It was amazing to look around and see you all.

I'm so glad I got a chance to speak with you all individually,
I hope my gratitude for your support is evident - but in case not-
thank you!
And big thank you to everyone who lent a helping hand too!
I hope you enjoyed the buffet and the kooky, wonderful space that is Copper Cogs in Long Eaton.

Here are some snaps, by my wonderful sister Laura, from the night (you might have seen a few if you ordered a print already).

As my mailing list - you and my Patreon community will always be first
in this crazy, attention-demanding landscape of the internet.

If there is an original that caught your eye -
or you would like a print of it -
please don't hesitate to let me know!

I am working on making all my pieces available as prints to my Patreon community -
For your consideration,
Thank you.

I had so many truly lovely conversations at Draycott Open Gardens over the weekend.

So many interesting and kind people stopped by to say hello and ask about my work.
But, there was one conversation that simply would not leave my head.
It kept going around and around like a record so I have decided to turn it into a blog because I think it's important.

Please don't.

Please share them with people whilst you're alive.

Art doesn't deserve to live in a drawer like something to hide - no matter how 'bad' you think it is.
​

Art is your voice.
​Art is your interpretation.
Art is your unique view of the world.
Shaped by the implements and extremities you make it with.
Just as pieces are shaped by your experience , unique values and beliefs.

Sharing your art has an impact.
It can inspire others to give it a go too!
Make others pause when difficult feelings are stirred by it.
Give others the courage to share in the general sense.
Feelings, memories, stories and opinion.

Honestly - here's a short list.

Various reasons led to their invisibility or limited reach - 
untimely deaths, lack of resources, underappreciated for their unqiue style - you name it.

If your parents had put every single doodle you ever did as a toddler straight in a drawer - or even in the bin.
Would you have ever drawn again?

Frame your work.
Stick it on the fridge.
Hire a room - make your own gallery showing ;)


I'll see some of you at my first tomorrow.
It feels in equal measures exciting and insane.
But I am so, so glad I am doing it.

And I'm doing it for completely burnt out me who kept all her own work in a drawer.

Sat 30 May - Sat 20 Jun.

​

As a creative ambassador for Derby Theatre I'm due to write a review of Little Shop of Horrors - and despite running this blog - I don't think I'm amazing at writing hahah.
So I figured the best way was through the best way I know how!
I took a break from digital work planning to do 'a doodle' -
and looked up an hour later with this:

The whole cast is very strong and multi-skilled - the urchins sing and play instruments as do most - it's great to see!
I love a sax player cavorting about on stage!
The Dentist's physicality was Jim Carey levels of entertaining - so good.
How does a man bend that way at the knees?!
Seymour's duets with Audrey II were so dynamic I loved it - Suddenly Seymour with Audrey 1 - ooft, goosebumps.
​Somewhere that's Green was grounded in a more serious tone and it was refreshing - really nice.
Mushnik's creepy 'be my son' had me in stitches.
And Audrey II's 'appearance' tore the roof off - hell yeah, get it.

Ok back to images.
Sharing now some stunning photos by photographer Pamela Raith.

A lookbook - slow down, take a breath, enjoy.
Mindful walk group link.

a think piece on disability 
yes I'm angry always.
But I offer it to you in this digestible format.
This is not aimed at any particular individual.
trigger warning mentions of death

Some bloke called Mark said this:

"The only certainties in life are death and taxes."

And I'd like to add a wager - that disability/becoming disabled it pretty high up there too.

The only thing in between you and becoming disabled - is time.
If you 'escape it' you simply died before it got you.

Zoe wtf. U good.

Did you know you a disabled bus pass doesn't work before 9:30am and after 11pm?

​Did you know you can't use a lift in a fire.
Even if you can't walk.

WHAT'S YOUR POINT?

To circle back around-
my point is that we can view disability advocation through the lens of

Age, illness, injury (temporary or not).

It benefits everyone to think with an accessible frame of thinking.

If you 'escape it' - ok cool - here's your fuckin medal.
Some cool cats get born with theirs aite.

Hire disabled people.
Listen to disabled people.
Take on board suggestions from disabled people.
Stop thinking in a 'them' and 'me' binary.
Talk about this stuff.
Lie in bed for 3 days and see how quickly the fun wears off- don't have time, oh me neither babe.
Ask if people need help and respect their wishes if they say no.
Good god put more fucking chairs and benches out.

