Hello Spring! 
Things are slowly warming up in our sunny part of the world and what better timing for me to bring you the work and story of another incredible female painter by the name of Sam Michelle. Sam and I met via Instagram, I can't quite remember how it happened - as is the case for many when you're in a trance of scrolling, looking, liking and clicking onto new and wonderful feeds of fellow artists - but either way I'm glad we found each other! Sam has on many occasions thrown some good, solid and truly genuine social media love my way over the past year and a bit, and not just to me. She also sends support in the direction of many other artists she's found and connected with via these digital platforms. Whether it be details for a competition or massive sales happening at retail art suppliers, Sam is never one to withhold the sharing of, the LOVE. 
Yup, we have ourselves another kind creative. HAPPY DAYS! 

When Sam sent me through her responses to the interview questions, I was amazed at how many things we have in common, in our outlook on this artist life - which is often the case when I read about people following their passions. It's heart warming and reassuring and nothing short of inspiring. 

So on that note, it's your turn to enter the beautiful world of Sam Michelle and her stunning painting style. Take note of her distinctive use of colour and organic painting technique, it's honestly mesmerising to take in each and every daub of colour! I love the contrast with smooth blended areas and crisp, bold outlines on the faces and bodies of her subjects and in the many tones and highlights of the petals on her floral still life works.  Each work exudes a warm, gentle and very generous vibe... which I feel is a very clear reflection of their maker.  

Over to you Sam x

Early last year I was granted the opportunity to launch the local councils (Casey) art space. This was a great opportunity and experience to put together a collection of work. This then snowballed to things like my live painting sessions at the local Westfield to actually moving on from my 13 year banking career to give my risky dream of fulltime painting a go. I am a keen goal writer and last year I was able to tick off usual business things like a website, social media presence, gallery representation not to mention making this risky dream financial viable. This year my goals have been to grow my oil painting classes in my studio and take on more commissions. Yesterday I sold 3 of my female figurative paintings through a beautiful local cafe I display at, the feeling I get from someone purchasing something I create is indescribable.

I am about to embark on a little project to help other local artists get their work out and seen. It's an amazing opportunity to curate specific shows and I am very excited about it. Us artists need to help and support each other as possible as we can tend to be our own worse advocates and advertisers.

Send Sam some LOVE if you've been moved by her work or story.
Or get on touch with her directly:


Sams social media sites:

www.sammichellepaintings.com

www.facebook.com/sam.michelle.paintings

www.instagram.com/sammichellepaintings

 

Galleries & Stockists:

Suburban Gallery Brighton VIC http://suburban312.com.au/

Mingara Gallery, Cowes VIC http://www.mingaragallery.com.au

Primary Cafe, Berwick VIC https://www.facebook.com/PrimaryatPioneersPark

The Artful Collective, Dromana VIC https://www.facebook.com/Theartfulcollective

 

Upcoming:

Paper Pear, Wagga Wagga NSW https://www.facebook.com/paperpear

The Moree Gallery, Moree NSW https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Moree-Gallery

Thank you so very much Sam for sharing AGAIN, I wish you so much goodness and many more happy painting days xx

How exciting! I have another incredibly wonderful painting buddy to share with you all! This lady is one to watch, and for a number of reasons. Alison Mooney and I first crossed physical paths back in 2011 when I was visiting some friends in Toowoomba and checking out a local art exhibition. I had heard through mutual friends and social media, of the great things Alison had been doing for the promotion of new artists and cultural events in the garden town of Toowoomba - so naturally it was exciting to put a face to the name.

Sometimes you hear about or come across these 'doers' in life. By that I mean, the people that don't just talk about what they want to do, but rather the people that get an idea and just go and do it! The ones that make stuff happen. Better yet, the types that do stuff for themselves and for others. 'Kind Doers!' These are the people that truly inspire me and these are the people who deserve attention. I also want to thank this kind creative for her time, which she selflessly gave to me a few weeks ago. Without even a hint of hesitation. 

You see I like to do stuff too! And sometimes I take on more than I physically am capable of doing...ok I won't sugar coat it - more often than not. I blame it on my excitement and inability to stop chasing opportunities. So back to the story. I needed some help to set up and set out my current exhibition of works in Noosaville. I had no extra hands, other than my Husband Matt - who really only had one because I needed him to not only help me, but also be on active toddler duty. Can I just add here that I strongly advise against setting up an exhibition when you have a toddler on the loose with very few 'extra-hands'! 

So I knew that Alison had recently relocated from Toowoomba to the Sunshine Coast and I thought, on a whim, that I might ask if she could by any chance spare me some of her time and come lend a hand on install day. And as I've learnt in the past if you don't ask - the answer is always no. So I asked. And she said YES. And she stayed true to her word and showed up at the gallery AND she stayed  - and she did far more than just help for 3 hours of her Friday! What an awesome HUMAN! 
I was and still am so so grateful.

Seriously, there's always a lot to be said about the person behind every creation of art. Knowing what makes them tick, what motivates and inspires them is vital to the process of appreciating their art and knowing it's true value. 

