I’ve always liked art as a subject in school but I was never particularly talented (at least compared to my brother who is a fantastic artist). I studied graphic design in college for a few years until it clashed with other courses I wanted to major in at university so I dropped it. After that I continued doodling in classes where the teacher droned on for too long.

At university I took Pacific Studies and Asian Studies. I was able to gain special entry in a Pacific Art History at 300 level due to my Pacific subject specialisation. Surprisingly I got an A grade by the end of it! I studied Lapita, Polynesian and Māori motifs in various forms and works. It was a nice break from essay and report writing.

Working in corporate was soul sucking. Covid lockdown was great because I could doodle in boring meetings. Like most people I was pent up after lockdowns so I took a few ceramics and jewellery night classes in my down time. The only thing I have done consistently is photography. I don’t know how to photoshop so all of my pictures are unedited and shot from a cellphone or camera I got like 10 years ago for Christmas.

I was one of the few people in Wellington who was elated to be made redundant recently. I decided to enrol in art school on a casual basis because it sounded like a great way to keep busy.

I have enjoyed getting my hands moving. My art is very basic and not very adventurous design wise. I also really lack concept drawing and brainstorming skills. I’ve been trying to build basic skills. Hopefully when I get my techniques sorted, I’ll be able to transfer the image in my head into reality.