How Showing Up With Joy Opens Creative Doors with Australian Artist Nic Everist

Daring Creatively: Unfiltered is an Australian art podcast where Sydney-based contemporary artist Korynn Morrison picks up the phone, drops a surprise topic into the conversation, and hits record.

In this episode Korynn calls Victoria-based landscape artist Nic Everist — and this one is a little special because they are meeting for the very first time on this call. Nic is the creator of the 100 Tree Project, founder of Tree Club, and one of those rare humans who just radiates genuine joy and creative abundance wherever she goes. The surprise topic: why giving generously and showing up with genuine joy opens creative doors.

Nic's story is one of the most honest and inspiring Korynn has heard. From quitting physiotherapy to follow a creative pull she couldn't ignore, to painting fluid portraits in her backyard, to travelling South America and painting 100 trees in 100 days during Wednesday night Instagram lives while her babies slept upstairs — every single step of her journey has been led by curiosity, grit and an unwavering belief that she would be painting forever.

In this warm unplanned conversation two artists meeting for the first time talk about why giving generously is actually a creative superpower, the 100 Tree Project and how it sold out before the exhibition even opened, how Tree Club is helping plant 5000 trees on her family farm, painting through postpartum by going live on Instagram every Wednesday night, why belief and common sense are the only two things a creative business needs, the fear of failure and how to build the muscle to move through it, and why your art will always lead you exactly where you need to be if you let it.

If you love art podcasts, conversations about the real creative life, or you are an artist who needs a reminder that showing up with joy is enough — this one will fill your cup right up.

New episodes drop whenever the call happens.

Nic Everist Relevant Links:

Nic Everist on Instagram HERE

Check Out Her Website HERE

Tree Club: Painted Stories, Planted Trees.

Tree Club is a monthly subscription where you receive an A5 Print each month of Nic's big 2meter tall painting that shares a story of her life, give back to the nature that inspires Nic by planting a tree for every month you're in the club on her family farm working towards their goal of planting another 5000 Trees and also go into the draw to win a custom giveaway painting each month!

https://www.niceverist.com/jointreeclub

The Full Time Artist Podcast HERE

Join My Inner Circle: https://www.korynnmorrison.com/mailing-list

Visit My Website: https://www.korynnmorrison.com/

Find me on Instagram HERE

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Okay, so every now and then you meet a person that just shines from the inside out. And my guest today, Nick Everest, is 100% one of those sunshine people. She's an Australian artist based in Victoria, creating contemporary landscape and tree paintings that explore the emotional terrain of being human. Through her ongoing body of work, Tree Club, Nick uses trees and landscapes as a visual metaphor for growth, connection, resilience, and the stories that shape us. Each painting begins with a personal reflection, often drawn from her own experiences of motherhood, change, creativity, and self-discovery. And it's accompanied by a written letter that invites viewers to find their own meaning within the work. Now she's gonna speak about Tree Club in today's interview, but I wanted to give you just a little bit of background here because this conversation was the first time we've ever spoken. In true Karin fashion, I saw her gorgeous face pop up on my Instagram feed. And over the months I've been watching her, and every single time she pops up, I just think, You're lovely. You are so lovely. I get such a joy listening to her, just watching her um radiate this passion out to everything that she does. So I sent her a little voice message, and I'm pretty sure it went something along the lines of, hey Nick, you don't know me. Um my name's Corinne, and I think we're gonna be friends. So, um joining us for this conversation. It was such a pleasure hearing all about Nick, her passions, what drives her to create, and I think you're gonna get a great deal out of this conversation. So grab yourself a copper and let's dive in. Hey guys, welcome to Daring Creatively Unfiltered, where I call up an artist's friend, throw a surprise topic into the conversation, and hit record. No plan, no prep, no agenda. Just two creatives having a chat. I'm Karin Morrison, Australian artist, cup overflowing personality, and someone who genuinely gets way too excited talking about the creative life. My guests are artists at every stage of the journey. And the conversations that happen when nobody's performing, those are the ones that we really need to hear. So grab a coffee, get into your studio, and come hang with us. This is Daring Creatively Unfiltered. Let's go. Okay, we we got through in the end. I was starting to think I'm like, shit, maybe it's me. Maybe I haven't paid a phone before something. No.

SPEAKER_02 2:59

Do you know what? I think it was, I think my partner's put something on my phone that like sends me a text because I don't like picking up for people I don't know. Yeah, yeah. And so it sends a text message of who it is. So I think something to do with that. Because as soon as I asked your fun fact, yeah, it works.

SPEAKER_00 3:16

Yeah, that's exactly what happened. It said, like, it said, say your name or something. And I was like, oh, this is this this is like I think I'm pretty sure he's done it in the last couple of days.

SPEAKER_02 3:28

Like it's very new.

SPEAKER_00 3:29

So sorry about that. I love your husband. How good's that for creative boundaries?

SPEAKER_02 3:39

Well, he just he knows I'm just shocking. If I don't know the number, like even doing this um interview is pretty brave of me because I don't tend to like talking on the phone that much. And so, and you know, we're meeting on the phone for the first time, so that's really fun. Um, so yeah, he he was it's uh as a way to get me to start, you know, actually answering phone calls and talking to people when I don't and recognize the number.

SPEAKER_00 4:03

So well, how's this for throwing you in the DPAM for the first time? Like I was sitting here actually thinking to myself, I'm like, I think this is the first time I've done this. This is the first time that I actually don't know the person that I'm calling. And when I messaged you the other day, because I'm pretty sure I don't know what I was watching of yours on Instagram, but I was like, eh, fuck it. I'm just gonna message her and say we should be friends. Um that's literally how I came about because it's like every time I see one of your videos, I'm like, you are such a sunshine person. Oh, you have that like energizer bunny energy that's just so like magnetic. And I'm like, we should be friends. I'm gonna message her and tell her that.

