I have always travelled and my adventurous spirit was calling. So, with a one-way ticket to New Zealand, I embarked on a completely new lifestyle on the other side of the world. I have never regretted the move. New Zealand’s stunning landscape and friendly people soon became home. However, with three young children, a life that revolved around Playcentre and no art connections in my adopted country, my creative output stalled for several years. Nonetheless, my time at Playcentre enabled me to develop my group facilitation and leadership skills – valuable tools for my future business.
Finally the day came to get back into my art. But the embroidery felt too fiddly and I simply had an urge to paint and play. Believing that as an artist you always have to delight yourself first, mixed media became my wonderful messy creative outlet. As Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way says, “progress, not perfection, is what we should be asking of ourselves.” My own motto became, “there are no mistakes – only layers!”