For the Love of Art

Have you ever had something pull you back, time and time again?
A quiet nudge. A whisper. A memory that lights you up.

For me, that something has always been art.

Even when I tried to ignore it or when life made it seem impractical, it kept finding me, tugging at my sleeve like a persistent child saying, “Remember me?”

When I was 17, I wanted one thing: to go to art school.
I loved creating with my hands, turning nothing into something, layering textures, playing with mediums, dreaming up whole worlds on a single canvas. It made me feel alive. It made me feel like me.

But my application didn’t make the cut.

Back then, art school was a ticket reserved for straight-A students. And while I passed my classes, my grades slipped as I worked full-time outside school hours. My goal was to save up, move to the big city, and try to make something of myself. My parents made it clear — I had to find my own way, just like they had. Practicality ruled. And art… well, art didn’t pay the bills.

So, I tried to let it go.

I enrolled in a bridging course with hopes it might be my ticket into university. It was expensive, my parents helped with tuition, but I had to cover the weekly material costs myself. Some weeks it nearly broke me. But I pushed on.

I learned so much that year. It changed how I saw the world. But again, no spot at art school. Another closed door. Another reminder that perhaps this dream wasn’t meant to be.

So I pivoted. Again. A graphic design course came next, practical, promising, safe. And even there, my favourite part... The one weekly class where we got to draw. To paint. To play. It was always about the art.

I started fusing my hand-drawn work with digital design, but my computer skills weren’t my strong suit. Still, the love never left me. I travelled the UK, wandering galleries, soaking in every brushstroke from the masters, awestruck by lace details, light, the storytelling of old portraits. It stirred something deep within.

art won’t let me go

Back home, I couldn’t find an art class I truly loved, so I started my own. Life drawing sessions, a room full of women and wine and charcoal smudges. I taught, I created, I sold that business eventually, and even when I moved again, I turned to gardening which led to painting flowers, zucchinis, potatoes and beans.

Art. Always finding me in new forms.

And now… it’s back, louder than ever.

Last year, I had the idea to create an oracle deck — Heart of the Highlands — inspired by the land, wildlife, and wild beauty of the Scottish Highlands. I imagined cards laced with magic, rooted in this sacred place I now call home.

For six months, I dabbled with watercolours. A few images turned out beautiful. But something wasn’t landing. I didn’t love them. I needed something more — something raw and expressive.

So I took an online masterclass in acrylic painting, and something wild happened last week.

I fell in love again.

Now all I want to do is paint. To lose myself in colour and story. To create a deck that feels more me. Bold, intuitive, slightly messy — but honest.

It’s a complete 180 from where I started. But maybe that’s the point.

art was never just art

Looking back, I see the pattern.
Art has always shown up when I needed reminding of who I really am.

And I’ve resisted,  for years, trying to be practical, trying to be someone else. But art has always known the truth. That I was meant to create.

Not just for beauty but for meaning. For soul. For connection.

So here I am, 20 years later.
Listening. Saying yes.
Creating 45 pieces for this oracle deck and inviting you along for the ride.

Because if you’ve ever had a whisper calling you toward something, even if it doesn’t “make sense”, maybe it’s time you listened too.

what’s calling you?

This is your invitation to honour the thing that keeps returning.
The dream that won’t let go.
The old love you haven’t dared to make new again.

Because here’s the truth:

The creative process — whether through art, writing, gardening, or living with purpose — is messy, magical, and entirely transformational. It takes everything from you. It strips you bare. And then it gives you everything you didn’t know you needed.

So… what’s calling you?

And are you finally ready to answer?

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I'd love to take you behind the scenes as I create the Heart of the Highlands Oracle deck. If you want to follow the journey (and maybe even help shape it)? Come and hang out with me on Instagram