Read on. I think you will enjoy this Artist's thoughts!
Over to you Alison x

I have always considered myself an artist of sorts but until I had my son, kept myself busy with a ‘plan b’. When it was time to become a mum I decided, as a journalist, I wanted to shift from writing about people doing ‘stuff’ and wanted to be one of the someone’s ‘doing’. So that’s when I really took a chance and showed some of my work publicly for the first time. It was a defining decision because from that point, I met amazing people and was offered amazing opportunities that snowballed into running the MARS gallery and theGRID with dancer Kirsty Lee: we got to present a lot of projects and things in Toowoomba, with the support of some fantastic folk. 

I’m at the point now where I feel I’ve come full circle, in that a lot my time in Toowoomba was as facilitator, connector, communicator etcetera for fellow creatives, projects and organisations.  I felt I’d slipped back into that role of writing about people doing things! ha!  I’m on the Sunshine Coast now studying and recently received a five-month studio residency under Margaret Ellen Turner at the Old Ambulance Station in Nambour, so I’m super stoked to be returning to my practice after the past few years.

Until relatively recently, my work has been a subconscious response to marks I’ve made on a page, canvas or wall. I enjoyed the journey of carving it out; experimenting with palette, line and composition.

Recurring topics emerged as I thought them out while resolving the work I guess, but the creation and resolution of the work were paramount for me. It was a very kind of insular and experimental practice.
A change came during a studio residency late last year/ early this year where I almost got bored, for want of a better word, of being inside my own head.  I created about 12 works in three months and that process can be exhausting when some pieces took the whole time to make.

My practice has really shifted this year. Its fun for me where before it was cathartic. I’m often chuckling at the cheeky shit I put out and am really enjoying allowing that inner shit stirrer a go at the canvas or wall or whatever it is. There tends to be lots of super flat shapes and block colours, I call it ‘sugar pop’ and am loving feeling it out. I’m keen to ride this train for a bit.

The first time my work went out into the world, I was shit scared but had promised myself I was going to do it. It was a cafe in Toowoomba, I’d done up about ten little zines of my work and handed them to various spots and galleries around town: Jake and Dan Stewart at Metro Cafe were the only ones to respond. And thankfully too - their support of me and others like me kickstarted massive changes and connections for the cultural shift in Toowoomba that continues to ripple out to a much larger audience.

Tips? Do it. Show it. Once you’ve done with a piece, it’s done. It’s not your’s. You’ve got more in you. The more you do, the better you get. the more you do, the more you do! The more people you let in, the bigger your audience and circles of influence grow. In all my work with artists over the past few years, the biggest message I thought was to not be too precious with your work nor take it too seriously. Make it, enjoy making it, put into it whatever you want and then once it’s done .. let it go!

THANK YOU Alison! You are a dead-set Legend and I wish you so much goodness in return for all that you do and have given to others. All the very best with your current residency and sea-change.
Tamara x

Welcome to the third instalment of my latest blog series 'My friend can paint'- Feature Artist. 
This month I have a pretty special Artist to share with you and once you see her work you won't forget it! 

I still recall the very first time I saw the distinct work of Fiona Kennedy-Altoft in 2011. Fiona was having a solo exhibition 'Offspring' at the Gold Coast Regional Gallery and there was a write up in the courier mail. When I read that she was also a secondary Art teacher on the Gold Coast (originally from Roma in SW Queensland) I was intrigued by her story. It was around the same time I had started to get back into my own practice and I was inspired by Fiona and her artistic achievements. Fiona's style of painting is quite remarkable. Her combination of floral patterns and textural bird portraits create a striking contrast, making her work really stand out. 

Those who are familiar with my work know I love to paint birds and women, so naturally I was drawn to Fiona's work for those similarities - but there was something else that I liked about her playful depictions that I just couldn't quite put my finger on...at least that was the case until we finally met in 2013. I had reached out to Fiona via her Facebook page early in 2013 when I was scouting for artists to take part in my group exhibition 'Empowerment' to raise funds for the Leukaemia Foundation. Organising that exhibition gave me an excuse to directly contact many artists I had long admired from a distance, that in itself was empowering as I made some really lovely connections with a lot of great people. Fiona was really encouraging throughout the process and not only did she agree to hang one of her incredible pieces in the exhibition she also kindly donated a work for the fundraiser. Both works received a lot of praise and her large work was truly the anchor piece for the entire space. I was so excited to have someone of her calibre hanging in the show. 

Whilst Fiona and I weren't able to meet in person at the time of the exhibition, a few months later she had declared on Facebook that she was moving to Hong Kong along with her family and she was off loading a lot of her art gear from her studio. She sent me a personal message inviting me to take some of her large canvas frames and as we only lived about 30 minutes from each other I headed over and we finally got to meet! I can honestly say that Fiona is equally as friendly and genuinely as kind as I had believed she would be. A truly beautiful person. So now I will hand over you over to Fiona to find out more about her work and life.
Over to you Fiona! x

I'm not exactly sure when I knew I was an artist.  I used to write books and illustrate them when I was young, particularly during the school holidays.  I loved art at school  and decided to do a Degree in Visual Arts.  I think it is so important to be a practising artist and teacher.  I know people always say they don’t have time but we all need to improve our skills and keep in touch with industry, artists and rediscovery. 