SPEAKER_02 4:49

I I love that. And actually, when I received that message, like I had a little giggle because I'm like, I just think that's like the magic of social media a little bit, is like you can connect with people who are not in, you know, your vicinity and your area. And yeah, as soon as you said that, I was like, yeah, you're my type of person.

SPEAKER_00 5:07

Well, that's exactly it. And I think we've got to do that more often. And it's like, what you see is what you get with me. It's like it, and I think like this is why um, I mean, this is what this podcast is all about. It's about like completely authentic conversations. And so that's where I just said to you, Wait, don't tell me anything about you. We're just gonna get to know each other live, like as if we have a glass of wine in our hands, even though it's like what time in the morning, like 11 o'clock in the morning. We're just gonna imagine that we have a margarita or something and we're gonna get to know each other. Um and in the true spirit of this energy, like, so the way that this podcast works, so generally what I do is I have a phone call and I'll throw a surprise topic into the mix. And so I take a little moment before each phone call and I like do a little meditative sit-down and think about the person, and I just wait to see if a little comment or something will kind of like a little download will kind of fall into me about what the topic should be. And so today I was sitting here and I'm like, well, I don't know, Nick. Maybe um it's like all I know of you is your amazing energy that gets shared all over social media. And so I thought I'm gonna roll off that. And so I thought to myself, you know, you seem to be such a person that just gives of yourself so openly. And your authenticity is one of those things that I think so many people probably look up to. And I'm one of those people that always says to artists, hey, this is what I really appreciate about you. But I know that not many people will just outwardly speak those things. So, first of all, I just want to say I see that in you, and I really love that in you. But the surprise topic today that I wanted to throw at you was Okay, we got this. Why giving generously and showing up with genuine joy opens creative doors?

SPEAKER_02 7:19

Oh, that's uh okay, that's a cool topic. Why giving generously and showing up with joy opens creative doors? I like this.

SPEAKER_00 7:30

Okay, can I tell you? Can I tell you why I've picked this, right? Yes, yes. So, story time. So here I am. I'm sitting in my car the other day, and this is, I think this was the video that I actually watched before I messaged you and went, I need to know this girl. Um, and it was basically you rattling off all of these things that had occurred from your tree project. And you were speaking like a thousand miles an hour, and you were going over all of the amazing things that had kind of occurred. And I was like, this is a perfect example of someone who is completely magnetic. They are just fueled by joy and passion for what they do, and because of that, good things happen. And I don't know if that resonates with you, but I am so fascinated to hear just all about you. So let's start from the beginning. Tell me where you're at. Tell me who you are, give me your elevator pitch. Well, this picture.

SPEAKER_02 8:37

Well, I love I love this um topic actually, because it actually takes me back to sort of the beginning a little bit. Um, because just that leading with joy and that authenticity, I think, comes back to when I first started creating again as an adult because I actually didn't create all through high school or I went to uni, I became a physiotherapist, and I sort of didn't really steered away from art and creativity and all of those sorts of things. I was a very creative kid. I was always drawing, always painting, you know, doing classes in primary school, like painting and drawing classes and things. But when I went to high school, I just I was also quite sporty, and so I kind of just veered away. I love maths, which is you know probably not common for an artist. Amazing. Yeah, and so I just sort of went that science-y route, sport route, and became a physio. And then, you know, only you know, very maybe a year into being a physio, I was just feeling not aligned with life. I was feeling like out of sorts, I wasn't happy, I was feeling flat, and I couldn't sort of put a pin on why. Um, and I was also looking at my colleagues who are, you know, 20, 30 years in their career, and they were so passionate about going to these extra study sessions or courses and things, and that was like, you know, I was like, no way am I doing that with my weekend. Are you kidding me? So I realized I sort of just didn't have the passion. And why I loved helping people and I loved working with my clients, and I was working in the hospital, and I really enjoyed that feeling of like helping someone in, you know, when they're going through a tough time. Um, it just I just knew that it wasn't the right career for me. And um, through that process of feeling really down and flat, I kind of took some mental health leave and the only thing I really felt like doing was drawing. And so I got, you know, um a book, uh Drawing with the Right Side of Your Brain. I think it's you know, it's a very popular book. I started drawing again, and you know, that kind of led into painting, and I just instant it was like an instant of like, oh, like I just felt like this feels like myself, this feels like me, this feels this feels good. I'd create something and like it, you know, my drawings weren't very good, but I just feel so accomplished, and I, you know, it just felt right, and I think from that point, you know, I just was like, you know, this is a thing that I know I I need to do for the rest of my life to feel like me, you know, what if I could make this the thing that is my income and my living and the thing I do every day? And then just when you were like leading with that joy, I think I learned sort of I would have been 25 then. I think you know, I learned then how important it was to like sort of follow your true voice or your true instincts or you know your authenticity, you know, to feel good and happy and you know, like yourself. Um so yeah, from there I started painting. I quit physio for a while, ran out of money and went back to physio part-time, um, and then slowly dwindled down my physio to then become, you know, full-time in my art. So yeah, that's kind of the origin story.

