Deleyer, J: From Handguns To Paintbrushes

My name is Jeff de Leyer and I am 40 years old. I hand wrote my life story from a Maximum-Security prison cell where I am being held in segregation because I can no longer get along with the men in the Gang I was once the leader of. I made up my mind to change my life for a new start and this put a target on my back. This isn't who I am anymore. I want to be able to look in the mirror and be proud of who I see. I ran the streets and took a man's life over money and I cannot change this. I am the one who messed up my life and this is a difficult reality to accept. People fear men like me, but I have learned fear is only for a minute but love is forever. The sad reality is, I could have done anything with my life, yet I chose to chase a dream that only works out in the movies. There is no happy ending to a life of crime in real life. This book may seem like I am glorifying my life as a criminal, but this isn't the case. My story is about a man who had to finally grow up because my reality became a million pounds that I was forced to carry on my shoulders. Most of the people I have spoken of end up dead in one way or another. It took many years, but I finally changed. Art has had a huge impact on my change and growth. I spent so many years of my life destroying everything I touched, it is finally amazing to be able to create. Although art changed my life, the woman I love, saved my life.