As a kid in the seventies, my small town careers counselor told me to find a job as a manager at Woolworths or be a teacher like my dad. Neither option appealed to me so I left for London. It was mostly an academic route allowing me to travel and live in Germany and Spain, which lead to me exploring the States in my twenties. That experience reminded me to document the places, people and pets I met along the way to inspire other young girls that there is so much more to see and do than we are told. It’s true that traveling outside or our own cultures makes for more empathy, curiosity and kindness. For me it also opened me up to being creative again, something that high school and university had smothered. Since then, I’ve changed because of all these wonderful people who have encouraged me, supported me, and been inspiring and inspired.

The ‘why’ of my life can be summed up with Explore, Create, Share. It’s as simple as that.

As I focus more on painting, taking classes and learning from friends, I went through my portfolio seeing the changes over the year. It’s pretty fascinating. How the focus really does reflect what is in front of me at the time, the environment influences on me. Being present with the landscape and nature. I hope that my images capture that for you too.