In keeping with this month’s theme of connection, it came up in conversation that it would be lovely to stay connected beyond the group too. Share your Instagram handle or other social links below so we can find, support each other and stay in touch.

So sorry I dropped out of the zoom tonight before it ended, ugh! New computer is arriving tomorrow, can’t wait!! More great thought provoking content this month, thank you Lyne 👏😊

Hi everyone – I am late to the intro party and all the parties here! Just been catching up today. My name is Liz Christiansen and I am a multidisciplinary artist and designer based in Brisbane. I currently work across mixed media - collage & acrylic mostly at the moment but I am also building work in the surface pattern design space. For my day job, I am a graphic designer working within branding, packaging, print and digital design in my own business but after over 26 years as a graphic designer, I am ready to shake things up. I hope one day I can do less brief driven client work and more of the artwork I want to do – and someone will pay me for it! ha! The dream right 😃 At the start of last year I exhibited my first original artwork since high school at Studio on Brunswick in the summer showcase and won the emerging artist award on the night which connected me with an incredible coach and mentor Lyne! Over the last year I have really loved the community that has grown for me within this space – meeting some wonderful like-minded creatives and becoming an artist affiliate for Studio on Brunswick has been a highlight. Currently I am building a body of work – working towards my first solo in October at Emergent Gallery. I have enjoyed reading everyone’s intro posts and look forward to getting to know you all more over the program.

I’m Clare, I have a home studio in Banyo, North Brisbane. I’m a fine art photographer currently transitioning from a portrait photography business, of over ten years, into creating original photographic artworks, inspired by flowers and botanical elements. I love exploring themes of movement, emotion, and the quiet beauty found in nature, and I’m exploring incorporating hand embroidery and paint into my pieces. I’m at an exciting stage of building my art practice and learning how to share my work with collectors in a meaningful way. I’m particularly interested in developing the storytelling behind my art, growing a sustainable creative business, and connecting with people who resonate with what I create. I’m really looking forward to learning from everyone in this group, sharing the journey, and cheering each other on. It’s lovely to be here! 😊❤️

Hey all :) My name is Tash and I have finally caught up with the start of this program. I thought I should join in on the introductions. I am living in Brisbane, originally from Perth. I moved over here about a year ago to chase the dream of bringing accessible creative experiences to the community AND myself! It is a dream that is unfolding slowly every passing day. I've focused a lot on the community and am now ready to point the spotlight of intention on my own practice as an artist. Generally, I like to make art with all sorts of things, but my comfort zone/specialty is coloured pencil drawings. Specifically portrait drawings. I have been exploring portraiture more intentionally in recent weeks and am finding myself falling in love with drawing people in person during my meetup events. I'm hoping to get from this community some sense that I'm not alone in this dream of taking my art seriously, but also just a LOT of accountability. The sheer amount of structure here is making it impossible for me to back away from. I've got no excuses now! Also, extra reading if anyone is interested: I answered the questions from the Clarity module slides (I've just finished watching the catch-up zoom that I missed from last night) and thought I'd share... What do I value? Above all, I value connection. Art is the bridge that allows me to connect with others - not just through the finished piece, but through the act of creating it together. I also value authentic freedom: the freedom to be fully myself in both my creativity and my relationships, without compromising who I am. What’s important right now? Right now, it's important that my creative practice brings me closer to people rather than separating me from them. I don't want to create in isolation and present the finished result later—I want connection to be part of the process itself. When I draw people live, the artwork becomes something we create together. The lines on the page belong not only to me, but to the energy we shared in that moment.