SPEAKER_00 11:57

That's amazing.

unknown 11:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:59

And I think the reason I'm saying amazing is because do you know how many conversations I have with people who are, you know, didn't make that choice for themselves? People that stayed in their careers and stayed unhappy and finally got to a stage of choosing that they just could not take any more of it because they felt like they were so empty inside. Like, and you kind of didn't allow yourself to get to that breaking point. You made that choice beforehand to choose you and to come back to you. And I think art is a way of coming home to ourselves. And I mean, I think that probably multiple times a day, I can relate so much to this story, kind of in a in a different way. So I used to be a gymnastics coach. So I was a gymnast growing up. I spent my whole life in the gym and then inevitably fell into coaching, ran a gymnastics club. Um, and that was like that was my entire identity. And the thing was, I was really, really passionate about what I was doing. I was always painting on the side as well. But there was never a day that I didn't love what I did. It was motherhood that kind of forced me out of that um gymnastics coach box. And it just so happened that I had to, I had to give away my career when I had kids. And so it kind of forced me to pivot and just rest with my art. And you know what? If I hadn't have been forced to do that, I probably would still be in the vortex of um working way too many hours and probably doing way too much and still having my art on the side. So it's like it's amazing how everything kind of happens for a reason. But I'm I'm curious to go back to that moment where you sat down and you drew that first drawing. And I think that that is something that is so relatable for so many people. Just the act of choosing themselves. Like that's what art is. It is the greatest act of self-love that we can give ourselves. And I think people take that for granted sometimes. Like when I'm sitting down or mentoring someone or you know, doing a little bit of teaching here or there, you know, creativity just kind of gets bypassed over. And it's like you have to kind of bring people back and go, do you realize what you're doing right now? You're actually taking a moment for yourself. Like, when was the last time you chose you? Yeah. It's powerful when you sit down and you consider that. And so this is where these doors began to open for you. You finally felt like, well, I'm here. I've arrived in myself, I'm doing something that I love. What happened next?

SPEAKER_02 15:15

Yeah, so um, yeah, I couldn't agree with that more. That it is the you know, the greatest act of like self-care and self-love is allowing yourself that that creative energy and and to spend time with yourself and your thoughts and to produce something with that energy is um, yeah, I really like the way that you put that. Um so yeah, so so next I and I I I do have to say that probably making that decision, um, I was so lucky that I had a really supportive network of people around me that made me feel safe enough to be able to make that dis that that call to leave physio because you know, after studying for four years, it was a really hard course and I got a really good job and I was getting good rotations and I was good at the like I was, you know, good at the job. And so to then turn around and then share to everyone that I wanted to leave to become an artist was, you know, pretty bold and delusional at the time. But um, you know, I look back and think, gosh, well done, Nick, you're pretty brave. That's it. Yeah. But I had I had a um my partner who I'm still with today. I we we literally just bought a house in Geelong and we're gonna move from Melbourne to Geelong. And um I turned to him and I was like, you know, basically saying, I think I want to do art. And he just said, Well, why don't you quit then? Why don't you quit physio? You know you don't want to do it. And he sort of gave me that permission slit to be like, okay, you know, he's that's what I was gonna talk to him about, and he's sort of presented that to me. And I was like, All right, let's do this. So, you know, I think having that um, you know, and and telling all my friends, like everyone was shocked. Like, no, I had no, no connections to the art world. I knew no one in the art world. Everyone was shocked because I wasn't a drawer, I wasn't a creative person. Like people would come to me to draw the signs, you know, for the, you know, um different, you know, uh college parties and things that I was, you know, when I went to college. Like I was the person drawing the signs and stuff because I knew I could draw. But outside of that, I wasn't really creative. And anyway, so I took um six months. I had a little bit of savings left, and I took six months and I basically just dove straight into playing around with um drawing. I started off doing realistic life drawings and trying to get um, I was really inspired by people doing who did realism and you know, sort of very quickly realized that I didn't have the patience to create the the realistic work that I was, you know, in my mind's eye wanting to create. Like it because it takes so long and it's hours and it's patience, and it's I just didn't have it's just not the energy that I have. Yeah, I'm a bit I'm a bit, you know, speedy and chaotic and you know. And so I started um pouring paint on canvas, like acrylic fluid pouring, because that was messy and fun, and you could make cool textures and things, and and I could dance around the studio at that point. It was around the backyard um painting, and then sort of that kind of pushed me into a more abstract way, and then I started trying to join my realism with the abstract and created what I call my fluid ladies, where I would pour these portraits of women and sort of went down that path. And um, yeah, I mean, it's a very long journey, but basically I then went traveling with my partner to South America and was really inspired by the landscapes over there, and they have these beautiful, like um, you know, mountainscapes, and it just looked like paint was like running down the mountains. Yeah. And like, and it just was like I just kept thinking, God, this is how this is like how I pour paint onto canvas, and they have their goddess uh Mother Earth, La Pachumama, and we were learning a lot about her as we were going around, and I just had this vision that she was like an artist that poured paint on the world to create it.

SPEAKER_00 19:12

Oh, that's beautiful. I love that.

SPEAKER_02 19:16

Yeah, and so and I just was became obsessed with that idea, and I came home and I created a body of work called La Pachumama, and that was kind of my first big exhibition that I had. It was all South American landscapes, and then that's sort of what led me into then painting landscapes, which is I'm a landscape artist now, so I do like I do portraits from time to time, but I mainly do landscapes, so yeah, that's kind of the journey.

SPEAKER_00 19:41

Was there like a moment because it's like I do you know what? I'm listening to you and I'm literally sitting here nodding, going, yes, yes, yes, because this is uh like so similar, well, different, but similar. It's it's the same energetic approach that I've always taken to my practice as well. It's a leap and the net will appear kind of scenario where you're literally constantly stepping into the unknown. It's like there is nothing predictable. It's like you're following your gut, you're stepping into the unknown time and time and time again. And then something will happen. Like for me, it was like my first solo show that I ever had. That came about out of this same energy that you're kind of speaking about, this just need to kind of figure out how to do this thing called the art. And you get the work on the wall and you're like, okay, cool, now what? And at the time for me, there was a moment in that exhibition where this random guy turned up in a Ferrari, like like a proper cliche art story, right? Red Ferrari, guy that I've never met, came, critiqued my work, bought the main piece, and I'm like, oh, I can I can do this art thing. Yeah. Um so I'm curious for you, once you got that first body of work up on the wall, and I don't know about you, but for me, like I look back on my first solo show and I kind of cringe at the work a bit, and I'm like, oh my God. But but it's it's proof in the pudding that you have to go through all these phases. You have to make bad art first, you have to learn the way that you operate. Like you spoke about, you started doing realistic stuff, and then you realize that that was not in alignment to the way that you operate and where your energy was. You literally have to get your hands dirty in order to figure out your creative voice. And so once that work was up on the wall for that first ever show, was there a moment that you kind of stood back and went, I like I can do this? Like, were you still questioning at that stage whether it was going to be a thing or I'm curious about where your thinking was at during that phase.