Wheel of Fortune, 2025.
An exploration of drowning in dynamic disability and reaching beyond.
Yeah, it made me cry too Katie haha. 
​x

I did it! I made one! 
this has been sat in my drafts for ONE YEAR haha.

​Right now I know I'm shouting into the void but -
It's exciting and boy is it new ground and I want to build something here by the end of 2026.

I am fully aware I'm not Netflix - but I want to create excellent things and I can't do it without support.

I named the tiers after flowers - I just love a bit of flower etymology and folklore to their names. I try to incorporate dried flowers into my recent work so I went with the theme.

Bellis Perennis- 'Daisy Field' - £1 tier
new beginnings, Norse mythology.

Agrimonia Eupatoria- 'Fairy Wand' - £3 tier
thankfulness or gratitude, English.

Lunaria Annua- 'Luna Sky' - £10 tier
honesty, sincerity and prosperity, English.

All tiers will offer,

• Exclusive content
• Exclusive voting power
• Behind the Scenes
• Livestreams

I plan to provide on Patreon alongside my YouTube as a sort of 'members only' area.

It's where all the best stuff will be - and will land in your inbox away from social media.
You can drop in and out when suits you.

Thank you for checking this out - leave a comment of your favourite flower if you read!

Stop leaving a light on for the enemy.

running a one woman art business.

Disclaimer - these photos are 10 years apart ok I just wanted to illustrate the point.

Sunday scaries are so much less scary when it's a job that is flexible. 
Good god this is huge.
Mornings are usually quite slow (and I'm still working with some residual unfounded guilt about this) - but it means I can mostly function 4/5 days a week and that is with evening plans IN THE WEEK. Consider me astounded.
Clocking in at a desk where the 'to do lists' are all building a business of my own is, in the most part, a wonderful feeling.
This is a win for anyone but it's amazing for anyone who knows chronic illness.

Making a sale - either a print or a commission.
You best believe I cheer for each one that comes in.
Forever grateful that people collect and enjoy my work.
This is not the only reason I make art - but it is a huge part of why I went into business with it. Having the literal payoff hit the bank feels good. I get some for me and the rest goes back into the business to help it grow. Paying yourself a wage when you have known surviving in the red month to month, is an unmatched feeling.

Meeting other creatives!
The joy to know you have something to offer and to also understand their journey at the same time.
Whether they take the shape of friends, mentors, collaborations, inspirations or all of these at the same time.
The boost of meeting with another gives you a skip in your step and proves - it is possible -see!

The combined audacity and joy to call myself an artist when people ask 'what do you do' is like fuel to me.
At first it felt weird  - but the longer I treated my work as a business the more confident I felt in saying it.

Not knowing where your next payment is coming.
Is terrifying. Trapped somewhere between hustle and trust the universe - it's up and down in the first few years (and so I repeat to myself). Some months it feels like an abundant taste of the future you hope for. And some months it is watching your reserve float start to chip away at itself. It's scary and it's exciting and it's important to keep talking about things with loved ones alongside having a solid plan of what to do next.

Not knowing what to do next to grow. Juggling multiple avenues of potential income all with varying ways of showing up - and knowing which one to lean into most is so hard as a small business owner. Your time and effort has to be split and it's not always clear which one is going to pay off. Even studying your past successes and failures isn't a failsafe way to gain custom and following.

The nerves that turn up when you need to 'market yourself'. I can't speak for everyone - but I'll say showing up to a job when you're not feeling your best but are guaranteed a paycheck feels easier at times. Having to 'market yourself' and seperate yourself from being only your business is difficult.

Getting overwhelmed in an artist doomscroll and suddenly feeling very small and insignificant.
gET. OFF. YOUr. Damn. PHONE. It's really hard to fall into the 'I am a content creator' trap when you have decided to try and exist on the platforms. Let's face it - it'd feel pretty lonely a lot of the time if you didn't.

 Sometimes it feels a lot like you're having a phone conversation with a mute.
Following up cold leads is anxiety inducing. Sending out a mailing list with no clear indication of the impact feels like insanity. Posting and not knowing from the insights how it was received because engagement was low. It does feel a lot like 'what's the point' - IF you let it. There is a point - you go back to your original why and your original realisation - I'll make art no matter what.

