Welcome to my page! I love that I am here (and that you are here too) because when I began this painting journey there was quite a lot of resistance. I felt uncomfortable sharing my art as I knew that meant exposing my inner world. However, through the process I realised that not only has it been one of the most transformative parts of my life but the most healing too. Don’t get me wrong – I still have moments where I feel strange about it. But, there is something really beautiful, vulnerable and courageous about doing the thing that you feel the most uncomfortable about – especially when you find out that that is the thing that fuels your soul the most. I have always wanted to be an artist. From a young age, I remember saying to myself that I wanted to be “an artist and a teacher.” I obviously knew right from the beginning that this way of being was such a huge part of who I am. It is still weird to call myself an “artist” as I truly believe that everyone on this entire planet is – even if it is in a completely different way. There is no such thing (in my opinion) to not be able to paint or draw. When we were kids, we would just create to create. It didn’t matter what colours we mixed together or how scribbly or crazy our pictures ended up being. We did it to release energy, to encourage joy, to explore possibility and to embrace freedom. I have always tried to keep that mentality while creating but I admit that going through school, university and life in general perhaps stifled that concept of creative openness for a while. I have had to re gain those parts and teach myself how to come back and tune in to the essence of who I am and how I choose to be. It took a long time to rid that judgment inside of me, comparing and questioning how or what I should be creating – not just on the canvas but in my life. Intuitive painting brings me back to that space where I can work through those elements of control, be kinder to those parts of myself that crave validation and truly open myself up to a world that is completely me – a world that is completely liberated from any type of restriction.
While I am painting, all of my energy (whether it be labelled positive or negative) seeps out into the canvas. I used to worry that my feelings would get stuck inside the painting and tamper with my art. I am constantly having to remind myself that feelings are always changing and shifting and that allowing them to be expressed is such a huge part of the creation process. This process allows my body and mind to feel free. It allows me to be honest and to trust in the unfolding of what is to come next. It can be daunting not knowing how something is going to unfold – but the more I practice on the canvas, the better I get at taking that notion into my day to day life. I am so glad that I decided to pick up the paintbrush again after such a long period of time. Painting in this unstructured way is constantly reminding me to trust the process, to embrace curiosity, to be more comfortable with the unknown, to let go of the marks and colours that no longer serve me and to have faith in what is to come. If there is some part of you that wants to be unapologetically creative – maybe it is the perfect day to just go for it! Xx
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