A creative life…
A creative life is a pathway for the brave and it takes courage to face our fears. When I chose to quit my day job, about 2 years ago now, it was a scary time. I faced many fears and self-doubts in my so-called talents. I didn’t have any training or degree, which also scared me. I was afraid of rejection and criticism. Would I be taken seriously? I was afraid I was perhaps too old to start. I could go on and on listing all my fears.
I’m perhaps nowhere near a ‘success’ as an artist (according to societal expectations anyway), but then again what does that really mean? Are you a successful artist only when a gallery approaches you or when you can make a living solely from your art? I know those things are great, of course, we all need money to live, but I also know that I’m already living an interesting, passionate and creative existence - that to me is also success. Which leads me to the question I often ponder over when I read people asking if they have the right to call themselves an artist? Or asking when do you know you are an artist? Really? Surely we are all artists in our own way? By not allowing yourself the ability to call yourself an artist, isn’t that already holding yourself back? My point is, you don’t need a permission slip. You don’t need to be the best or greatest, but you have a voice and a vision of your own, so grant yourself the possibility to be creative and call yourself whatever you want. I love making art, that’s why I call myself an artist. If others like it too, that’s amazing, and I’m so grateful, but ultimately I make art for me, I make what moves me and I simply enjoy doing it. After all, “creativity is a gift to the creator, not just a gift to the audience” (Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic)
Earlier this year my art started taking on a direction of its own, away from wildlife, which had always been my original focus. I found myself yearning to paint nature and decided to paint a series of vines, extending the artwork onto some frames my dad had made for me decades ago, as a gift when I left South Africa. Since he is no longer with us, I wanted to make something for my personal collection that I knew he would also love. Following that ‘Love Entwined’ series, I proceeded to work on my first forest scene, with the hopes of perhaps entering this into Earth’s Wild Beauty category for the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation’s (DSWF) Artist of the Year 2024 competition.
Love Entwined - Oil on panels
That painting, which I titled ‘The Call of the Trees’, captured so much I wanted to convey through my art at the time, as well as all I had learned. I wanted to explore the celebration and beauty of nature, energy and shifting light, capturing a moment of yearning. The painting depicts a view as if one is there looking up at the vast trees, surrounded by flourishing foliage. It beckons us, creating a sense of being called by the trees to come and join them in their sheer magnificence - a feeling I often experience when I see the wild beauty that surrounds us. The central paradox of this piece, however, is that although we feel the call of nature, our absence secures its beauty, leaving it untouched by human intrusion, and thriving.
Having said that I paint for the sheer joy of painting - expressing something through art I often find words cannot - so being shortlisted as a Finalist in this years DSWF competition totally blew me away. Having entered this competition twice before, with no success, I feared yet another rejection was imminent, knowing I would then have to yet again deal with picking myself up and carrying on. Rejection isn’t easy, no matter how often it happens, and although I do this art firstly and foremostly for myself, it certainly does mean something when others recognise something in your art too. It drives you even further to keep pushing on. So entering a piece into a category I had only recently started exploring felt both exciting and terrifying. My point, I guess, is that without having the courage to try - whether that means to try something new or even enter a competition for your work to be judged - I wouldn’t have received this honour and privilege to not only be a Finalist, but to also be part of something bigger by supporting vital conservation efforts.
Mall Galleries, London
Most of my time in the studio is not magical or glamorous, its hard disciplined labour. I stand at my easel for hours each day, putting in the work. Sometimes I get those moments when things just come together, I’m sure you know what I mean. I get to stand back and look at my work and wonder where that came from? Like did I actually create that? I get that feeling when I look at my painting ‘The Call of the Trees’. Those are the moments that keep me inspired and motivated, and in between I just keep working. The hours I put in have educated me so much as a self-taught artist. Some of my past experimental pieces have lead me to a place where I now feel less self-doubt in my process. I value each artwork, whether I liked it or not in the end, it taught me something, helping me find myself, discovering my own style, figuring out what I love to create and why.
This is what keeps motivating and inspiring me, to keep improving and growing. We each have our own process, we each face our own challenges, and my goal each day is to overcome my fears, find the courage to keep trying and simply enjoy living a creative life.