SPEAKER_02 22:07

Yeah, that's interesting. I think um I love like yeah hearing you talk about you know you have to you have everyone starts somewhere and and I think that for a long time what you envision in your mind's eye are what you want to create and you and your skill level like they don't align right like there's there's a lot of practice and trial and error and playing experimenting that then builds up that um quality of the work or producing to the level that you're trying to produce to. But yeah so for me that that so I'd had a few little different shows here and there leading up to that um just at like local galleries or or cafes or community groups and things. But this one was like at a um uh you know beautiful um uh communal art space and it was a big opening and you know everything was framed and it was really professional and it looked amazing um but I sold nothing nothing sold and I remember feeling in that moment just like really deflated because I didn't get that um confirmation kind of thing that oh like you know I'm doing the right thing this is gonna work like people like my work I was getting such great feedback and I actually I've I kept a piece from that collection because I just adore it still to this day. I was really bad of the work and even looking back I really love like I still really love the pieces but I just I I I feel like in my career I've had a lot of hard slug moments like that a lot of collections where nothing sold or one piece sold and it and it has felt like trudging uphill quite a lot. And but one thing that's never wavered for me is I just have this knowledge that I'm gonna be painting forever, right? I'm gonna be creating forever. I know that I'm gonna be you know if I'm lucky enough to make it into my 90s I'm still gonna be painting and just that belief that you know if I just keep creating work and keep trying to tell the stories I'm wanting to tell then it it will all work out and I've never wavered on that belief. And I think that's like something that my dad is actually a um business consultant and so we talk a lot about my art and you know he he's not in the creative world but he's in the business world and you know the two things that he says businesses need to succeed is belief and common sense. And my belief is just is just there. I know that I'm doing this forever and so my aha moment was more I think just backing myself again and again and you know then slowly you do start getting wins and then you do have like I had a collection of work in 2020 during the pandemic um I painted a series about my family farm and it was I painted it because I wanted to try and stay close to my family while I couldn't see them.

SPEAKER_01 25:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:02

And so I was calling them they were sending me photos it was a way to like feel connected when we couldn't physically be connected and I painted a series and when you know things opened up and I could show the work it was in a pop-up gallery that me and my friend put up ourselves and I sold 90% of the pieces you know in within the opening like opening a couple of weeks and um that was a really special moment for me because it felt like I this work was so meaningful to me. I named all the pieces um my dad had started writing poetry so every piece was named from a few lines of his poems. Oh that's beautiful yeah it was this it was probably the biggest moment for me where I was like the more I pour of myself into the works the more people are relating to them and and not relating to my story per se but relating to the words and then putting that those words into their own story. And that was a bidaha moment for me of like the the part of my magic that I have which is even wild to me to even I I always feel weird talking about you know my uniqueness and and celebrating that I I feel you know sometimes it's hard to to shout what you're good at but part of my uniqueness is that um vulnerability that I've always struggled with but when I do get vulnerable and I do share generously and when I do um open up that people can really connect to that and I think that's kind of my superpower.

SPEAKER_00 26:38

Well that is exactly that is why that's exactly why I picked this topic because you give of yourself so generously so knowing nothing about you that is immediately the first thing that I get from you. That is your superpower and the other thing that I'm hearing through all of this I just wrote down like on the piece of paper in front of me like one word grit. And it's grit is something that I speak to like my clients about often and grit is passion times persistence right yeah and it's like every single thing that you just said then it's like when we get those moments in our career that do not come off as expected like for example that first exciting show that you know you just had so much hope for when you get back up again every single time you get back up again and you keep choosing you you keep choosing your passion you keep choosing your desire it just makes your grit so much stronger and it's like I think you have that unwavering belief. I've also had that unwavering belief although it's come from a lifetime of gymnastics and learning that failure was your next step to success you know and so it's such a good lesson but it's amazing how many people have actually not developed that level of grip for themselves and especially in a society that you know wants quick fixes for everything and in particular like especially some of the people that um some of the young people that I mentor like teenagers in this generation it's so hard for them to develop grit because everything is happening for them so quickly and they get everything instantaneously and it's like this is why creativity for so many people especially now is so challenging because it is one of the only places in our lives that we are forced to sit still and look at ourselves without distraction. You cannot make good art without getting to know yourself at the same time and it's like you every paint like you would feel this as well every single painting that you produce is another layer of the onion of yourself that you're peeling off and learning more about and you know you you do like even you know I'm I'm not painting portraits you're not painting portraits and yet I look at every single painting and I think oh there's a lot of me that was going on in that painting you know yes yes yes absolutely yes and not only that but I think the thing that you know is also amazing about your level of energy and the amount that you give is you're also navigating family life. You have young kids you know I have a seven year old it's like I think we forget at times as women to really honor how how hard our job is whilst also having to have big desires and big goals. And I think the thing is when you're wired from a place of kindness and really giving of yourself there's a like at least for me the way that I show up in the world is not so dissimilar to you in that I, you know, I show everything what you see is what you get and when I'm speaking to people and when I'm connecting with people and when I'm mentoring people and when I'm going to openings and supporting other artists I want to give all of myself you know I really genuinely want to be a cheerleader for other people. And then you also have to navigate the energy that you put into your own work the energy that you put into your family the energy that it takes to keep a business running. So I don't want to kind of bypass that what what you're doing is incredible and moving moving on through this line of grit and persistence and continuing to show up and give I want to hear more about this 100 tree project of yours because all the images that I have seen of that were I'm like wow like this is just another in on the consistency board for you like a hundred trees I'm gonna let you talk about this entire project because I think it's phenomenal actually well yes the um 100 tree project was such a magical you know few months of of my creative work and it was something that kind of w was unexpected in that basically after having my second um daughter I was you know very much in postpartum I was doing a lot of I really was focusing on doing creative work without doing creative work if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_02 31:54

