ANY TIPS ON FINDING INSPIRATION OR GETTING OUT OF A HEAD BLOCK?
I tend to find a lot of inspiration from other creative fields. I love seeing what is going on in textiles and interior design as well as what other artists are working on. I’m also fan of creating visuals so I love a good mood board. I will grab some magazines and second hand books and start cutting out things that my eye is drawn to. Social media and Pinterest can be a good resource too as it’s a constant stream of beautiful or interesting imagery. But the other side of that is that is it can sometimes be a bit overwhelming which can become a bit of a creative block in itself. Being overstimulated and busy isn’t great for creativity in general for me.
Lately I’ve actually been trying to allow myself time to slow down and do nothing productive, which is super hard as I’m constantly trying to use every minute of my day efficiently, especially since having my daughter! Some days I put her down for a nap and I’m like ‘Ok so in the next hour and a half I’m going to paint my new series, meal prep, finish painting the shed, plan an exhibition, do some yoga and then landscape my garden. Brain broken. So I find that if I just allow myself some idle time to potter around the house, go for a walk and stare at the waves, the fog clears and the creativity flows more naturally.
WHAT SORT OF THEMES DOES YOUR ART EXPLORE? DOES THIS PARALLEL INTO YOUR OWN LIFE?
My work is pretty simple in terms of themes as it really just explores my love of beautiful colour combinations and balancing compositions. But yes it definitely is a reflection of what is going on in my life. This last year has revolved around becoming a mum so I’ve noticed my colour palette changing from soft muted tones when she was first born to brighter darker ones as she became more awake and I started to get back to the world again. Lately I’m seeking more calm so I’ve been incorporating more blues and greens. Becoming a mum has softened me too which I think is reflected in my style changing a little recently. I find myself constantly trying to balance the structure and fluidity in my composition, which feels a bit like a metaphor for my life too!