaying games also have a myriad of potential mental health benefits, too, as explained by Mr. Faux’s best friend, Beth, a trauma therapist who specializes in working with youth. “TTRPGs have an incredible well of potential to support (or even catalyze) the healing of a myriad of mental health difficulties because they allow an individual to access aspects of self obliquely.” She told as she sat in on the interview. “If you simply tell a socially anxious child to be more overt and bold, and even give them a script, they are still very unlikely to be able to change their behaviour because they are stuck seeing themselves in a certain way. If you take that same child and tell them that they are allowed to portray their character any way they want, they are more likely to play their tough adventurer with confidence because they feel like their character isn’t them!”
Mr. Faux was quick to agree with the above sentiment. “I had always struggled with low self-esteem and poor self-image. Through playing TTRPGs I began to explore different character types and subconsciously massage around psychological knots and let them release. […] I’ve started very intentionally using TTRPGs to work on personal growth by digging into an aspect of self that I’m working on loving or being more like, or by stretching myself out of my usual comfort level and playing a character that feels foreign to me so that I can explore the lesser-known pieces of myself that maybe I was too scared to look at before.”
Like Beth, Mr. Faux sees the benefit of using TTRPGs as a means of helping others, too, not just himself. This year Mr. Faux and Beth had the opportunity to travel to northern Alberta to take part in what Beth referred to as “[…] the most unique 2-day convention experience I’ve ever seen” called ‘Aurora-con.’ The event, which is held in the small town of High Level, Alberta, was attended by over two dozen vendors, artists, and guests, as well as hundreds of attendees. During their time at the convention, Mr. Faux, who works with “neurodivergent and differently-abled teens and kids,” was given the opportunity to lend his significant talents. “Aurora-con wasn’t even on my radar until Beth brought it up.” He said. Mr. Faux found the experience to be productive and rewarding. “[…] they offered for me to run a very beginner “how to build a character” session. The whole Friday was incredible, honestly. I ended up with several groups of teenagers just sort of…floating around my table watching me draw and asking all kinds of questions about running D&D games and telling me all about all their ideas, [and] the incredible weight and importance of offering a place for these kids to belong became incredibly apparent.”
However, it was shortly after Aurora-Con that the unexpected occurred. Just a few weeks after returning home, Mr. Faux’s laptop, the computer he uses for his digital artwork, suddenly malfunctioned, and it became apparent that it would not be repairable. Mr. Faux has taken some time off of work to address some health issues, and without the added income replacing the computer was not feasible. “I was deeply saddened by the situation Faux found himself in this year,” Beth said. Like a hero from the pages of a comic book, she sprung into action setting up a GoFundMe page to help a friend who certainly deserved the assistance. “Because Faux can fill a unique niche, I try to be one of his biggest supporters. He’s been raised in a rural northern community, he’s familiar with the cultural demographic and can understand their challenges, he has a fantastic natural skill with youth, and he’s actually attained what many northern/rural people only dream of […] I figured I couldn’t be the only person out there who loves the idea of tangibly supporting artists who do good work and are passionate about others.” As of this writing, the GoFundMe campaign has been up for almost two weeks and has raised an impressive $120. While the support thus far has been appreciated beyond words, it is still none-the-less a far cry away from the $2,300 goal.
As a budding journalist, it is my job, my pleasure, my honour to look for stories that matter, wherever they may come from, or whatever subject they may concern. When I heard about this situation and the fantastic cause Beth was championing for Mr. Faux, I, too, had to take action, and offered to write this article. Friends, this time of year is tough for so many of us, for so many different reasons. Money can seem tight. Tensions can appear high. Priorities look the most daunting. But it is also during this time of year when we remember those people who do good for the world. During this festive season, we recognize the good people who do great things, and the contributions they make to society. It’s in the spirit of these ideas that I bring you this story, and ask you to please consider donating here today.