Aha Moment
Where should I begin? In the summer of 2017, I packed the essentials and, with my two toddlers moved to a new home. The decision to leave my marriage behind and start over wasn’t an easy one, but I felt like I had no choice.
There is something truly magical about those very few moments in life when you decide to start from scratch – it’s a mixture of fear and endless possibilities. I closed my first business and had no intention of going back to corporate jobs in Dublin. Instead, I took a year-long career break, made art for pleasure and studied coaching. But most importantly, I started a journey of healing and personal growth.
I recognised that art was always my therapeutic practice, and this very thought sparked a gentle movement within me. I started to develop my first mindful art signature workshop, Symbollage. When my children started playschool, I registered as self-employed and delivered my first workshops. At first, my main focus was one-on-one coaching, workshops and retreats. Proven successful, I started to look for my own studio space to host classes.
Beyond My Comfort Zone
Coming from a family with a multigenerational tradition of artists and craft makers, at the age of 18, I received a Fine Arts Degree and moved out of my family home. I had to sustain myself financially and struggled with the idea of being a ‘starving artist.’ I kept creating art for pleasure and relaxation while working in real estate and continuing with a more pragmatic education (National Security).
Here I was, over ten years later, renting out my very first studio in a local art + craft village, surrounded by creatives.
Over the last 5 years, I had to be equally a businesswoman and an artist/ educator. I survived lockdowns and experienced many ups and downs.
Truthfully, the biggest challenge was juggling parenting with running a busy studio. I met a new life partner, moved to our forever home and had a third baby in 2022.