You can find out more about my work and stay up to date with what I'm doing by visiting my website or following me via Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/kennedyaltoft

Alternatively you can contact Fiona direct by email at fionakennedyaltoft@yahoo.com.au

Welcome to the second official 'My friend can paint - Feature Artist' post for my latest blog series. I've finally taken advantage of my unique business name in a way that allows me to share inspiring artwork by fellow local artists - who can also paint, like they mean it! 

This month I've connected with another talented soul by the name of Bronte Naylor. Now while I have not yet had the actual pleasure of meeting Bronte in the flesh, a meeting just seems inevitable. In fact our artwork is currently spending some time together at Firefly Cafe in Toowoomba as we speak. 

 I've come into contact with so many artworks before I've ever met the creators behind them. Like a face, artwork has a tendency to stay in my mind clearer than names ever do. So this was the case for a lovely crossing of paths with Bronte's incredible work on a few separate occasions - both online and during visits to a few creative spaces in Toowoomba. 

I've been aware of and have recognised Bronte's edgy style long before I ever knew her name and thanks to a recommendation from our mutual artist pal Alice Weinthal this little conversation has been made possible. Alice was the first artist to be featured for this series...in case you missed her feature click here. 

Now I'm not entirely sure when I saw Bronte's work for the first time - I'm pretty sure it may have been shared on Facebook - BUT one thing I am certain of is that I was suitably impressed when I did see it. Bronte's work has an undeniably playful energy that exudes confidence and authenticity. What I particularly admire about Bronte's style is that she somehow manages to balance feminine and masculine elements in a single image, thus allowing her work to speak to a wider audience. I LOVE that she is capable of this as it's something I myself have been trying to master for years... and so far I have not been able to!

So I'm already impressed with Ms Naylor aka NOKE...let's now find out even more about this clever woman.

Over to you Bronte! Xx 

Who are you?
My name is Brontë Naylor - NOKE and I am 21 years of age. I'm currently living in luscious tropical Cairns  while I complete a Bachelors Degree in Creative industries majoring in Visual Art. I'm originally from T-bar town. 

I like enclosed shoes, eating with chopsticks, painting outside in the heat, glitter and swimming holes that you have to walk to get to. 

I dislike shopping centres. I find them overwhelming and under stimulating all at the same time and I dislike when pens that don’t keep up with your workflow. 

When did you first consider yourself to be an Artist?


I have typically invested more time in considering artwork rather than written text. As a result I think I developed ways of clearly understanding the visual language. Within these boundaries I would say I have evolved in the language of ‘art’ since primary school. These experiences I believe formulate the individuals ability for unique expression and creativity.

Though I think that in more recent times (the last 2 years) I have made a strong decision to choose my career as an artist and this has to take priority. Which often comes before other lifestyle choices. I rarely engage with people or activities that don’t evolve art as a form of language. This helps to remind and encourage me to stick with this commitment and clearly separates my direction from what it was before. 

What do you paint?
The concepts I find that serve me the best are variations of interactions I have had with systems or people. The biggest inspiration for me is when a think of a concept that is truly authentic. Even when I believe I have a concept a certain amount of acceptance later down the track needs to be consider when my views change on the subject due to experience and knowledge.

I have recently explored the sensitivities of humans in the relationship. Whether it be a friend, a enemy or lover (who is sometimes both). At the time this topic was very important and interesting to me. I usually spend 6 months of one body of work or investigating a topic. It is hard to remain focused on the final body of work when your opinion starts to change in the meantime. My attitude toward the end of the body of work was transparent and reflected my wavering belief in the self-devised concept. It was an interesting learning curve.

A topic I do truly believe in is questioning the difference in value between literal and lateral ways of processing particularly within the context of education. Why do the systems see more value in being able to fill out forms and adhere to criteria rather than individual expression?  Explored more broadly are themes of orthodox, education and value of the individual.

The comparison is achieved by the juxtaposition of abstract and realist forms of visual expression. Drawing from many styles that have come before to celebrate the postmodern nature of eclectic styles combining. Also sharing the philosophy of there not being a single all-encompassing solution to humanity’s problems. It would come from bits and pieces of previous movement and ideas. I generally paint about genuine acceptance and encouragement of there being many ways of learning and processing information that hold special in each person.

List 3 of your highlights so far?            

-        Being invited as a permanent Artist in Residence at Crate59

-        Painting a mural in full aerosol - publicly at Bunker Records

-        I have long admired Jugglers Art Space from afar and the work that comes out of there so it was a 'fan girl' moment for me to paint a large mural format work in their tunnel.

 

I wish to extend a MASSIVE THANKS to you Bronte for sharing this great insight into your work, your mind and ultimately your world. I also want to thank you for your time, you are clearly one passionate and dedicated artist that has devoted herself to staying focussed and very much in 'the zone'. Inspirational stuff indeed! I look forward to continuing to follow your work...and I really look forward to finally meeting you in person.

Show Bronte some love by sharing her work with your friends and maybe drop a comment here to pass on your encouragement for all that she has done, is doing and will continue to do.