So like when I'm with the girls I was being out in nature as much as much as possible. We were walking in different locations and and I was trying to make sure I was really fueling myself with the things that I love doing even if I couldn't be painting at that during that period. And so I had so many creative ideas and I was making sure I was writing them all down and and I guess like I had and I'm working on right now a body of work that I basically completely planned during that period. But during that period I also knew that I didn't have the time to to be in the studio for long hours creating this body of work that I dreamed up but I knew I wanted to be doing something. And so I talked to my partner and I was like I tried to get in the studio a few times during nap times and things but it wasn't really working. It wasn't consistent I was I was getting like frustrated and so I would talk to my partner and I was like look I I want to have a non-negotiable time that I'm in the studio every single week and like it's like it's like a work. It's like my work I have to be there and the best time it's going to work is at night when you're here so that you know you can take care of the girls if they need help. And so we decided we'd do 8 p.m on Wednesday nights I would go into the studio even if it was just for an hour but every single week non-negotiable. Yeah easing yeah and then so through that I was like look for me to actually show up because it's so hard like with the two girls like often they weren't going to sleep and you know like one would one would be waking up and he'd be running between rooms and I was like I think I need to make this more serious and I need to have like an accountability buddy. And so what I decided on a whim was like I'm just gonna go live on Instagram every Wednesday at 8 pm and have my community be my accountability buddy. Whether no one shows up whether someone shows up I'm just gonna be there and because I'm live like I can't leave. If I hear them crying upstairs like they'll survive they'll be fine but I can't leave for that hour. Yes so good. Yeah so that's sort of where that sort of consistency started then I was like okay well I need a project like what am I going to create during this hour? And I was like being because I've been out in nature and I have thousands of photos of trees on my phone I was like well I have all these ideas for for these paintings but I can't do them big so I'm just gonna start doing these little tree paintings and I'm gonna push my practice by painting them really fast and making them a lot more abstract than what I've been working in the past and um so I was like I'm okay I'm gonna do these these tree paintings and in about um three months was the ballerine arts trail which is like an arts trail down in where I live and I was I'd signed up to do it and I was going to just show past work and I was like it's in a hundred days let's just do 100 trees in a hundred days and I didn't tell anyone so good. I love that person with that ability and I was like I didn't want to tell anyone because I didn't want anyone to tell me I was crazy. Like I didn't want like anyone to be like um no like that you can't do that. And also I should mention during this phase I had also started reading The Artist Way by Julia Cameron.

SPEAKER_00 35:09

Have you read that book? I read it every year so I anyone who has been a longtime listener of this podcast would know that I've spoken about it a million times. So I religiously read that book I think I have done the entire course probably 12 times now. Wow like I it's like I pull it out multiple times a year and I will go back and just do bits and pieces but I still do my morning pages every single morning it is a non-negotiable for me.

SPEAKER_02 35:39

Yeah it's so it's amazing yeah so and and one thing too if I'm being completely transparent I actually never finished the book I I'm I'm aiming to get back there but one thing that really stuck with me I was doing the morning pages but the other thing was in one of the chapters it was to not not tell like the the thing you did for that week was like just follow through with your crazy ideas just not tell don't tell people don't get them squished before you're ready and it's it's something I've talked about before um this is a really side tangent but um I actually ran a podcast called the Full Time Artist Podcast which I sort of talked about my transition from physio to artist and it hasn't had an episode out for about a year but in that pro in that podcast I talk about different things I learned and one of the things was like making sure your ideas have legs or they have a a good base before you share them. But I even I realized I was sharing them my my crazy ideas I was just dismissing like I was making up excuses why they wouldn't work and through that book I was like you know what I'm just gonna go like I'm just gonna whatever crazy ideas come I'm just gonna go 100% in and that's where the 100 tree project sort of I was like I didn't really tell anyone I just sort of started and then you know as I was on the lives I was like oh I'm I'm gonna do a hundred of these you know in a hundred days and so I'd paint the first layers of the seven paintings on that live and then the next few days I would then add the details during that times and things and then on that Sunday night I would then share on online the end result. So good yeah and it became really like snowboard like a lot of my community really got around it and for me it was so motivating because on that live I would be rocking up to that live exhausted not wanting to be there tired you know whatever I'd have my hot chocolate but as soon as I was there and especially if a few people came and were chatting with me just I my energy would just lift and I'd have so much fun and then the next day I was so excited to get in the studio to see how the pieces had dried and then then the next day I was so excited to like add the details and so I was actively finding or searching for time to get back in the studio to finish the pieces because I was so excited about them. Yeah and then and that just helped with that like motivation.

