What is your passion and how did it develop? How long have you been painting?
For as long as I can remember, I have always loved painting and drawing. As a kid, I had a backpack with my paper and colouring pencils that accompanied me on all my adventures. When I finished high school, I sold a painting to a local pub. It actually paid for my ticket to London and a few other little trips from there, which was amazing.
I never thought I could make great money from painting. Instagram wasn't around then! I also had travel on the brain. I moved to the UK and lived there for 7 years, followed by a year in the French Alps. In that time, I studied Illustration at the Chelsea College of Arts and sold a few more works.
I became more serious about my passion once I moved back to Australia in 2013. I studied Graphic Design at CATC in Melbourne, and started creating artworks, T-shirts, and other things. I sold these on Etsy and at markets, and even had a few artworks featured on Nine’s TV show, The Block. Even though I've moved around a little since then, I've always worked in Marketing and Graphic Design as my everyday job. I've managed to keep up my own graphic design business on the side too (less markets and no more Etsy), focused more on branding and print media. Occasionally, I get to incorporate my paintings through packaging design, menus, business cards, and wedding collateral - which is fun!
How much of your time does it consume?
I spend a lot of my time thinking strategically and creatively at work... but the time I spend on my freelance work is creative and a bit of an escape. I spend a large chunk of my evenings and weekends working on my freelance and personal projects. Like everything, creativity ebbs and flows, but I would say at least 50-60% of the time I’m not at work is spent doing something creative.
How does this enrich your life? What do you enjoy about it?
Painting is a great way to switch off. I often overthink things, so I find that painting is a great way for me to zone out. My work is all about colour and texture. I usually play with acrylic and watercolour, sometimes a little ink. I've recently worked on a series of rocking horses with acrylic which I’ve really enjoyed. Out of this series, two of them were sculpted by my best friend’s dad, and one is a 70-year-old restoration that will soon be a rocking unicorn. I love playing with different colours and textures and find that there is always something new to discover or enjoy in this process.
What, if anything, does this passion and your enjoyment of it bring to your working life?
Being creative in my free time inspires me to think about things differently, which means I can think laterally when it comes to my everyday work - which I love! It's also quite relaxing. In my everyday work, I'm very structured and organised to make sure I tick all the boxes. When I work on personal projects, I like to not have that structure, It’s a good way to keep the balance.
