Skies Clearing - original artwork by Valerie Khoo

How saying ‘yes’ can lead to your next chapter

A few weeks ago, I was interviewed on The Wabi Sabi series podcast, hosted by Michelle Cox on “Finding your genius”. Michelle actually invited me on to her podcast quite a while ago but I delayed getting back to her because, to be honest, I wondered whether I had anything interesting or worthwhile to say!

She starts with a single question and then the conversation unfolds – and goes deep – from there. Michelle is a super talented ceramicist (and board director and author and a billion other things) so I loved chatting to her. You can listen to it here.

⁠But, more importantly, the act of saying yes to this has led to so much more …

Michelle Cox (left) and Valerie Khoo (right)
Above: Michelle and me 

It turns out that Michelle doesn’t live far away from me. And has also founded an incredible makers’ studio, in Avalon Beach in Sydney, which is home to a handful of creatives.

She mentioned that she was potentially looking for an artist to share the space with. And, as I had been without a studio for almost six months (and had become creatively stuck as a result), it was a serendipitous moment!

In short, we’re now colleagues in the gorgeous space Atelier 9 Avalon and I feel like I have a new lease on life. As soon as I started painting there, it felt like my creative mojo starting flowing again. And it’s not just a trickle, the ideas just won’t stop!

Inspired by the beaches, I’ve gone coastal! I’ll be honest, I have no idea where this will lead. But, as I mentioned in my last newsletter, I’m just being led by creating work I enjoy instead of trying to create art based on some kind of strategy. I’m so much happier as a result. (You can see what I mean about Enjoyment vs Strategy here.)

 

I also finally got the guts to list my artwork on Bluethumb. If you’re interested to check it out, you can see it here.

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