Your occupation, job title, artistic discipline (or very brief description of what you do)

I am a visual artist, illustrator and caregiver. I hold a Bachelor of Creative Industries (Visual Arts) from Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology and a Master of Fine Arts from Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design. My practice spans décollage, drawing, biomaterials and experimental interdisciplinary art, often bringing together material exploration, environmental questions, and the social, cultural and institutional systems that shape our relationships with one another and the world around us.

What cities/towns have you lived in (or spent more than a few months in) beginning with the place of your birth?

I was born in Durban, South Africa, and left when I was seven, sailing with my family on a yacht. After travelling about three-quarters of the way around the world, we eventually settled in New Zealand. I grew up mainly on Auckland’s North Shore before living in the Franklin District with my own children. I’ve also experienced living in Dubai, six years in Sale and Stratford in Victoria, Australia, before returning to the Awhitu Peninsula, south of Auckland. I then moved to Gulf Harbour before settling in Papamoa Beach in 2019.

What are the earliest stories you remember hearing? The ones that told you about the world?

The stories I remember didn’t really teach me about the world. As a child my favourite book was Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry (1947), a children’s novel based on the true story of the famous Chincoteague pony and the family who raised her. It was beautifully illustrated too, and I’ve kept that book for over forty years. Looking back though, I think living on a yacht with my parents and siblings, sailing through different countries and experiencing so many cultures as a child was something of a lived storybook. I don’t think any book could ever rival that experience.

What’s your favourite Bay of Plenty landscape, park, building, location, suburb, or side street? Why?

Mauao has always been one of my favourite places. I loved walking around it because I found it both invigorating and peaceful. With that not currently being an option, I still love going to Main Beach at the Mount and simply sitting by the water along the coast. It’s a simple thing which reminds me to appreciate the beauty of my surroundings; it just fills my cup and brings a sense of quiet to my day.

What’s an average day in your life at present?

Life is fairly simple presently. My days are full but not overly taxing with maybe a little bit too much procrastination at times. I try to spend my time doing the things that genuinely make me happy. Days are largely centred around caring for my special needs son. Presently, most days I do Muay Thai training at Red Dragon Thai Boxing in the Mount which I’m a bit obsessed with (I think everyone needs to try it!). Then working on some form of art whether that’s illustration or experimenting with bio matter or simply getting lost in research. The last part of the day is generally making dinner and finding something weird, dark and wonderful to watch. I’m happiest when my days have a balance of creativity, learning, movement and time with the people I care about.

What music was present and still memorable from your youth/adolescence?

I’ve always had a broad taste in music, and it never was about what was ‘cool’. What I listened to often depended on what was happening in my life, so music has always been tied to emotion more than genre. If I was crushing on someone, I’d gravitate towards love songs. If I was frustrated or pushing back against something, I’d listen to music with a bit more defiance or edge. If I was feeling thoughtful, I’d find myself listening to artists like Simon & Garfunkel or early Bruce Springsteen. Music has also always been really connected to my art practice too and will inspire work. Lame as it sounds, I connect songs to people and experiences so music has become a soundtrack to different chapters of my life, and hearing certain songs can instantly take me back to the feeling of a particular place, person, or experience.

For you as a creative person, who are three influential artists or thinkers?

Jacques Villeglé for décollage, Egon Schiele for drawing, and Silvia Federici is quite fundamental in theory that underpins the current directions of my biomatter practice.

If you went away from the Bay of Plenty for a long time and then came back, what are the first three things you would do or visit?

I’d probably head straight to Main Beach for a coffee. Because Mauao feels like the heart of the area, I’d want to take a moment to reconnect and appreciate both the vibe and the view. After that though, it wouldn’t really be about the places; it would be about visiting people, because they’re the ones who make a place meaningful to me.

Looking back at your teenage self: what one sentence describes that person?

She probably embodied two characters: Shrek (without the grumpiness) around people she didn’t know – observant, a bit guarded and serious, taking time to see people’s character before letting them see hers, but Donkey around close friends and family, being mischievous, affectionate, enthusiastic, laughing easily, and happy to be a bit ridiculous. I don’t think much has changed with that.

What are you planning for the next 12 months that nobody knows about yet?

There’s always somebody who knows what I’m doing or hoping to do! I am hoping to do a kickboxing fight toward the end of the year – if stars align and my brain and body survive the training it might happen at the end of November. It’s something physically and mentally challenging that scares me to death and therefore I need to conquer it!!

In one sentence, can you define creativity?

Creativity is the curiosity to imagine a possibility, and then the willingness to put that possibility into action.

Where would you like to live, but have yet to?

I’m really content living in Papamoa Beach for now. I love being close to the ocean, and the connections I’ve built with people here are what make it feel like home. There are other places I’d love to visit and take time to explore but I don’t think I’d want to live elsewhere presently.

What word of advice would you offer an aspiring creative person?

Be curious enough to begin. Trust that you don’t need to know how when you start, you just need to be willing to find out. Then have faith that, if you keep going, there will be an outcome. Whether it’s what you first imagined or something completely unexpected, you’ll learn something from it.

What is your dream of happiness?

My dream of happiness is a life with the people I love, meaningful work, and the freedom to keep growing. It’s spending time with my children, family and friends, being creative, being near the water, cooking for people, trying new things, and never losing my curiosity. I enjoy setting myself challenges and achieving things, not for status or possessions, but because I love learning, growing and discovering what I’m capable of. Happiness is finding a balance between adventure and stillness, ambition and contentment, and appreciating the people and moments that make my life meaningful. At the moment my life already contains much of what feeds my dream of happiness. The only thing missing is a little more freedom to travel.

Has there been a particular moment where you surprised yourself by using creativity to solve, express, or connect?

I don’t think there has been one particular moment. It’s really the ongoing experience of my practice. I never begin with the certainty that I’ll succeed. I start with curiosity, a willingness to experiment, and a belief that if I keep working at it, something worthwhile will emerge. Even when an idea doesn’t work as planned, it often leads somewhere unexpected and interesting. For the most part it’s learning to trust the process and having faith that there will be an outcome, whether it’s what you envisioned or something completely unexpected, there’s always something to learn from it. I never know whether something will work the way I’m envisioning it, but I trust that I’ll find a way through. I genuinely still surprise myself by discovering that I can solve problems I had no idea how to solve when I started.

Anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself/your organisation?

One thing that’s become more important to me over the years is recognising the people who have shaped my journey. Whether they’ve supported and believed in me as friends or family, or shared their professional knowledge, I never take that for granted. Some may not even realise the impact they’ve had, but I do, and I carry that gratitude with me because I know I wouldn’t have achieved what I have without them. They invested their time, shared what they’d learned, and in doing so became part of my own journey.

I hope that, through my creative practice and the relationships I build, I can inspire or contribute to someone else’s journey in a similar way others have contributed to mine.