Such a great question – it’s something I have only come to discover about myself in later years.
I was an academic at school, who then went on to take up a vocation. Becoming a nurse was a huge part of my identity for a long time, and letting go of that took some adjusting.
I was creative as a kid. I loved hand embroidery and so being creative has always been in the background growing up. It just got left behind when work and life became the focus.
So although it’s not been part of my identity for most of my life, I would say being creative and being a creative person is very much who I am now.
It’s definitely the mindful process of putting down paint on a surface, making marks, being playful and curious and tuning into my intuition.
It’s a purposely slow and gentle process. I love the happy mistakes, and how failures can be repurposed or just painted over.
Whenever the paints come out, my shoulders drop, my breathing settles and it’s a lovely calm space to be in.
I tend to paint and create in between the twice daily school runs.
I’m a morning person, so I have much more energy and focus to dedicate to painting earlier in the day. I might jump back in the studio later on, but this is mostly to review and reflect on what I’ve done, and to consider the next steps for work progress or to check emails.
Some days I’m painting, other days painting takes a pause to make time for creating content, writing blogs and newsletters etc. so I can share my art practice and work with everyone.
I also try and make time to journal about my art practice too.
Not forgetting the dogs. We go on lots of walks and spend time in nature, which is the inspiration for much of my work.
I’d describe it more as a meander along a very wiggly line.
It’s progressed slowly, which has been intentional. I’ve not wanted to push it, mainly because of other responsibilities at home. My art practice has developed and evolved organically and I hope it continues this way.
Before painting, I had a small business making beautiful handmade greetings cards, and before that I dabbled in writing creatively for other small businesses, writing their blogs and content for a short time.
I struggled with turning my creativity into a profitable business. I lost the love for it and the challenge resulted in me closing my online shop, and I stopped making.
I then needed a period of time to just be creative and I painted.
Over the last few years my art practice has gently evolved and my confidence has grown being an artist. I am now releasing paintings for general sale and I hope to grow this mindfully and in a way that doesn’t negatively impact my creativity.
Pricing my work, cash flow and occasionally the loneliness.
I have an innate need to care and support others (probably one of the reasons I pursued nursing as a first career). I love cheerleading and supporting other small business owners. Developing relationships is really important to me working on my own, and to garner the support of others too. You can’t do it all on your own.
I would say my personality on social media is who I am in real life. I am unapologetically me – super tidy, semi-organised, grounded, caring, honest and loyal. All traits I hope serve me well in business.
I used to love hand embroidery as a teen and into my twenties. I would love to do more of this as a passion project, it’s just making the time.
Baking is something I do manage to do. It’s something that I find hugely relaxing, and the family get to enjoy it too.
Not a project as such, but I’ve definitely tried art materials and not got along with them.
I once tried pastels and took an instant dislike to the effect, the texture and everything about them. They weren’t for me and I think they ended up in the bin!
Over the past few years, my aim has been to develop an art practice that works in harmony with my life. So more like ‘work-life blend’ than balance.
Blending it into everyday life means that my art practice doesn’t jar with family time or other responsibilities or become a source of stress. Instead it supports my wellbeing which in turn has a positive impact on those around me.
There are weeks when I would love to spend more time in the studio, however being able to flex my time when other life commitments come more into focus is equally rewarding.
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