As always thank you for reading,

Tamara x

The lead up to the event was smooth and the RAW team who were responsible for putting the Gold Coast event together - were nothing short of helpful. They replied to any queries or questions via email or over the phone and the responses were always prompt. There were regular reminders of important deadlines and encouraging emails to see how preparations were coming along. A few weeks before the event took place they even held a meeting in the showcase space to talk us through the layout and answer anymore questions we may have had. This was also another great opportunity to mingle and meet the other local creatives taking part, before the big night.

So with my photo-shoot and video interview out of the way by lunch time, I had time to calm my nerves (because I'm not a naturally confident public speaker and I can't say I like having my photo taken) and get on with the task of setting up my showcase and artwork.

I had planned my display methods in advance and decided to use a white peg board as the back drop for my pop up gallery. It allowed me to hang and move my works with ease and I felt it looked more professional then the construction fence that it was to hold onto.

I had decided that I wanted to be painting live at the event to hopefully draw the crowd over to my display and because I was working with paint I got to set up on the balcony of the Sound Lounge (the venue for the night in Currumbin). I ended up with more space as well, which was an absolute bonus! 

While the set up took longer than I anticipated I was fortunate enough to be there while other creatives were also setting up. I met the very lovely Kim of 'Jewellery by Kim' and her beautiful Daughter Kelsie and I had some great chats about giant budgies with the MC for this night the 'Ambassador of Smiles' Tommy Franklin. It was a really fun day and we were all getting excited for the night ahead. I'd also like to mention the lovely Amber Kingi, another talented Artist I was fortunate enough to meet and have great chats with on the night. Find her work on Instagram as well @Amber_Kingi

The crowds that came through the event exceeded the expected number of 300 - with up to 500 tickets being sold for the night. I enjoyed chatting with lots of kind folks who were interested in my style and wanted to know a bit about my story. A fair few sales were made of gift cards, prints and three of my original works. All in all in was a successful night.

Earlier this year I received an email informing me that I was eligible for nominations for the 3rd Annual RAW Awards for having taken part last year. A finalist for each category in every Australian host city would be selected and then one National winner for each category would be selected following that.

Voting for nominations were open for one week only, so I used my social media accounts to drum up some support and votes.

Along with the accolades I also won a $250 voucher for professional  printing and framing services at Gold Coast business 'Left Bank Gallery'. I'm going to use the winnings to get some more promotional materials made up for two very exciting projects coming up in the near future…stay tuned for those!

I would like to mention a special thanks to those supportive people who purchased tickets for the event and came along to show their support on the night. I'm equally if not more grateful to those who purchased multiple tickets despite being too far away to actually attend. Your kind gesture will always be treasured and I appreciate you all so much for it. Thanks Gayle, Owie, Helen, Jaana, Laura and Therese xoxoxoxox

My work is centred around self portraits. I would regularly draw self portraits during high school, perhaps as a self investigation and questioning during teenage years. It has always been a compulsive act for me to do so, like looking in a mirror that I can interact more deeply with. It is of no interest to me to achieve an exact physical replication of myself and it is very rare that I would title a work as a self portrait. 

During university I became interested in existentialist Jaques Lacan and his theory of “The Other” and this was the title of my last solo exhibition at 'No Comply Gallery' in Toowoomba.

My solo show “The Others” at No Comply Gallery is definitely a highlight for me. I feel it was the most solid body of work I have done so far and unexpected sales were actually very encouraging. Prior to that, my residency at TheGRID Hybrid Arts collective in Toowoomba allowed me to prepare two bodies of work for two exhibitions early last year, one being “Hall Pass” at TheGRID and the other “Linear” at Jugglers Art Space in Fortitude Valley. And of course being an artist for the inaugural First Coat Street Art festival, being given the opportunity to have my name on the same card as giants like Fintan Magee, Sofles, and Shida. 

To keep up with me check out my Facebook artist page https://www.facebook.com/AliceConstanceWeinthal and my website www.aliceconstanceweinthal.com 

Feel free to email me at alicecweinthal@gmail.com with any enquiries.

Thank you Alice for sharing great insight into your work.  

If you would like to find out more about Alice be sure to follow the links above or leave us a message of encouragement below.

As always thanks so much for reading.
Tamara x

In the spirit of sharing great art and promoting good people, I've long wanted to take advantage of my quirky title by sharing the work of other great Artist friends - who too, can paint! 

So as 'My friend can paint' reaches its' 4th Birthday next month, I've decided to celebrate by launching something new. Throughout this year my blog will be featuring interviews with different Artists. With the aim of sharing their amazing work, a little about their practice, their artistic journey and their wonderful selves. 

To start off (a little closer to home…and because it's my Birthday) I wanted to recap on the history of 'My friend can paint' to fill in all of my new likers, clients, as well as my ever supportive family and friends on the wonderful events and opportunities that have come to me since I started this life changing page 4 years ago. 

I often get asked where 'My friend can paint' came from and what exactly I intended it to mean. Back in 2010 when I rediscovered my paints and brushes (in a box under our house), my sister in law suggested I start a Facebook page devoted to my paintings for my family and friends to share and promote. Erin (my sister in law) sent me a link to a local jewellery designer that had done just that, and so after taking a little look through the page I decided to give it a go.

