My journey towards art
🌿 How My Art Journey Began
From survival to self-expression — piece by piece
✨ Introduction
Sometimes art begins with inspiration.
Sometimes it begins with curiosity.
And sometimes…
👉 it begins with survival.
Not a gentle beginning.
Not a planned one.
But a moment where something inside you needs somewhere to go.
This is where my journey began.
🌿 A Life That Shifted Without Warning
It was during my second pregnancy.
Both of our children were planned. Life was meant to feel steady, building, safe.
But something changed.
Ice took hold of his heart — and with it came violence.
🌿 The First Time I Left
I left after a drug-fuelled, violent episode.
I packed up my 18-month-old and went to Uniting Care.
They took us in that same morning.
I remember the blur of it. The fear. The uncertainty.
And then…
He said he would change.
And I wanted to believe him.
Like so many of us do.
We tried counselling.
We tried to fix something that had already broken.
I told myself:
- We had kids together
- It hadn’t happened before
- Maybe this time would be different
👉 All the things we say when we’re trying to hold something together that isn’t safe.
🌿 The Program That Opened a Door
Uniting Care didn’t just let me leave without support.
They gave me options.
One of them was an art class.
Not in a heavy, confronting way.
Not “tell us your story.”
But something softer.
👉 A space to create before you’re ready to speak.
I could bring my toddler.
Other mums were there too, babies beside them, kids playing together.
And while life felt uncertain…
we made things.
🌿 The Moment Something Shifted
The first piece I made was simple.
A 3D plaster cast of a face.
I painted it in neon:
- Purple
- Orange
- Green
Triangles. Shapes. Wild lines.
And for the first time in a long time…
👉 something inside me softened.
🌿 Remembering Who I Was
As a child, creativity was everywhere in my life.
- Latch hook
- Cross-stitch
- Crochet
- Sewing
- Porcelain dolls
- Sculpting
My mum was creative too.
We made things together.
But somewhere along the way…
through life, through choices, through relationships—
👉 I lost that part of myself.
🌿 Leaving for Good
Eventually, I left again.
This time for good.
I took the girls and moved in with my dad.
The youngest was nearly one.
And even though it was hard…
it was different.
👉 I was choosing safety.
👉 I was choosing myself.
🌿 Rebuilding, Slowly
Life didn’t instantly become easy.
But it began to shift.
I started:
- Going for daily walks
- Eating better
- Spending time with people who felt safe
And slowly…
👉 I started reconnecting with myself.
🌿 The Canvas That Changed Everything
One day, I was wandering through The Reject Shop.
I saw paints.
A canvas.
They were on special.
So I bought them.
A big canvas.
Neon pink. Yellow. Black. White.
I had this vision of a barn owl.
I didn’t question it.
I just started.
And before I even finished it…
my dad hung it up.
Funny man.
He was so proud.
🌿 What That Moment Meant
I still have that canvas.
Unfinished.
And I keep it that way.
Because it reminds me of something important:
👉 That moment wasn’t about finishing.
It was about beginning.
🌿 When Art Comes Back
I’ve noticed something over time.
When life feels good…
art comes naturally.
It flows.
It shows up.
But finishing things?
That’s still something I’m learning.
🌿 Core Reflection: Art as Return
Art didn’t just give me something to do.
It gave me:
- Space to feel
- Space to exist
- Space to reconnect
👉 It gave me a way back to myself.
Not the version of me I used to be.
But something new.
Something stronger.
Something softer at the same time.
🌿 Final Thoughts: Piece by Piece
This journey didn’t begin with a plan.
It didn’t begin with confidence.
It began with survival.
And slowly…
piece by piece…
it became something else.
👉 Expression
👉 Healing
👉 Creation
And maybe most importantly—
👉 choice
💌 A Gentle Invitation
If you’re at the beginning of something difficult…
or something new…
you don’t have to have it all figured out.
You can start small.
- A single piece
- A simple design
- A quiet moment of creating
Because sometimes…
the most important thing you can create—
is a way forward.