SPEAKER_00 38:02

But this is the thing like it's like we we have to actually at times put aside the fact that it's us behind the paintbrush and actually acknowledge that the work has its own power. The work you know is 10 steps ahead of us always you know it wants us to create it like I think that all the time I'll look at a painting and I'll be like I can feel that you want to go somewhere it's just I haven't leveled up to where you're at yet and then you got to kind of wait for your I don't know this sounds really woo-woo but it's like I just you think that you you have to wait until your frequency kind of aligns with where the painting wants to go for you to move it to the next stage. But I find it fascinating that what you literally did was you tricked yourself into momentum through accountability. And the thing is it's like sometimes is that not the most amazing part about creativity is that you show up and you're like I I I'm literally going to sit here in this state of complete unknown and I'm gonna do the next logical step. And it's like there is always like one breadcrumb that will be the starting point and it will just get you moving. The moment that you're in action that you allow yourself to fully immerse yourself in the process each breadcrumb leads to the next one and the next one and the next one. This is why I'm constantly saying to people that I'm mentoring you cannot think your way through creativity. You have to be making you know you have to commit to whatever that small amount of time is for yourself you have to pick up the brush you know and I think that um sorry I just coughed a bit so if I cough again I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_02 39:59

That's all good I think um I think that what that lesson showed me too is just by like showing up you know not having an expectation on yourself but like I'm showing up I'm gonna do these layers like you know whatever happens happens but because you get your muscle memory or your creative energy gets used to that showing up and you sort of get better better of like switching into that creative mode and that consistency like helps with you know you know when I was before I started the project I was like you know jumping into the studio here and there but I was like because I didn't have any like path to follow I was like okay what am I gonna I was having to think what am I gonna paint what colours am I going to use what am I working you know and there was so much decision making that um was limiting the actual creation process. So by having this project having and the really fun thing was I was like creating like a theme each week. So I was you know doing Outback paintings one week or gum tree paintings or you know rainforest and so I was having a little theme each week and so I was getting excited to explore that theme and and I just had no pressure on me because I really didn't kind of expect it to to turn into what it turned into. And so you know if I didn't mix up the right colours I just used the random colours that I did have and if I couldn't find my right paintbrush I just used whatever was on hand.

SPEAKER_00 41:21

Like it really just pushed my creativity because of like you know the freedom I was giving myself to like it didn't matter if these paintings didn't work out they were on paper they were small like it you know it just was that consistency of showing up the kind of and you were just arriving like this is the thing that we like so many of us forget and I am so guilty of this myself like I literally have on my studio walls this big thing written that says be here now. Just arrive just arrive don't don't try and think 10 steps ahead don't try and think okay what's this work going to end up being at the end? What's this you know sometimes I think we have to not put so much pressure on the work itself to be anything. And in actual fact I had the most incredible conversation with Phoebe Stone last week and um this is exactly what she was talking about. And in actual fact I don't know I think the podcast comes out it's soon it's soon it's scheduled to come out soon. But she was it was almost like everything that she was saying was exactly what I needed to hear on that particular day that I was you know in the studio because I could feel like the you know every now and then we get this little part of us that just wants to get busy and move ahead and like have you know have these big ambitions and put all this pressure on our work to get us to this next phase and we forget that you know we're allowed to just arrive and just move colour around on a piece of paper and just and remember that art is fun and not put so much pressure on our own art. And that's what I love about everything that you're saying in this um conversation is it's it literally is your joy, your passion for what you do your need for showing up for yourself and yourself alone that has literally created this roadmap for you which has been your art the entire time your art has led you to the next door and the next door and the next door and the next door like it's amazing. And so you've you did these a hundred trees right and you exhibited you exhibited those where did you exhibit those?

SPEAKER_02 43:54

So because it was for the Ballarin Arts Trail I um exhibited at the Bowenheads Arts Hub Yeah um for the trail weekend, but um because I was sharing the space, it was like a group exhibit, I couldn't fit all a hundred trees in the space, you know, for that weekend. So I actually had the weekend before just an opening night. I put them all up, installed them and uninstalled them within like 24 hours. But I had like a big celebration of the project, and then I put them all online for sale prior to the the trail because I could only show 40. So I was like, oh look, let's put the all 100 pieces up and hopefully I sell you know 50 or so so like you know I could put majority on the wall over the trail, but um then they all sold out basically before the week. And it was like it was like my first ever sell out collection. Like I've never had that experience before, and I was honestly in shock. I just didn't, you know, the commute like I said, my community just really got around me. My I feel like the work was like some of the best work I've ever produced because it was so fluent and you know, I was really experimenting with colours and and mark making and um I don't know, it was just such a such a celebration. It just felt like everything was like coming together. And one of the things I really missed out of the Hydra Tree project was because I was focused on the mark making and the colours and the textures and things, one part of my practice that I just adore and am obsessed with is storytelling through my work. So I really liked like in that farm series I talked about earlier, how I use dad's poems, you know, with each painting. I like there being like a story behind my piece and and sort of pour, like I said, pouring more of myself into the work. And so through the 100 Tree project, I realized that I was really missing that part with these small paintings. And so then after that all came together, I was like, I want to make these small paintings into big paintings, and I want to tell a story with each painting, and I want it to be like a story of my life or a life lesson or something that really significant that's happened to me on my journey, and create a big piece celebrating each of those stories. And the first piece that came out of that was called Life in Bloom, and it's this gum tree, and it has wattle on one side and blossoms on the other side, and it's you know, a two-meter tall painting, which is the biggest I've ever painted, and it's just celebrating those moments in life that they're rare and they can be really fleeting, but like where everything aligns, and you just have that pure joy, that like you know, just pure happiness, and and that Hunter Tree project felt like that for me. That you know, everyone coming together to see these works, like I put in so much hard, effort, and time and energy, and it just all felt like everything aligned. Yeah, and and so I I was really excited then to take that energy from the Hunted Tree project, and um the other part of it too was um through painting all the trees, I started learning more about trees and talking with my dad, who um he we grew up on a family farm in Northeast Vic. And dad, I've been planting trees since which may be why I love them so much, but since I was a kid, um my dad's been regenerating the the farm and and re-putting in nature corridors and trying to regenerate the soil to move towards more sustainable farming methods, so like no um pesticides or any or not pesticides. Yeah, organic organic farming. Yeah. So I started talking, yeah, started talking to him more and I learned more about his project and found out he wanted wants to plant another 5,000 trees on the farm. And I was like, oh dad, but like how about I help you? Like, you know, I was got this 100 tree project that every painting I sell, I'll plant a tree. And then they all sold out, and I was like, okay, so that's a hundred trees. Then I was like, let's keep this going. So then that's where my next project, which I'm doing now, which is called Tree Club, um, which is where I paint those big paintings once a month that share a story of my life, and then I send out a little print to my tree club members, and then every member plants a tree on our farm every month, and we're trying to work towards that 5,000 goal. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 48:11

That is such a good way of getting everyone involved as well.