The little voice in the back of your head in quiet sales months that is freaking out and telling you to give up. It can get really loud if you let it - so you really have to look after yourself. I'm talking meditate, talk to people, go for a walk, put your fucking phone down, get into the right space physically and re remind yourself why you do it. Go and look at some art.

When you realise you've been sucked back into social media gratification (despite your best efforts), putting too much effort into a post and getting 3 likes. There's a reason it's such a lucrative business for Zuck and his mates ok? They know what they're doing. Write down your whys and values and goals and keep going back to them.

When worry starts to keep you awake. Take a break. Sleep hygiene is HUGE.

When you try hard with an aspect and it doesn't pay off. YOU decide if it was worth it. It might have sown a seed somewhere and it's all part of the bigger picture.

​Recognising that your original audience will have shifted now you post differently. Also that the original audience probably doesn't even see your work anymore. Yeeeesh - a big one. It's ugly. Sometimes it would be easier to assume that your follower count is 20 and whoever you physically spoke to that month ok?

You have to accept the fact progress is going to be slow. And then find further acceptance it will be slower because you do not have the stamina of a Wall Street yuppie on a shit load of cocaine - that you may in fact have the pace of an 85 year retired person on a stroll despite the fact their knees hurt and can tell it's going to rain.

The spreadsheets & The menial tasks that take forever and you haven't done anything 'creative' in days.
Oh the weird cold sweat and brain wiping blockade I come up against dealing with numbers. But numbers are the stable blocks the business is built on - so I fight through it.

There really isn't much I find 'boring' with this job. I'm so thankful for the mentor support I have to help me deal with the aspects of business that fry my brain. I plod on through the admin with my easel beside me and know it'll be painting time again soon.​

It is worth it every single day I wake up to try again.
It feels like I answered a calling more than 'chose a career'.
I finally answer the question of 'where do you see yourself in 5 years' with - 'making art' - which I never was able to answer before.

So even though it's been a quiet winter of seed sowing - I'm looking forward to what will bloom come summer.

As a small business the best thank you's that I can offer are for those most closely supporting.

I cannot always rely on social media as a way to connect - it's a battlefield at times.
I've watched my social media views tank the more I try to actually function as a business over the last year.
But I refuse to go down with this ship!!

I like snail mail
and I like snail email.
Because 1. snails are cool
​2. sometime's things are better without instant gratifcation

My mailing list is the best way to access the good stuff.

My mailing list is the customers who come into the metaphorical shop to say hello and we have tea together.

My mailing list is the people who know I don't survive on likes and comments alone - but it sure does help you feel less lonely.

It let's me drop to you an email to read at your leisure with the most important stuff in it
and most importantly...

Guess who got first access to prints and to the shop and is about to
get early access to the new section of my website that I am buzzzzing (excuse bee pun) about?

SnailMail Gang - you got it!

Hell yeah it does!

Guess who got  automatic entry in the most recent giveaway  and was still allowed to enter

SNAIL MAIL GANG!

Plus they had big thank you's in the form of discount!

Ok this ones a freebie for anyone who reads this blog anyway-
But guess who knows about my plans to move over to Patreon?

LET'S GO SNAILSSSSS

They also knew about the print shop first which is very cool.

I appreciate your words and feedback.
Hearing about it after a snail mail has dropped means I know you're on board.
And I will forever be thankful for that.

The confirmation email lurks in there

it is a mythical beast that must be tamed.

Or it doesn't count.
Pls 
Hhahahha.

also if society collapses or something I feel like I might still be able to contact you. ty.

and I appreciate your discretion as I whack one advert at the end of a blog to attempt to gain about £0.01 pence.
Ty.

Graffiti I found in Correlejo that I used in the cover for this one.

As I mentioned during the evening - my Originals For Sale Page is in the works.
It will be open in March.
Thank you for your patience.
To gain early access feel free to join my mailing list too!

check your junk mail for the confirmation.

I have to mention Sukhi - in charge of bringing the creatives we met together.
Her art is pictured just above and a very poignant poem from her book below.
Thank you Sukhi!

Thank you to the Elephant Rooms social media team who's photos I have borrowed for here - I forgot to take many!

It was a transformative evening,
I always look forward to my return.