As always my approach towards most things in life is very much based on an 'all or nothing' attitude. If I was going to put myself out there, I was going to do it thoroughly and efficiently. So I pulled out all of my old photo albums and school portfolios and scanned old photographs of artworks from years gone by and then started cataloguing albums to load and showcase on Facebook. I wanted people to see the journey my work had taken, my evolving style and let's be honest I wanted to show off my skills. 

The hardest part of the initial process was coming up with a name for the page. I had considered just using my name 'Tamara Armstrong' followed by 'Artist' as I had seen many other Artists doing BUT I wanted something catchy, easier to remember and I wanted it to be reflective of what I essentially saw the page as being…something to be shared and appreciated by my friends.  I wrote down a few ideas that best represented this and then entered them into the search tool to see if they had been used already. I narrowed it down to 'My friend the Artist' and 'My friend can paint'. I decided the second one was less pretentious and also lent itself to future growth if I decided to share other things that I could do.

The process of putting this page together, with the ultimate intention of sharing it…with the world, was both exciting and motivational. Once I hit the 'publish' button and shared the link on my Facebook profile I didn't know exactly what to expect but at best I was hopeful it would get me a few artwork sales and maybe even a commission. 

What I didn't expect was the huge gain in confidence I was to receive. Friends, family, colleagues, acquaintances and friends of friends were liking my page, sharing it and leaving incredibly kind feedback about my artwork. It gave me this huge surge of pride and so my desire to keep on painting was further fuelled. 

The second notably exciting opportunity was a Mural painting commission from a hair salon owner in Stone's Corner 'Rhapsody Boheme Hair', who found me at the local markets on a Sunday morning. Again this was another unique, creative business and space that lead many new likers, clients and enquiries my way. It was also the first mural I had ever painted 100% on my own. The rewards continued to flow from these initial events. 

The third opportunity (that to me seemed unbelievable, at the time) was receiving an email from one of the curators of an exciting new gallery space in Toowoomba 'MADE - Creative Space' . They had spotted my work on FB and wanted to know if I would be interested in having a solo exhibition in their space. This offer by far exceeded my initial hopes for my page and what it would grant me. I had always thought that to have a solo exhibition in an established Art Gallery was a goal that I was nowhere near achieving. I was teaching full time and so I was only able to paint at night and on weekends. If I was going to have a solo exhibition, I wanted to have created a polished and cohesive body of work in a style that I was truly happy with. I expressed my concerns with the curator and she offered me a show booking for October so that I would have enough time to get a quality collection together. And I did! 

What I soon learnt from this experience (promoting my work via social media), was that I didn't have to sit back and wait for the opportunities to find me. In fact, if these incredible few could find me, then what else was out there waiting to be found. 

So I started looking…really looking. I kept my eyes open and my ears to the ground and even better than that, my ever supportive likers did too! 

To read the blog post Sarah wrote 'Really know (and trust life from there)' click here.

Thanks to the help of my likers, friends and family I managed to land other wonderful feature artist gigs at various cafe's, retail spaces and fashion boutiques across Brisbane, Toowoomba, the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and Byron Bay. I'm happy to report that this continues to happen even now and so I'm eternally grateful to these people for always keeping me in mind and sending call out information my way, as it crosses their paths. 

So I'd like to continue this beautiful cycle of sharing, supporting and recommending others for the greater good of ART- and perhaps to connect any of you reading this with other opportunities and/or like minded individuals. If anything, I hope you find inspiration from each Artist's experience. 

I've already got some incredibly talented Artists ready to roll out in the coming months, but if you would like to suggest a wonderful Artist you may know, please don't hesitate to email me their info.  I will certainly do my best to include as many shout outs for genuinely deserving people as I can. 

Tamara x

I’m certain that I am not alone when it comes to having a desire to do things differently. By that I mean, doing things my way.

Sure, I could put it down to being an Artist, or the fact that physically I am taller than the norm, and yeah perhaps I’m a slightly stubborn person when it comes to following social traditions.  What I do know is that I’ve always been this way.

When I was 8 it was my turn to have a Birthday party, so I asked if it could be themed ‘Purple’. Meaning everyone had to come dressed in purple clothing, the food and drink had to be purple and while I can’t recall asking for particular presents, I did end up with many presents that were in fact all purple. 

My long-term memory seems to be as strong as ever, and I have a lot of very clear memories from majority of my childhood (which I’m very grateful for). Sadly the same cannot be said for my short-term memory! I remember in pre-school and Grade 1 the Teachers were always encouraging us to define ourselves by what we enjoyed doing and what we favored in life (Teachers! I never thought at that point that I would have ever become one NOT EVER). 

Constant questions to commence some kind of life defining activity, such as:
What is your favorite food?

What is your favorite number?

What is your favorite animal?

What is your favorite colour?


My first dilemma with these questions was that I had absolutely no idea how to even fake answering them. Which yes, I remember doing a fair bit in primary school. Pretending I knew the answer, when in fact I often had no idea. I had been too busy daydreaming when the question was even asked…oops!

