Hey! I’m Alex, creator of Drive to Survive. If you’re anything like me and most of your life revolves around cars, be it blowing all your money on car parts, or driving just for the fun of it, well, you’re in the right place!

 

I have been an automotive enthusiast from the day I was born. Growing up with a stereotypical V8-loving dad, there was a pretty good chance that I would follow in his footsteps. Most of my childhood was spent around cars, with everything from Saturday morning cruises with the family to the best country bakeries around, or going full speed around Mallala Racetrack in the backseat of a Ferrari not being able to see over the dashboard. Fast forward to today and that passion for cars is stronger than ever. My passion for cars extends even further, having been an automotive photographer for many years now, being lucky enough to photograph all sorts of cars across Adelaide, but we will get into that more in later posts.

 

I am sure many of you can relate to this, but the day I got my driver’s license was one of the happiest days of my life. Finally, I had this new freedom where I got to experience driving for myself, getting to learn those technical hills roads, and having a car of my own to love and enjoy. Then came the huge amount of friends I formed within the community, all thanks to cars. Every day after school you’d find me modifying, cleaning, or driving my car; and yes, I was your typical P plater driving a Subaru with a stupidly loud exhaust.

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Having gone through various tough times in my own life, cars have always been my escape. Some days it was driving, other days just wrenching away in the garage, but no matter what I was doing, it was a distraction from everything else going on. I am certainly not alone with these feelings, having met so many people over the years, each with their own unique story on how cars have impacted their life.

 

That links to one of the key reasons for starting this blog, mental health. Although I haven’t suffered any mental health issues myself, I have grown up surrounded by it and seen some of the devastating consequences that can occur as a result. Although in recent years the negative stigma around mental health has no doubt decreased, it, unfortunately, does still remain. My goal with Drive To Survive is to encourage more people to speak up and have the difficult conversations on mental health that are so often kept quiet.

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By telling the stories of other people within the car scene who have suffered mental health issues and have their passion to thank for helping them get through it, I hope it encourages more people to speak up and seek professional help if needed.

 

Don’t forget, this blog isn’t about me. It’s about cars bringing us together and exploring how a passion can go much deeper in someone’s life than many people realise. If you have a car-related story you’d like to share or know of someone doing something special within the car community, get in touch by email or on our Facebook or Instagram, as I would love to hear from you. Don't forget to get engaged through comments, or tagging us in your posts as we love to share what people are getting up to with their cars.