Wandering, Wondering, and Painting My Way Home: What Inspires Me as an Artist
Art wasn’t something I always set out to do. Growing up, I found expression through choir and theatre—spaces where creativity and emotion lived at the center of experience. But visual art didn’t enter my life until much later, during a time of personal transition and reinvention. After more than a decade in a fast-paced corporate career, I found myself at a crossroads. Painting began as a quiet act of self-care—an outlet to process grief, rediscovery, and the disorienting beauty of starting over.
What I didn’t expect was how quickly it would become something more. Painting evolved into a way back to myself—a space where I could strip away roles, expectations, and routines to instead explore something far more honest and intuitive. In many ways, art became the clearest expression of my voice.
A Journey Across Continents and Centuries
A major influence on my creative awakening has been travel—especially my time spent in Europe. I had the chance to visit and study in some of the most historically rich and visually inspiring places in the world: Cannes, London, Edinburgh, St. Andrews, Paris, Monaco, and Oxford. Each of these cities offered something different, not just in culture, but in texture and atmosphere—from the sun-warmed pastel facades of the French Riviera to the moody stone streets of Edinburgh and the architectural elegance of Paris.
Botanicals played a huge role in what I absorbed during these travels—lush gardens tucked into the corners of bustling cities, vine-covered stone walls, wildflower-lined pathways, and the curated beauty of palace grounds. There was something deeply grounding about seeing how nature and architecture coexist across Europe, sometimes in harmony, sometimes in tension. The old-world structures—arched windows, intricate ironwork, weathered facades—offered not just visual inspiration but emotional resonance. They told stories. They carried memory. Much like the kind of work I aspire to create.
Oxford, in particular, was transformative. While studying Organizational Leadership at the university, I found myself walking the same halls and gardens that inspired countless writers, scholars, and artists—Lewis Carroll among them. To be in the birthplace of Alice in Wonderland while I was also navigating my own journey through uncertainty and self-reinvention felt serendipitous. It was there that the idea for my Alice-inspired series truly took root.
Art That Reflects a Life in Motion
My current body of work channels much of that inspiration—drawing from travel, literature, nature, and history to explore themes of identity, transformation, and emotional depth. The Alice in Wonderland series, in particular, uses abstraction and vibrant color to reimagine what it means to fall into the unknown. For me, Alice represents a woman who learns to navigate chaos with curiosity and courage—something I’ve had to learn in my own life.
This series blends layered textures, symbolic forms, and emotionally charged palettes to capture the in-between spaces: the liminal, the whimsical, the disorienting, and the deeply human. My goal is to evoke both wonder and reflection—reminding us that the unfamiliar can be where we meet our most authentic selves.
In parallel, I’ve been developing a second collection: a textured, abstract series influenced by birds and aviary symbolism. This work explores emotional altitude—what it means to take flight, to let go, to hover between safety and freedom. It’s about fragility and resilience, the push and pull between soaring and staying grounded.
Creating as an Act of Connection
My style is intuitive, vibrant, and emotionally driven. I paint to explore what can’t always be said aloud. I lean into duality—soft and bold, delicate and messy—because that’s how life feels to me: layered, imperfect, and beautiful. Nature often acts as a metaphor in my work. It endures. It evolves. And it doesn’t apologize for taking up space.
Ultimately, I create to connect. With myself. With others. With something larger. Whether it’s a brushstroke or a bold splash of color, I hope my work invites people to feel—to recognize something in themselves reflected on the canvas.
Right now, I’m continuing to build a life where art, writing, and leadership intersect. I’m also in the early stages of writing a book— focused on creativity, personal transformation, reinvention, and what it means to embrace the messy middle of starting over. My goal isn’t just to make beautiful things—it’s to live a beautifully honest life and to inspire others to do the same.