Also I didn’t think about this stuff at age 5. I didn’t have any older siblings that came home from school each day making me feel as though I needed to have this stuff sorted out (as any slightly older person can make you feel).  I do remember the strategy I used to answer these questions though and that was by simply pulling stuff from thin air, as fast as possible until they appeared satisfied. The teacher had no idea if it was true or not and neither did my friends, who I might add, seemed to be certain of their answers and able to justify it with actual proof!  The only people, who might have twigged that I was telling some sort of porky, would have been my parents because they probably knew that I didn’t really give a hoot about this kind of stuff.

While I couldn’t tell you what my answers were at the time, I do recall having time to think about these questions in more depth in the years that followed. I wanted to have things that I favored just as everyone else seemed to, but I wanted to be sure that they were things that I probably should favor. As to best fit in of course. 

The seed had been planted.

So with all of the free time that a child like myself had, I investigated a range of possible things to favor. I remember taking note of what my friends favored, what my parents favored, what my cousins favored, what the other kids in our street favored. Something became glaringly obvious. Most of my friends favored the same colours. If they were girls they were all declaring pink or purple to be their favorite colour and if they too were the same age as me, they seemed to favor our age as their favorite number! Was it that simple? This is how you answer those pesky questions at school! Ok I get it. Just go with the flow and life will be simple.

So by age 6 I was pretty sure pink was my favorite colour and yep 6 was my favorite number. I still wasn’t sold on a favorite food because I loved pretty much every kind of food I had tried up to that point, but Pizza and Lasagne were popular answers, so they would do for now.  As for the ‘my favorite animal’ question, I was able to decide based on the help of some stuffed toys I had been given. There seemed to be a lot of koalas on my toy shelf and come to think of it my Mum had made me a Koala cake when I was in preschool from the Women’s Weekly cake cookbook. So yep, another running theme appeared and I declared koalas to be my fave animal. Done! Talk about spoilt.

I now had answers to these four life-defining questions that I could be confident of and added to that I had some great talking points to rely on when meeting new kids. I could feel like a normal person, taking part in some normal kind of exchange and life would be easier (well for the time being anyway. Who knew that by age 9 you would be confronted with the “Are you a virgin?” question and boy would life suddenly become horrible if you didn’t answer that one right!?!).   

Ok time to get slightly closer to the point.

Things change, people grow, knowledge is attained and experiences broaden our ways of thinking. By the time I was 8, I hated that my bedroom furniture was bright pink, (despite telling my Mum that yes pink was in fact my favorite colour two short years before) and why did I have to own so many clothes that were pink? Was it just because I was only allowed one favorite colour? (OMG talk about first world problems…!!). I found myself needing more, wanting for something else, wanting for something different and for whatever reason, I decided that purple was a more appropriate colour for me to favor. Perhaps because hardly anyone else in my class liked purple, there were certain things that you could get for boys or girls that came in purple and it certainly wasn’t as outrageous as saying that my favorite colour was blue. Girls can’t like blue, that would have been too weird.

So I took purple and I ran with it, admittedly a little too hard. (Please note: Purple is no longer my favourite colour).

Social norms annoyed me before I even knew what that actually meant. I hated that it was expected we would single something out as our 'favorite', I hated that there were some questions that could only be answered a certain way, if you didn’t want an onslaught of further questions or worse...ridicule! Which lets face it, most kids don’t want. Enough with the questions! Why do we have to justify our choices when they are natural tendencies or merely things we just do without thinking about?

Why?

WHY?

Well there’s your answer. Another question!

 Did you know that life is short and time is precious? Yes!
Do you, like me think that life is fascinating and people are weird? Yes!
Come on, people are weird and we do and say such weird things everyday. Why? Because we are all different and different is sometimes considered weird.

But why?

Why can’t we all value the same thoughts? Why can’t we all want the same things? Well we just don’t and I think that’s great in itself.

Think about it. Question the stuff you really value and why you value it. Does it go against your grain? Is it unfulfilling? Do you want more from your choices?

 Personally I do and despite having hated questions as a 5 year old, I now LOVE them. Questions and ‘questioning’ helps us understand each other, our world and ourselves. There are no singular correct answers when it comes to individuals. Sure there are majorities and popular thoughts and some of those help us connect with one another, but differences can do that as well. Differences can bring so much more to the table than similarities. We can learn more, we can understand more, we can tolerate more and we can be better.

 This blog post has certainly eventuated from my excitement for another upcoming, thought provoking event. TedxSouthBank (formerly TedxSouthBankWomen) is happening on December 6 and this year’s theme is ‘Question Everything’. I’m fortunate enough to be taking part again this year in a volunteer capacity and I’m most looking forward to having real conversations with new people about inspiring topics. The high that I get from these types of interactions is exhilarating and it leaves me feeling inspired and creatively rejuvenated for months after. Yes I know I sound like I’m spruiking some sort of wonder drug now, but that’s how I’ve honestly felt after the last two events.  

I for one hate small talk, and I would rather stay silent than play that boring game. Having had this period of maternity leave it has been both easy and yet very difficult to avoid mind numbing social situations of awkward small talk. I find that I crave the energy that comes from being around dynamic people. People who are genuinely authentic in their whole approach to life are usually the ones that are doing things differently. Thinking differently challenges me to question new ideas and try new things and as an artist that’s what keeps my creativity fuelled.

