Hi, I’m Valerie Khoo – artist, designer, and architect of opportunities.

I’m based on the northern beaches of Sydney, Australia, where I create art, design beautiful things, and help others reconnect with what truly lights them up.

My journey here has been anything but typical. I started out in accounting (yes, you read that correctly!), became a journalist, and eventually founded and now lead the Australian Writers’ Centre – one of the country’s most respected institutions for writing education. Over the past two decades, I’ve mentored thousands of writers and creatives, built programs that turn ideas into published books, and helped people reshape their lives through the power of storytelling.

Creativity has always been at the heart of everything I do. A few years ago, I picked up a paintbrush – and my world changed. What began as a quiet curiosity turned into a powerful pull. Painting became a daily ritual, a kind of meditation and a way to express beauty that words couldn’t always hold. And before long, my artwork was finding homes around the world. (Hello USA, France, Switzerland, Singapore, Hong Kong, UK and New Zealand! And, of course, Australia.)

I don’t juggle disciplines. I build in layers. For me, painting didn’t replace writing – it became another form of creative expression, another language. Today, I write every day, host the podcast So You Want To Be A Writer, and continue to mentor creatives across the globe (yes, sometimes we Zoom at 2am!). Writing still shapes how I see the world. Painting brings those visions to life.