I live in Newcastle, Australia, with my amazing husband and daughter, as well as our two fur babies, four feathered friends, and a multitude of fishy friends. My happiest moments are spent in the garden teaching my daughter how to care for and grow plants, and how important it is to look after nature. We are lucky to live in an area that is close to the beach and to the beautiful countryside of the Hunter Valley where we can tune out of the hustle and bustle of life.
Anxiety is something that runs genetically in my family, as well as other neurodiverse conditions, and I was often labeled as overly shy or unsocial growing up. I grew up in a turbulent family and we moved house so frequently that I've lost count of how many houses I've lived in. My own experiences of struggling with mental ill-health are what led me to trying hypnotherapy. I'd seen a smorgasbord of allied health professionals, such as psychologists, psychiatrists and counselors, but nothing really worked that well for me. Hypnotherapy allowed me to achieve so much in my personal growth and it has changed how I see myself, how I act, the opportunities I seek and take, and how I interact with the world around me. It doesn't cure you of anxiety (we need anxiety to survive) but it changes your relationship with anxiety and reduces the fear of anxiety. It's also allowed me to blossom and step into who I want to be (as opposed to who I thought I had to be) and it's empowered me to live with confidence.
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My art journey began as a child and grew to be such an important part of my life. My first tertiary degree was a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Newcastle and I recall those years with a smile. I was in my element; a happy, starving artist with the freedom to create art at ridiculous hours of the night. I remember a series of fruit bats I painted and to capture the best photos to use as a reference I would go into the bush at dawn when they were just waking up and getting excited for their night. I was like the gatecrasher at the fruit bat party, snapping photos and watching them curiously. In my final year I painted these amazing 2m x 2m chickens and I adopted a reputation on campus as the chicken painter, which probably changed to stinky fish girl when I used real fish heads as models when I created realistic fish sculptures in ceramics. You can check out some of my more recent works on Instagram.
While I have exhibtited a handful of my works in small local galleries over the last 20 years, my lack of confidence always held me back from showcasing my works to the world. Self-promotion never came easily to me. There is a little part of my soul in each of my paintings and it takes courage to be vulnerable and let everyone see your work. Part of my personal journey of growth has been to be courageous and allow others to enjoy my art. Creating NFT art has also been a great leap into another new world, filled with possibilities. I also purchase other artists' works to support the artistic community.
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If you'd like to connect with me on social media you can find me through the regular channels using the links below (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter). I'm also on Clubhouse, which is a free app anyone can use, similar to the old MSN Chatrooms (I'm showing my age now!) or Discord, only you chat using your voice. I'm the club owner of one of the largest Disability clubs on the platform, Disability Chat with over 1.6K club members. I'm also the cub owner of the Anxiety Club, where I host spaces with a range of amazing guest co-hosts to talk all things anxiety and mental health. I host rooms on topics related to mental health, hypnotherapy, mindset, disability, neurodiversity, art, and NFT art.
Thanks for reading my story and I hope we can connect soon!
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