the Kelpies
I’ve taught from such a young age.
As a child I taught ballet to the youngsters in my dance school. At secondary I started teaching netball after-school. Then in college I taught science and maths to GCSE students. I think it’s something I’ve always been drawn to - I like the challenge of seeing a problem from someone else’s point of view and then trying to fix it. Like trying to explain why something acts how it does and being able to see someone else processing that idea. My brain loves thinking about how other peoples’ brains work. About their perspectives, using what they like and already understand.
I remember teaching diffusion to this one specific group that hated science. So we made it not science. Diffusion happens everywhere, so why not teach it as that - teach it by watching a football match and noticing where there are too many players, and where there aren’t enough.
I think then my whole identity became being a teacher. Teaching something, somewhere, in some way or another. Which made it so much harder when we moved to Scotland, and there wasn’t a teaching job waiting for me. Instead, I had to find out who I was away from teaching - away from my entire life’s practice and find out what it is I actually like to do.
Until then, art and design had always been a background activity. Something I thrived doing - and loved doing - but not something I ever considered a career. Freelancing is scary, but it also allows me the freedom to choose art projects that I’m passionate about and to give them my all.
My first (sort of ) step out of teaching and into the creative world came through a competition called The Kelpies.
The Kelpies is an illustration competition for creatives just starting out. It offers junior mentorship, helping new artists to find their feet. Entry required 5 different illustrations of landmarks across Scotland.
Looking back, there’s a lot I would change. For starters, my drawings were created in the wrong colour mode and dimensions lol. Overall, I gained a lot of confidence in practicing drawing, and seeing others enjoy my art was a giant push towards taking my art seriously.
Here are my 5 submissions for what Scotland means to me:
