- 3 months ago
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00:00And I was at Exhibit of Failure.
00:02Now, back then it was very difficult.
00:05Because we all know what you tell me is going to happen in your life is what you can say from an early age.
00:13If they say the right thing to you, you get that encouragement.
00:16It's like a medicine.
00:17When they say something bad, it's a drug.
00:20Say something good, it's a medicine.
00:23And when I was at school, there was one teacher that used to use me as an Exhibit of Failure
00:28because I couldn't spell, couldn't read.
00:30It was hard. It was hard.
00:33But, you know what?
00:36Diamonds were created by pressure.
00:40And the pressure that they used to put under me was, you know,
00:43the one teacher used to have a voice like this,
00:46having great expectations.
00:48One of those voices that would troll the scholarship.
00:51She used to say,
00:52Any boy who doesn't listen shall face the consequences.
00:55So, therefore, I'm going to exhibit you as a failure.
00:58Your work is disgusting. Come along with me.
01:01You don't know what failures I'm about to show you.
01:03And, you know, that was enough to bury me.
01:06You know, that was it.
01:08But when you bury a seed, you know what a seed was?
01:11Crows.
01:12Don't make a mistake.
01:15So, I was taken around the school and exhibited to all the kids.
01:21They were made the size book of,
01:23Look how disgusting his work is.
01:26You know, all that.
01:27So, I thought, okay, that's it.
01:29I'll accept failure.
01:30Because you said it.
01:32So, I will become what you say.
01:34Okay?
01:35So, I didn't speak, stopped speaking.
01:37So, I decided to run away from school.
01:39One day.
01:40It was a moment for me when I was going to find me.
01:47So, I was in the playground one day with short trousers on.
01:50With a red cap.
01:51I went to Russell Close School.
01:53Covered back from the park.
01:55Just had these short trousers.
01:57My legs looked like Kit Kats.
01:59And I had this little red cap.
02:02In my knee.
02:03A little skinny kid.
02:04And I thought, let's see that way enough.
02:05Run away from school.
02:07And.
02:08It was.
02:09The best thing that happened to me.
02:11Because I didn't want to be still.
02:12My body was there.
02:13The mind wasn't.
02:14My left leg.
02:15My right leg was in school.
02:17My left leg was in school.
02:18My right leg was out.
02:20I was never really there.
02:21So, when I ran away.
02:23It was a great feeling.
02:25I remember just running across the fields.
02:27And I just kept running.
02:29I could see my house in the distance.
02:31But the closer I got towards my house.
02:34The more afraid that they come.
02:36Because my mother was the type of woman.
02:37You don't mess with.
02:38You know.
02:39I was in the shape of you.
02:41Then the dog scratched the door.
02:43The door opened up.
02:44And the dog had a ball in his mouth.
02:46And I took the ball.
02:48And bounced it.
02:50And he went over the next old neighbor's fence.
02:52And my dog started to dig.
02:54And eat the fence.
02:55And as you've done that.
02:56Lots of ants came out the ground.
02:57Lots and lots of ants.
02:58And I started to cry.
03:00Because I was thinking.
03:01The ants have got no way to live.
03:03And I thought.
03:04What am I going to do with these ants.
03:05And everyone else.
03:06We were set.
03:07And I thought.
03:08I know what I'll do.
03:09I'll make them some little houses.
03:12Perhaps they'll all move in.
03:13Perhaps they'll make any rent.
03:15So I found my dad's razor blade.
03:17Fusilette razor blade.
03:18Anybody else remember that?
03:19Fusilette.
03:20My dad used to have one of those little container things.
03:23With the razor blades in.
03:24And then you saw it.
03:25The spirit of the razor blade.
03:26Would come out.
03:27You know.
03:28So I remember breaking off a piece of razor blade.
03:30I was only six.
03:31Seven at the time.
03:32Broke a piece of razor blade.
03:33I took.
03:34Picked up spinsters of wood.
03:35And started to slice.
03:37Little spinsters of wood.
03:38And started to construct.
03:40And build.
03:41Little microscopic houses for ants.
03:44And I started to make the ants furniture.
03:47Seesaws and swings.
03:48In perfect form.
03:50I got a leaf.
03:51That was dirty.
03:52It was twirled.
03:53I made a palace for the queen.
03:55I had to open this leaf.
03:57I got a piece of cardboard.
03:58And punched lots of holes in spinsters.
04:01And I pushed all the little houses in between the spinsters.
04:05And there was a community for ants.
04:07Like a little village for ants.
04:09I never thought it was special.
04:11The ants didn't pay me any rent at all.
04:15So then I was looking at what I've done.
04:17You know.
04:18It was anything special.
04:19I could skip.
04:20And when the bell went up.
04:21And the kids came along next door.
04:22One of the girls.
04:23Still skipping down the garden path.
04:25Because in the 60s.
