In your journey, you've shared how your grasp of colour evolved not through traditional art schooling but rather immersing yourself in the world of textile design at RMIT, as well as your time here at Lee Mathews. Can you elaborate on how these experiences shaped your perception of art making and creative expression? Would you encourage fellow emerging artists to explore avenues beyond the confines of a single creative discipline?
I have always been extremely visual and excited by art and design, valuing beautiful objects and collecting inspiring imagery for as long as I can remember. At Lee – often being surrounded by, interacting with, and engaging in an intimate way with these same qualities – I felt the space needed, in a personal sense, to experience inspiration from your environment was always buoyed by a kindred appreciation and respect for beautiful and unique design.
It seems to be less socially deafening these days, but there's definitely a broader conditioned belief that art school or any sort of conservatoire education holds all the answers. Maybe, technically speaking, that's true in some cases, but if every artist who never had classical training stopped making work, the universal landscape would be a lot less interesting. There is no blueprint for success anymore; when it comes to artistic practice especially, everything is subjective and, at the end of the day, success should only be determined by the individual. Frustratingly, artists and creative people are the last to take that notion to heart, but I’m trying harder these days to remind myself of this, and being present in encouraging others in my life to do the same.