I opened my first business when I was in my late teens/early twenties. I loved it and it gave me the taste of entrepreneurship from a young age. Fast forward to today and I have navigated the corporate world for quite a few years, owned and operated several businesses, and was on the board and president of a radio station. In each of these roles and businesses, it taught me to review.  

Goals are great to have both personally and professionally but we need to know where we have come from, where we are now and what worked and didn't work. 

Toward the end of December of 2023, I sat down and wrote a list to wrap up my year. It wasn't until I started checking my diary, checking my notes and really drilling down to see what I had achieved over the last twelve months. 

We can get so caught up in the day to day over our business, craft or lives that we forget what we did often without thinking about it and sometimes in adversary. Putting pen to paper and really thinking through achievements, processes and highlights can be quite eye-opening.   
I for one, was pleasantly surprised at my achievements through 2023. Once I had a gauge on 2023, I was ready to put my plan together for 2024.

Do you review and reset or do you leave it to chance? Leave your comments below.    

Can creativity positively effect your mental wellbeing?  Well, in my humble opinion, yes it can.  I have talked about this before in classes and on the socials, how returning to creativity helped me through the COVID lockdowns.  For those in Melbourne, you would understand what it was like to live through the lockdowns, as one of the most lockdown cities in the world. 
I rediscovered art during this time and found I lent on it to relax me and take my mind off what was going on.

In the art classes I run, often there are comments such as, "where did that 2 hours go?", "I got lost in the painting.", or "This is my happy place, I forget what is happening in my life." "This is my me time to relax and enjoy some quiet time."

Just 40 minutes of art can help to reduce the levels of cortisol, the stress hormone in your body. There is a fabulous book, Your Brain on Art; How the Arts Transform Us by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross which goes into great depth.  It is well worth a read. You can check out the link under my favourite tools. 
​Art therapy is now found more in mainstream mental health services as the benefits of art and creativity on wellbeing is being highlighted more and more. 

I have found when I run an evening art class, I sleep better that night, participants of the night programs have also commented they have the same restful night's sleep.

If I have had a particularly busy day or really have been under the pump, I take some time out for 20 minutes to half an hour to sketch or dip into some watercolour, it can have a profound effect on my mind, mood and wellbeing.   Sometimes, taking a short amount  of time can be all you need to shift your mood with a simple sketchbook or a simple watercolour palette, a few brushes and an art book.   
Have you found art has helped your wellbeing in anyway?  Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.  
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Artists that find inspiration in nature have a never ending opportunity to bring the outside in.  Nature has a certain way that it casts a magic spell over us. A walk in nature, you can hear the rustle of leaves, the lapping of the ocean or a sunrise or sunset filled with vibrant hues.

As the urban sprawl continues and medium to high density living increases, there is less and less opportunity to experience nature regularly.  Art is a way to bridge the gap between the great outdoors and the limited space indoors. 
Mother Nature offers endless inspiration from mountain peeks, rivers and beaches to the tiniest of petals on intricate flowers and everything in between. 

Art can be a conduit to the connection between nature and indoors, creating a certain ambiance melded with your own personal decorative elements.  

Imagine waking to a beautiful bouquet of flowers on your side table with water you never have to change, or a sunset that never sets on your wall.  You can have it all with art in your home.

 

I often wonder is it important to have your art fit into a style or a label. My work flits between expressionism and impressionism and sometimes slides into abstract. 
Expressionism art uses vivid colour to convey the emotional response to the subject where impressionism art captures the essence of the scene relying on the use of light.  Abstract however, is non-representational and left to the interpretation of the artist and the viewer.  I do enjoy abstract; however, I keep finding my way back to vibrant florals.
For this reason, I call myself a mixed media artist, as I use multiple media in my work and I can't really put a style or label to it. 
Should we label our style or should we be able to create to our passion as opposed to a label.  There are differing opinions in the art world as to the benefits or attributes of labelling an artist to a genre or movement. 
For me, I don't want to limit myself as I continue to experiment, play and develop my artistic skills.

What is your favourite stye, genre or art movement?