My Story
Art has been my sanctuary for as far back as I can recall. As a painfully shy child, it became my voice in a world where I struggled to speak up. Growing up as the eldest of three, raised by my single mother in a remote corner of northern England, beauty surrounded us but culture was scarce. Responsibility came knocking early, and I found myself shouldering burdens meant for grown-ups long before my time. But in the quiet of my drawings, I found solace. Lost in strokes and colours, I was able to be carefree, if only for a while. Becoming an artist felt like an impossible dream, lost amidst the need to survive and escape my circumstances. The weight of financial worries pushed me into paths that never quite felt like mine. But age has taught me that limits exist only in the mind's eye. Dreams, I realised, are bound only by the strength of our belief in them. It took nearly five decades to summon the courage to embrace art as my livelihood. I navigated through corporate corridors, designing for esteemed brands, a success by conventional standards, yet never quite fulfilling.
A decade ago, I split with my partner of nineteen years, and I found myself living alone for the first time ever, albeit with my two young boys.I was thrust into a whirlwind of introspection. Questions flooded my mind, challenging the very essence of who I believed myself to be. How much of my identity was shaped by my relationship or by societal expectations? Could I rewrite the narrative of my life, moulding it into something more authentic and fulfilling? Was anything I had taken for granted actually real? Through tears and triumphs, I discovered that happiness lay within my grasp, as a product of my thoughts and choices. Things that I assumed were forever fixed and just ‘part of me’ were actually not, they were programs my internal computer was running, that with practice I could change… meaning I was able to completely reboot myself to become a new version of me. I’m not saying it was easy, but I realised it was possible.. it is, and always will be, a work in progress.
Why I Paint
So now when I’m in my art studio, (my happy place), I consciously craft art to uplift souls. I choose colours to trigger floods of joy, and energetic gestures that inspire action. My mission is simple: to inspire you to be the happiest version of you, I want you to wake up and see something that inspires you to seize the day, that reminds you to chase your dreams and that you are an awesomely unique and wonderful being. It may sound cliché, but within you lies the power to rewrite your narrative, to leap into the unknown, and to discover boundless joy. Believe. Never surrender to doubt. For it's never too late to rewrite your story, to begin anew, and to find your bliss.
The Process
My creative journey begins by immersing myself in a particular state of mind and being. My goal is always to infuse my work with positivity and inspirational energy, which requires me to tap into a frequency that resonates with joy and euphoria. To achieve this, I practice mindfulness through meditation techniques, often accompanied by uplifting music or spoken word. This allows me to enter a flow state—a state of deep immersion where I lose track of time and space, much like being in a trance.When I paint, I journey into this flow state. I let go of the past and future, fully embracing the present moment. Every brushstroke becomes an expression of my internal energy, guided and informed by the previous gesture. I become one with the canvas, feeling the vibration of each colour, intuitively balancing tones, and translating my innermost feelings into tangible art. In this state of pure creative flow, I surrender to the process, allowing inspiration to guide my hand and transform my vision into reality.