I’m not certain and I have no way of proving this, but I think my life would be very different if I still collected averages before answering questions to guarantee the least amount of ridicule. 

Being thankful  brings about happiness. Makes me feel content, positive and joyous. Makes each day brighter. Awakens creativity. Perhaps it's stupid but being grateful also makes me feel guilty.

This blog started out as a deliberate attempt to draw connections between my BIG experiences in the last few years and my gratitude for having had them. Then it trailed off on way too many tangents, such as the results of my gratitude, my love hate relationship with time wasting and my constant desire to communicate and relieve my brain from bubbling, often over-flowing thoughts. And who knows what else, but ultimately it lead me to feel guilty. Something that happens more often than I want it to.
 Read on if you're up for it and be warned…I wrote this at 3am on a Monday morning! An attempt to help me go back to sleep. It didn't work for me, but it could very well work for you. 

When I started jotting down words to accompany the images of my artwork for my first few blog posts, I couldn't stop the connections from forming (in my mind. To EVERYTHING) and soon the words flowed more freely then the images did. I often find myself having to stop thinking (haha not possible) and typing and just post pictures...less words (because I consider it uninteresting mind rambling) because I'm an Artist and surely everyone wants more pics of my Art and less of my mind rambles! 
But it helps me. And I'm grateful for the release of thoughts. 

If I don't jot them down from time to time the following things end up happening:
- I can't sleep. I can't get back to sleep so I end up thinking even more and then writing notes in my phone.

- I spend way too long in the shower thinking about EVERYTHING. Which wastes our precious tank water.

- I feel dissatisfied after conversing with people. This is most annoying. It's as though I haven't had long enough to talk, vent, communicate how I really am and I'm left feeling frustrated, anxious, misunderstood and super chatty at bedtime, when Matt needs me to just stop talking, so that he can sleep. Which he seems to have no problems doing!

- I daydream when I should be focussed on the daily tasks at hand (driving, cleaning up, organising my STUFF, marking student essays, listening to Matt, cooking food...you get the idea). Sometimes I miss important things and basically lose time. Which I hate doing and consequently end up feeling guilty about.

- I end up writing emails and text messages that are WAY TOO LONG and basically unnecessary. Again this wastes more of my precious time and probably my friend's and colleague's as well. How annoying is that?

I have a love hate relationship with wasting time. But that's a whole other blog post I probably need to write, preferably before all of the above is repeated. Arghhhh!! There I go again...Wasting time!

After I attended TEDxSBW in 2012, I left feeling 'empowered', 'grateful', 'lucky' but also 'guilty'. I've always felt these last two rather strongly. Lucky to be born into a loving family. A life with opportunity. Having healthy and tall body and a pretty enough face. A natural flair for creativity and sports. The list goes on. I felt guilty for all of these things, which are actually (in fact) out of my control. So I have always aimed to take control of the stuff that doesn't just happen, but rather has to be worked at through choice and effort.

What do I want for myself that simply won't land in my lap?
What should I do with my time?
How do I want to be remembered?
What will I regret not having tried?
Who do I want to be for those that love me?

Running through this little list of questions (often) makes me feel less guilty and more entitled.

When I was on LSL Last year, I felt 'too lucky' so I looked for ways to make it about others and not just myself. 
Teacher syndrome? Guilt factor? Procrastination? My Mother's Daughter? I don't know the exact answer. But it is something I find hard to shake. This constant inner voice that says 'Why should I be so lucky?' often terrifies me! 

Every few years ( particularly when things are going ridiculously well) I start to fear unexpected 'bad things'. It's as though they must be due to happen. Any minute now. When I would least expect it. This (probably) stems from having lost too many loved ones (tragically and unexpectedly and too close together) from the age of 8-20, as well as family and relationship break downs and in recent years deteriorating health. It's hard not to cherish life and the privilege of actually getting older, when you've said goodbye to too many lives and experienced too many days with the puffiest eyes imaginable (or as my friend Amanda says "having a case of the frog eyes") from shedding too many tears, for too many hours, instead of sleeping. But I've got to shake this fear. It hinders true happiness and I don't want to believe in that theory (what's it called?) that if two areas of your life are going well, then the third must be suffering. What a horrible way to think.

When I was pregnant I was moody. Whingey. Negative. It made me feel ungrateful, which led to feelings of guilt which lead to a lack of energy, lack of smiling and generally feeling miserable. Matt suggested I focus on  the positives and set me up with 'Happy Rambles', an online daily diary that records 3 positive things that happened each day. It helped, a bit. 
Until this little person arrived, I honestly didn't feel at all myself in the previous 9 months. My energy and optimism came flooding back once she was separate from me physically and of course the overwhelming love you end up feeling (daily) further fuelled my everything. And yet staring at this little face still makes me feel guilty! 
Why should I be so lucky? 
The cycle I previously mentioned continues. Gratefulness followed by guilt.

The grateful factor aids in this desire to be better, to do more with my gifts. My time. My life. It's Another timely reminder of the shortness of life and the need to focus on what best serves me, makes me happier and in return makes me a better person to know and be around. Guilt drives this and so in some ways it's a good thing for me. I just need to be mindful of my guilt and to remember when to own it.

