Twenty years ago this Sunday, March 30 1994 (actually the 31st in the US), the final Pink Floyd studio album The Division Bell was released to extremely high and impatient expectations. Their previous album, A Momentary Lapse of Reason, created a dividing line amongst fans. Original lyricist Roger Waters had left the band, professing it to be the end. With keyboardist Richard Wright having been…
The least I can do for all you after all you’ve done for me is describe what happened when I met One Direction and got to give them my artbooks.
I was lucky, really lucky.
The history About a year ago, I met Louise at Wembley. Louise is Dan’s, 1D’s guitarist, mom. I’d had my art on me at the time and we’d been talking on Twitter. She said she would try to help.
So, she gave my artbook that I’d made for the Where We Are Tour to Dan.
He then showed it around, and eventually Karen Payne took it, even though Dan had meant to give it to the 1D boys themselves. I didn’t hear about it after. (but there is more on that later)
We kept in touch though, and about a year ago, Louise suggested that I join her for the next tour, which turned out to be On The Road Again. A year is a long time though, so I had plenty of time to put together a new artbook, with new art, even though I was a little discouraged after never hearing what happened to my other book.
Concert week Fast forward to the week before the concert. You were all helping, reblogging and tweeting to get my art noticed. My concert was supposed to be on Saturday 10/11/2015, but earlier that week, there was a little hick up that had us all worrying I might not be able to go at all. Thankfully, Dan was able to move the tickets to Sunday 11/11/2015. I was able to move my return flight (for a fee), and book an extra night at the hotel that Louise and her family (her daughter Jade and her sister Jude) had picked out, that we were staying in together.
I spent the Saturday with my friend Sam @almost-a-class-act who (very unfortunately) could not be there on the Sunday because like my flight, her train was booked and she couldn’t change her ticket.
I spent Sunday afternoon with Dan and his family, visiting Cadbury World. That was fun and I ate surprisingly little chocolate. There’s a ride there that we took photos on as well, and Dan has them, I think, but I’m sure they’ll come my way. Here’s a photo of me and some hot chocolate (taken by Dan).
Anyway, let’s move on. We went back to the hotel where there was a wedding that I was half expecting Harry Styles to crash (but he didn’t). Soon we were on the road again (ooooo punny), walking to the stadium and getting our tickets from the box office. They had a blue guest badge with them which I assumed was because we were catching up with Dan at some point.
I sat with Jude in a quite far away yet with a very good view accessible seat while Louise and Jade sat together as well, on regular seats, somewhere else. We watched Jamie Lawson and thought he was great!
When he was done someone from One Direction’s security team came over (I had never seen him before), and asked for our names, so I said Maartje (but they had me written down as Faye). So he took us through the stadium, down a lift to backstage. I at this point still had no clue because I thought we were seeing Dan (which we did, obviously). I saw Ashton Irwin in the hallway. Anyway, we were sat down in a room opposite catering, and Louise and Jade joined us. Then their ‘tour mom’ Sally came in and introduced herself and she was telling me how she’d seen my art and that she’d been following it for a while. You’d think I’d have an inkling by that point, but I think I was just afraid to get my hopes up.
The meet and greet Next thing she said was “Right, we have to move you all for the meet & greet.” And I just went really quiet and squeaked “Is this what I think it is?” and everyone laughed at me good-naturedly for not figuring it out sooner.
Back to being smiley but really quiet. We moved out of the room and passed Liam in the hall, who got a big hug from Jade and told us “I’ll come meet you in a minute.”
So we moved into the next hall, very near the stage, and Sally let us know that it wasn’t usually like this and that there was usually a room for it but they were late to get on stage so it’d have to be quick. So we put the things we wanted signed out on the table (my mini artbook for me) and we talked a bit. Sally said that they see a lot of the things we post on social networks. So never think they don’t see you. They do. She told me that they knew who I was. I think Sally also tells them things. Meanwhile, Harry was already ready but in the hallway, and waiting for the rest.
Niall came over first, and I shook his hand because hugging someone in a wheelchair is difficult, haha. I gave him my artbook and he looked at it, flipping through it. When he found a painting of himself, he commented on it “Who’s this good looking guy?” and everyone laughed.
Harry then came over and kissed me on the cheek and hugged me and I very nearly made it awkward because us Dutchies kiss three times on the cheek to say hi so I went to do that but then realised that Harry wasn’t Dutch so we nearly bumped faces (hahaha I’m so dumb) and I apologised about ten times.
I gave him my book and he seemed really humbled (they are seemed to be, to be honest), and asked “Is this for me?” and then he started looking at it and asked me if I’d drawn them on the computer and told me I was very talented (thanks, Harry). Then he just continued looking at all of it and he talked to Jude about it.
I’m not really clear on the order of what happened next, to be honest, because it was all so quick.
Again, I’m not sure what the order is here but Harry was flipping through my book, apparently looking for something, and then he came back over. He pulled the letter I had stuck on an empty page in my book out - I was really confused because I thought he didn’t want to keep that - handed me the book back and asked me “Can you sign this for me, please?”
I turned into a potato. I swear. I got so dumb. I was like “Really?” in disbelief because I wasn’t expecting him to turn the tables. “Well, what do you want me to write?” Like I’d forgotten anything I’d ever written online, or in my book, or on twitter. I just forgot how to put something nice in a book but then I got my brain back and wrote: To Harry,
Thank you for being lovely and such an inspiration.
Lots of love,
Faye (or Maartje)
Then Louis and Liam came in, very chummy, and said hi and signed my booklet. Liam was about to sign the two remaining artbooks on the table but I told them they were for them and he was super nice and surprised. And then, yeah, here it comes… he told me he had seen my other artbook that his mom has. (I also saw Karen and Geoff, they passed us)
I got a photo with him and Louis, who was also a sweetie and complimented me on the art a lot. I got a picture with them and Jade also got one (hilariously telling me to get out of the way first and making us all laugh).
After that it was time for them to go and I’d missed the opportunity to take a photo with Niall. But anyway, Harry came back to hug and kiss me again and then I gave Dan a hug because he’d helped make it happen (With Louise, Jude and Sally) and wished them all a good show and then they were walking off (with Liam and Louis still flipping through the book).
That’s it. It was so fast. But it was everything. My art in their hands, with them being incredibly humble and lovely, and Harry especially making me feel so appreciated. That right there was probably the best moment ever for me as a person and an artist. I was there to see them, and he made it about me(and Jade). They all did, and it was absolutely wonderful and I couldn’t have asked for more.
I am so incredibly grateful to Dan, Louise, Jude, Jade, Sally and the other people who made this happen for me, and all of you! It means a lot to me because as you know, becoming a part of this fandom was the best accident that has ever happened to me and my 1D art is some of the best I’ve done. I’m sure I forgot loads of things, because it’s so hard to absorb everything. I was pretty much on a cloud for the rest of the concert… Best night ever. Thank you boys!
I really hope I’ll hear from the boys (who knows), and I have loads more photos on the way that I will share later but I just couldn’t wait to write this down.