SPEAKER_02 48:17

Yeah, it's like and that's what like this 100 tree project is so special to me because it feels like it just like led me on this path that I feel like I was always destined to be on. Do you know what I mean? And it's just come full circle. I get to work with my dad now, and my sister lives on the farm, so I'm getting to visit a bit more often and learning all about his work, and yeah, it's just such a beautiful, wholesome project, and I'm so passionate about it. So I I've kept that excitement from the Hunter Tree project now into this project, and so yeah, it's it's yeah, it's just kind of kept snowballing, you know what I mean? Like when you're saying like following that joy, it just it, yeah, I I couldn't agree more.

SPEAKER_00 49:00

But I think that this is also a perfect example of when you know your passion actually is in alignment with a greater purpose and actually supporting people, supporting the world in a good way. Like, I think this is just such a perfect example of all of those things coming together in a project that is for the greater good. And it's like, who would not want to support this? Like, who would not want to celebrate this with you? What a fantastic way of developing community, like not only for your art, but also for your family and you know, continuing to get people to speak about the things that are most important.

SPEAKER_02 49:43

Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's been it's been really magic, and I'm starting to make some really good like connections, like with a lot of my tree club members are just such smart people, like they are in industries that just know so much about the environment and about trees and um about nature, and I'm learning so much from them too. So I do a um giveaway painting each month. So basically, one member each month um wins a free painting. And then so I call them up and we talk, and then I do them this little painting, and usually it's of like their home or you know, their favorite tree, or like a memory for them. But on those phone calls, they like I I've learned that they're like doing these amazing things with rainforests or with have like animal habitats or like you know, horticulturalists and all this. And I'm like, oh my god, you're so smart! Like, I want to learn from you, like you you know so much more about this stuff than me. So it's been really great to have that community and and hopefully one day I'll come up with a way to make it more of a circular, like where I can learn from them more because they're just such interesting and yeah, smart people um that are doing great things themselves. So yeah, I feel very lucky to have, you know, such awesome people in my, you know, in my club and and supporting my work. So it's really, really goodness.

SPEAKER_00 51:04

I just like I honestly cannot wait to keep watching this unfold for you. Like this is like what you just said before. You feel like this is like the path that you were destined for. And it's like sometimes this is, you know, this is what I can't even tell you the amount of conversations I have with people that are like, you know, something doesn't feel quite right, you know, they're not necessarily full-time in the studio and they love what they do, but something's just not quite right. And they have this yearning to do this creative thing, and and yet they keep putting roadbox blocks in place for themselves. And it's like you're just this perfect example of someone that just followed that nudge the entire way through. And it's like the art has literally led you to exactly where you need to be. And it's like our paintings paint themselves on a different timeline, it's all for a greater purpose. You know, look at all these people that are coming along for the ride now. I can fully see you developing some massive non-profit with all of this. Like, who knows where this is going to lead? Yeah. You know, in closing, because I want to be really respectful of your time with the girls and all of this sort of stuff. Um, but but in closing, I'm curious to know what would you say to an artist who is waiting to feel ready before they start something big? What would you say to them? It's a good um that's a good question.

SPEAKER_02 52:34

I think I think um one thing that's really important when you're on your on a creative path, um, or you're someone who who wants to be a creative human is like you were saying before, being creative is where you learn the most about yourself, right? And that for me, my self-confidence and self-belief has grown exponent exponentially on this path. Like I would have described myself as quite a shy person and you know, lacking self-confidence growing up and um in my early 20s and and being on this path has really helped me develop all of those things. So I think for someone who's starting out and and if they're holding themselves back or they're nervous to start, is to try and I guess identify, which is hard, that where that fear is coming from or where that hesitancy, like what is the roadblock? So, you know, for me, uh the roadblock was early on fear of failure. I love what you were said about the gymnastics that you know you learnt that that that failure is actually just the next step to success, right? So for me, that was a massive, massive roadblock for getting started because I was always a grade student, tried my hardest, like you know, always kind of succeeding. And in the art world, there is so in the creative world, you're going to experience so much failure, like me not selling any of my pieces, or you know, a painting not working out or getting rejection, or and so I think identifying kind of what that roadblock or where that hesitancy is coming from, then gives you a task to be like, okay, I I'm really scared of failing. I'm I'm so intimidated with getting out of my comfort zone. What are some small steps I can do to kind of help me build up those muscles so that I can, you know, be more comfortable getting out of my comfort zone. Do you know what I mean? Like so that I can support myself to take the risk, knowing that, okay, like for me, I would reward myself, which is sounds so silly, but like I would do something out of my comfort zone and then I would give myself a reward. And that reward might have been, okay, now I can take the afternoon off and drive down the coast and get a coffee and do something really fun, or the reward might be, I say I really want to buy those shoes. Okay, if I do this thing, I reward myself with buying these shoes. And it sounds silly, but it was just like trying to make it like more um uh like achievable to do the scary thing, knowing that okay, if you do the scary thing, Nick, then it doesn't matter what happens, like whether it's a success or not, you've done it. You've sent the email. Like for me, even it was like reaching out to send an email, traumatizing, so scary, intimidating, couldn't do it. But then it's just like the more you do it, the more that muscle builds, the more you get you develop that thicker skin, you don't, it doesn't impact you as much. Um, and then you can start on that path. I don't know if that's answered your question.