I've made the past mistake (too many times) of letting others inflict guilt upon me (unfairly) for their own selfish gain and often as a result of their own personal insecurities. I don't tolerate this form of guilt anymore and since turning 30 I now feel stronger in actively cutting off from situations and people who attempt to inflict it upon me. It doesn't serve me and so I walk away (as peacefully as possible). But if I'm honest I still care way too much about what others think of me. I hate that about myself. I want to care less and I think I do care less. Less than I used to.

I do acknowledge that I have come a long way. I've shaved my head bald and held it higher than ever before. I've chased my dreams and cut back from a stable career in teaching. I've finally taken that big life changing leap and become a parent and I do believe I can still put myself first (just enough) to do what ultimately makes me happy. Which is to PAINT and make ART...that is just for me. I'm feeling in control of the 'parent-guilt' thing so far, which totally surprises me, but we've got a long road ahead of us to be further challenged and surprised. But I'm grateful for that! I'm always grateful and we will continue to make our own rules.

Being grateful for all of the things I've been given and the opportunities afforded to me, helps me see the world in all of it's grandeur. Colours are brighter, energy is undeniable, life is beautiful (no really, It is!) and I want to celebrate it through my art, my attitude and my actions.

I really hope that remaining grateful in life, each and everyday will outweigh feeling guilty. This is just one of my many big life hurdles that I personally intend on overcoming. Preferably before I turn 40. I do acknowledged that we need some guilt in our lives to remain humble and grounded, the challenge is recognising which guilt is 'effective' and which guilt is 'detrimental'. There's a huge difference.

Well we are just about halfway through 2014 and I have almost caught my breath! 
The first few months of this year saw me taking up residency in the 'slow lane' with pregnancy making itself well and truly known to all of my usual energy reserves. I certainly cannot say that those 9 months were blissful or that I am a fan of being pregnant, BUT yes it was all worthwhile and we happily welcomed our first child in March. I can honestly say that once she was here my energy levels, motivation and MOJO came right on back. Sleep deprivation aside!

After taking 6 months off from my full time job of high school teaching early last year, I was energised, inspired and determined to make the most of my precious 'me' time. I had my home studio set up in the third bedroom of our little Mountain abode and my 'to do' list looked a little like this:

1. Give back to OTHERS 
Declared my head to be shaved and in doing so raised $10,600 for the Leukaemia Foundation along with proceeds from organising the Group Exhibition and main EMPOWERMENT event.

2. Give back to MYSELF 
After shaving said head and committing to mammoth fundraising efforts, by April I found myself feeling like an unfit 90 year old woman. I could barely walk from hip and back pain, I was constantly needing more and more sleep, suffering from migraines, emotional melt downs, panic attacks and just running completely on empty. I had every blood test under the sun only to find out there was nothing out of the ordinary and so my Dr suspected Fibromyalgia, an autoimmune disease (that may have hit my nervous system after contracting Ross River Fever 6 years ago) with no known treatment or cure. GREAT! I had promised myself that I would put my health first during this time off and so I looked to my diet. I Quit Sugar at the start of May...as an experiment. By July my pain gradually disappeared, my energy levels soared, my mind cleared, I lost 12kg and I 'fell' pregnant.

3. Stay motivated 
I came up with monthly challenges such as 'Birds of May', 'MAKE-DO-BE' month to create new work each and every day. Happy to say I didn't skip a single day and in doing so my ideas grew bigger and my confidence did as well.

4. Get my website PIMPED 
CHECK....successfully happened thanks to the genius vision by Pixelle Graphic Design. 

5. Have another solo exhibition 
CHECK...Feature exhibition 'Insight' at D'Bar Gallery, Coolangatta in May.

6. Get my MAKE DO BE illustrations published
Did not happen! Despite looking into a few options for publishing, it is still on the back burner.

7. Get my Art Studio designed and built
Did not happen! Boo hoo.

There were many other small and large  goals I had set for myself and some were achieved while others are...well...still waiting to happen! 

I was annoyed at myself for not making them all happen, and most upset with myself for letting my dream Art Studio slip to the end of the long growing list. I had been saving my pennies for so long to make this goal come to life and yet I just couldn't quite get it to happen. I ran out of time and I temporarily had my MOJO  shelved. I reminded myself I was after all growing a life...but I just don't like to sit idle, waiting and this wasn't good enough. I worried that having a baby would mean that I could no longer chase my dreams. What a stupid thought. By having this thought though, I was even more determined to MAKE IT HAPPEN!

So when life was about to change (dramatically) with this little one's arrival, I put everything else on hold and focussed on getting this studio here...preferably before she did. This all happened thanks to my Husband Matt. I do think he knew his life would greatly improve as well if he kept his moody, pregnant wife happy. So he took on the role of Project Manager...and he did it like a BOSS!

So my Dream Art Studio is here! There are a few small finishes to be added before I dust off the champagne glasses  and send out the Grand Opening invites...but it is ACTUALLY a real physical thing.

Here are some progress pics of the MFCP headquarters and its journey so far.