04:26They used to skip a lot.
04:27I don't know why.
04:28Everybody used to skip.
04:29Probably out of the cat.
04:30Probably out of the dog.
04:31You know.
04:32They were always skipping out.
04:33And she couldn't skip down the garden path.
04:35She couldn't throw up the fence.
04:37And I was hiding out there.
04:38And I heard.
04:39Wow.
04:40Did you have made that?
04:43That's the bestest.
04:46And I heard that word.
04:49The bestest.
04:50And it was like being in a.
04:53In a shower.
04:54And he stopped with the water.
04:55And washed away everything that was celebrated.
04:57It was what the school teacher said.
04:59And it was.
05:00Just that feeling of being told I was the bestest.
05:02Then my mate was.
05:03The lady came out of the garden.
05:04Miss him.
05:05It comes a lady.
05:06She came out of the garden.
05:07She told the fence.
05:08Oh.
05:09Wow.
05:10That's busting.
05:11Pretty late.
05:12You know what I mean.
05:13So you know.
05:14My head started to swell.
05:15I come to the garden.
05:16And I was like.
05:17Oh great.
05:18She told me I'm good.
05:19You know.
05:20So.
05:21Then.
05:22I started to understand.
05:23You know.
05:24I must have done something special.
05:25And then.
05:26One of the.
05:27Some of the kids.
05:28Someone I've gone.
05:29And I was talking about it.
05:30And all the kids started to say.
05:31You made a little house for us.
05:32You made this.
05:33And I thought.
05:34Right.
05:35But what's so funny.
05:36For me.
05:37Is when my mother came home.
05:38And my mother's seen what I've done.
05:39She looked at it like that.
05:41My neighbour said.
05:42You know.
05:43You know.
05:44This is what your son's made up.
05:45Look at this.
05:46On this piece of cardboard.
05:47It was all these little houses for us.
05:48Furniture, see-saw, anything.
05:49And then.
05:50She.
05:51She looked at it like that.
05:52My neighbour said.
05:54She's really nice.
05:55My son's made up.
05:56Look at this.
05:57On this piece of cardboard.
05:58With all these little houses for us.
06:00Furniture, see-saw, anything.
06:02And then.
06:03She took it quick.
06:05On the table.
06:06She looked at it.
06:07And she.
06:08She was starting to silence with it.
06:10And then she went.
06:12If you make them smaller, you'll need to get bigger.
06:18Then I went on a journey.
06:22To make the smallest sculptures in history.
06:25Which I have now.
06:27Now.
06:28She said to me.
06:30Let me see what you can make.
06:32Let me see what you can make.
06:33Fuck.
06:34So I got a sphincter.
06:35Overboard.
06:36And I carved.
06:37Peter Rabbit on the point of the sphincter.
06:40And I showed my mum.
06:41She was a tall big man.
06:43He was smaller still.
06:46Tall big.
06:47And I thought.
06:49What did she want me to do?
06:50Carve an atom.
06:51Carve an atom.
06:52And I thought.
06:53What did she want me to do?
06:54Carve an atom.
06:55You know.
06:56So like.
06:57You know.
06:58I wasn't thinking that as a kid.
06:59I was just.
07:00Thinking that I need to get better.
07:02You know.
07:03So.
07:04I became possessed.
07:05Because I did autism.
07:06Right.
07:07When you have autism.
07:08It gives you this.
07:09Extreme ability.
07:10To do something.
07:12Other human beings can't do.
07:14You become a.
07:15It's a compensation.
07:16Because your brain.
07:18Needs to defend itself.
07:19You need to.
07:20Do something.
07:21And you can't read or write properly.
07:22I have what you call a learning difference.
07:23You know.
07:24So.
07:25When you have a learning difference.
07:26What it does.
07:27It kind of.
07:28Plays with your mind.
07:29And you start.
07:30Doing things.
07:31You don't think it's special.
07:32Until somebody tells you.
07:33And now.
07:34This is it.
07:35Now.
07:36I've been told.
07:37What I am.
07:38So what I did.
07:39I got a toothpick.
07:40And I got all the Beatrix.
07:41Party characters.
07:42On a toothpick.
07:43And I show this kid next door.
07:44Showing all the kids.
07:45And all the kids.
07:46And all the kids.
07:47And all the kids.
07:48They say.
07:49They say.
07:50Come in there.
07:51Come on.
07:52See.
07:53I'll stick.
07:54With all that.
07:55Animal.
07:56I don't get any.
07:57You know.
07:58And these kids.
07:59They want to give it.
08:00They want to give it back.
08:01I give it back.
08:02Anyway.
08:03I started to develop a reputation.
08:05But as time went on.
08:06I thought.
08:07You know.
08:08If I had any story.
08:09I would be here till Christmas.
08:10I would have a Christmas.
08:11I would walk through the door.
