Hi everyone. I was in Europe when the course began and then was inundated with work with little to no time off when I got back! So I am only just at the beginning. My name is Rischelle and the creativity has been pulsing through my veins my whole life. I started taking painting more seriously at about 25 years old and now I’m 50 :). I am an acrylic, symbolic artist. I have floated in and out of my art practice at times because of life, work, running a business, relationships, children - like many of you I’m sure. I am working towards quite a few projects, one being my October Solo Exhibtion “Postcards from Europe” and am aiming to dabble in markets. My current obsession is teaching myself to weave and other textile art practices. I need a lot of practice 😅. In a perfect world I will have some to include in my exhibition. Time will tell. Nothing I’ve made so far will make the cut 😝.

I’ve been away in Bali, which was fantastic. I missed the catchup and the 2nd module meeting. Which I will watch once I have fully understood and worked through module 1. I did some work on the wheels while away. I didn’t want to just move away from them without fully understanding the purpose behind them. We did work through them a little together but I wanted a little more clarity. The biggest thing standing out to me is not confidence, technical skill, business knowledge, or even artistic talent. I know these will come. It is It’s this: I need a sustainable structure that gives my art regular, protected space in my life — without relying on external deadlines to make that happen. I tend to get my act together to finish things when I have a deadline for submission. 1. The first priority: Consistency + protected creative time 2. The second priority: Finishing + staying with your work 3. The deeper layer: Purpose + permission I think I’m ready to move on now 😊

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.

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've just finished all four wheels (bar graphs in my case) and found it really interesting seeing the patterns across them. What surprised me most wasn't my lowest scores, but noticing that the same themes kept showing up in different ways. For me they were decision-making, creative confidence, and building a more sustainable business. It made me realise that improving one area can have a ripple effect across so many others. Did anyone else notice a recurring theme across their wheels? P.S. If you already use AI, I found it really helpful as a thinking partner for these reflections. Not to give me the answers, but to ask questions, challenge my thinking, and help me spot patterns across all four wheels. I started a dedicated AMC chat because it already knew me, my art and my goals, so the conversations become much richer over time. Sometimes I also found it easier to be completely honest with AI than I would with another person. It definitely doesn't replace a mentor or this community, but it's been a really useful reflection tool. I even gave mine a name... Rowan..also the main love interest in my favourite fantasy novel series 😆