ART AS ACTIVISM

My journey of using my creativity to raise awareness

I’m leaving university and no idea what I should be doing. I’m struggling with my mental health after a relationship break down, severe stress and the fear of an unknown future. I’ve always known I want to create art in some way to feel fulfilled in my life, but I’m not sure how to do that and support myself.

I start a full time career job as an Art Teacher and I’m thoroughly enjoying teaching the skills I’ve learnt throughout my life. However I’m still stressed and miserable and no longer creating my own work.

Then I decide I need a big change in my life.

I meet my future husband and we decide to move to Bristol together, a city full of art and colour. I make a decision to focus on my own work.

However, what do I create? Or as many Artist asks, “What is MY style?”. I work on branding, logos, work for bands, make some sculptures. Whatever comes to me.

Until I paint something that changes the course of everything.

It is unusual because I am actually painting in my bed rather than my desk, fully in my pyjamas and everything. I have some photos from a local wildlife rescue centre and some of their residents are particularly photogenic!

I paint a dashing barn owl against a dark background. As soon as I complete it, I just know that’s what I want to be doing.

I start to turn down any work that didn’t involve animals at this point (not an easy decision when you are turning down paid work, but my heart wasn’t in it). I rebrand and start to seek out more animals to paint. I paint my housemate’s lovely King Charles Spaniel and again, make a breakthrough.

People start to send me their animal’s photos to paint from AND they are paying me! Dream job.

I then start to realise that it had been there in front of me for a while. I have always had a passion for animals, rescuing hedgehogs and mice as a child and bothering any tame animal that crosses my path. I’m a vegan and believe in compassion for all animals and wholeheartedly want to make a positive difference in this world.

I have linked my true passions with the way that I work and I could not be happier. Earning some money from it is just a bonus that means I can keep doing what I love. The animal companion portrait commissions provide me with a roof over my head for a while and are my main income. However, I realise I want to go beyond that and start to create more of my own work focusing on themes I want to raise awareness about.

I started to do a lot of work for charities and help raise funds for those causes I truly want to help. I’m part of a project called The Art of Compassion who are collective art project involving vegan artists from all around the world. The aim is to raise funds through various art projects and donate 100% of the profits to vegan non-profit organisations, while opening the minds and hearts of people to animals and the global benefits of veganism. I am also able to donate a percentage of my commissioned work to Viva! who are a British animal rights group, which focuses on promoting veganism and running strong campaigns against animal cruelty.

I realise this is where my true passion lies. Using my artistic skills to help others, through my own paintings, making art for local wildlife groups or rescues and selling work with some of the profits going to these sort of charities.

I create art on subjects that I am passionate about with full determination and integrity, whilst creating handmade art full of love for people to treasure in their own homes.