08:12So.
08:13I would cut it as short as I possibly can.
08:15So what actually happened after that.
08:17As time went on.
08:19I got better.
08:21And better.
08:22But I never got bitter.
08:24I got better.
08:25Because throughout my life.
08:27I said.
08:28Right.
08:29I'm going to become this.
08:30The bestest.
08:31And now.
08:32My sculptures are so small.
08:34That they can fit inside a human head.
08:37At the end of the night.
08:38The smallest sculpture I've ever done.
08:40Can fit inside a human embryo.
08:43Now.
08:44I've won an award.
08:45For a documentary called The World's Tigers Masterpiece.
08:49I have an MBA and a doctorate from the Queen.
08:51Sorry.
08:52An MBA from the Queen.
08:53A doctorate from Warwick University.
08:55I went.
08:56I went to Buckingham Palace.
08:57I met the Queen.
08:58I made a tiny crayon for a diamond dribbling.
09:01I was invited to Buckingham Palace.
09:03The Queen looked through the microscope.
09:05She saw it.
09:06And she went.
09:07I don't believe what I'm seeing.
09:11This is the only one's comprehension.
09:14How does one make something so small?
09:17It's not from Wolverhampton.
09:19That's why.
09:20On a serious note.
09:21She did say that.
09:22And she has that crayon in Buckingham Palace.
09:26And of course she's not with us.
09:28But it made me realise.
09:29What I've achieved.
09:30The proudest moment of my own life.
09:31I've now been on all the top chap shows in America.
09:33The Tonight Show.
09:34I'm going to do another documentary on me.
09:35I'm a scientist.
09:36I'm a scientist.
09:37I'm a scientist.
09:38I'm a scientist.
09:39I'm a scientist.
09:40I'm a scientist.
09:41I'm a scientist.
09:42I'm a scientist.
09:43I'm a scientist.
09:44I'm a scientist.
09:45I'm a scientist.
09:46I'm a scientist.
09:47I'm a scientist.
09:48I'm a scientist.
09:49And I'm a scientist.
09:50I'm a scientist.
09:51I'm a scientist.
09:52So surgeons.
09:53All types of people in the medical profession say.
09:54Because of my dexterity.
09:56and I even said that because of my dexterity.
09:58My skills can be applied to surgery.
10:01All types of things.
10:03She's going to increase me everything.
10:04Can you do this?
10:05Can you do that?
10:06That's as bad as I can operate at Bough in Short Stands style.
10:08You know.
10:09But on a serious note.
10:12I'm now the greatest micro artist I've ever been.
10:17Now, I'm proud to come from Wolverhampton.
10:22Wolverhampton to me has been a place where I respect because people underestimate Wolverhampton.
10:32Wolverhampton is a rough diamond that hasn't been cut properly.
10:36And when it does, it's going to shine all over the country because my inspiration has always been underestimation.
10:44People seem to underestimate smaller towns and think there's nothing in there.
10:49My mum used to say something to me when I was a kid with diamonds and dusting.
10:54She used to say, throw a greater sun into the sea, you create a tidal wave of success.
10:59And I did that.
11:01And my work, it's the smallest, biggest impact on people in the sea.
11:08Because people can't comprehend what they do.
11:11I don't understand how I do this thing, but it's because the autism has given me the skill and the ability to do it.
11:18And the young citizens here, I just want to congratulate all of you.
11:22Because every single one of you, all of you, is saying all about me.
11:26It's about me giving back, coming back to Wolverhampton to share my little story.
11:32I feel honored to be here.
11:35And all I can say to all of you, if you notice that your clothes are not fitting, your trousers are not fitting, you'll all be short by me.
11:45And I'll put you all in an ivory.
11:48Now, wherever you want to go, those citizens, if you want to do the best, you'll be the best.
11:55I have two Guinness World Records.
11:57My work is in Ripley's in America.
11:59I'm due to go to Las Vegas.
12:01I'm doing something quite special.
12:03And I've also been doing a tour in the movies.
12:09And there's a lot of things happening in my life.
12:13I'm a very humble person.
12:16I'm full down to work.
12:17My success has not got to me.
12:20I don't think I'm better than anybody.
12:22God has given me a gift.
12:24I just want to thank God for the gift I was giving me.
12:27How can something so small become so big?
12:30But there's a saying, it's not the size of the fighting a dog.
12:34It's not the size of a dog in a fight.
12:37It's the size of the fighting a dog.
12:39And we're going to do it.
12:41And we're going to do it.
12:43And I'm proud of we're going to.
12:45And I'm proud to come here and share my little story.
12:48There's a lot more than, like I said, if I can go,
12:51Father Christmas would walk through the door with presents.
12:54But thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen.
13:00Thank you very much.
13:18One more thing I'd like to say.
13:20The bad news is, I'm getting better.
13:25Thank you very much.
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