SPEAKER_00 55:41

I think I think it does, but I think this also has me like sitting here nodding. It's so true in what you say. And I think the fear of failure is something that you know, the the one thing that I'm always saying to clients is okay, cool, it doesn't work out. Let's say it does fail, like your definition of failure, what would that be if it if it failed? And we go through the whole scenario, right? And then I go, Well, is that that bad? Like if they say no, like the reality of okay, I'm gonna approach this gallery, right? I'm gonna send this email, and I'm like, okay, worst case scenario. And they're like, they won't respond. I'm like, cool. I'm like, and is that such a bad thing? And they're like, oh, actually, no. So sometimes these big things, these big stories of failure that we create in our heads are actually nothing. And I'm like, cool. So if you didn't get a response, what would be the next logical step? And it just shows people how quickly you can move into failure and you can move out of failure. Like it's literally water off a duck's back, right? And I remember when we were like kids as little gymnasts, you know, we used to absolutely axe ourselves, right? So the the failure as a gymnast was like you fall on your head, you get really hurt, yeah, you break bones, all of that sort of stuff. And so, like when I think about that, I think, oh, no wonder I'm not scared of like failing. Like this, this, you know, failure in some respects is is easy. But one thing that my coaches used to do, and one thing I used to do with the kids that I used to coach, every time they'd fall, the first thing I'd do is go up to them, I'd pick them up, we'd brush them off, I'd give them a big high five and say, Well done, you're right on track. Well done, you're right on track. Well done, you're right on track. So it was constantly getting these kids to understand this is not a stopping point because we've fallen. And the the number one thing we used to have to get kids to do very, very quick, providing they weren't injured, was say a kid would have a very, very big accident. The first thing that we used to have to get kids to do was get back up and do the skill that they fell from. And you used to have to the time frame from when they fell to when they got back up to try it again. You used to have to do everything in your power to release the resistance that was between those that time frame. And so it's really interesting how, you know, it's a completely different thing, right? Gymnastics coaching to art. And yet there are so many like crossovers that you that I like tend to use within my coaching of creative clients. But it's like, I think that that's a thing, you know, we create this really big story of failure in our heads, and it's like even like growing pains are a big ordeal. Like, I'll be really honest. The this last kind of six months, there's been like some really big like growth for me happening and opportunities happening for me. And I've had to increase my like capacity for self-belief much greater than ever before. And there's been growing pains, like there's been proper moments where I will literally question every single thing that I'm doing, whether the work's good enough, whether it should be going overseas to that gallery, what if they, you know, all of those things. And then I still go back to that same way of thinking. I think, okay, if this is a failure, what does failure look like? Okay, maybe I send the work overseas, they turn around and they go, actually, we're not happy with it, which they've already seen the photos and all of that. I'm like, okay, that if that's the worst case scenario, or they fall off the plane somewhere and they don't arrive, okay, that's a worst case scenario. Then I think to myself, well, what would I do from there? What would be the next logical step? And then I'm like, oh, well, I'd just make more work. Like when I when you get around that way of thinking and stop cycling over the worst case scenario in your brain, you can actually move through it quite quickly. Yeah. So it's, I don't know. It's it's I'm really glad that you brought up this within the conversation because it's something I don't think I've touched on a lot in any of the podcast episodes. So thank you for that.

unknown 1:00:09

No, that's okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:10

But is there anything else you want to leave people with before we um wrap up today? And of course, you're gonna send me all of the links to tree club and all of that fun stuff. Anything else that you've got coming up that you want people to know about?

SPEAKER_02 1:00:26

Um, I mean, I think you know, I think the one good thing that with Tree Club is because because it's a 12-month project, as in, I'm doing a series, so this first series will be exhibited in Barwen Heads in November, and then Tree Club is continuing into 2027. But I'm actually gonna hopefully be collaborating with different organizations and sort of spotlighting all of their works, like their projects that they're doing. So the first collection to come out of Tree Club is um coming out in November, and so I've got that year-long project that I'm doing, and then in between those projects, I'm working on a few different bodies of works that I'm um hoping to, I'm doing um launching one online in in about a month's time. Um, that's of the Baronheads Bluff, which is like a beautiful cliff face right near where I live, which I'm obsessed with. And so yeah, I I guess I've I just sort of the the really good thing about having a long project is it means it gives me um, you know, I don't have to overthink things when I get into the studio. I know what I'm working on next. I have a plan. And when I'm, you know, you're really time poor, because I've got, you know, two young kiddos, I'm in the studio only two days a week. So I've got to really make the most of my time. And I think having a plan and having something to work towards really helps make the most of that. Um, and then in between, like when I have time open up, I'm working on these other bodies of work, you know, in the background that are slowly slowly building at a different pace, but then that I'll sort of showcase in between. So yeah, if anyone wants to check out Tree Club or any of those other works, then yeah, my Instagram is probably the best place to to see what I'm doing and to see what these pieces look like in in um you know, in real life, I guess. Um, but yeah, no, I just I really enjoyed this conversation. I knew that we would get along. Oh, of course.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:21

Of course. Like this is the thing. Now I'm sitting here in my lounge room in in Helen's way. It's like one of those rare days, actually, that I'm at home snuggled up on the lounge. Like I'm not even in the studio today, which is actually quite rare for me. So it's just been so nice to be able to sit here with a cup of tea and be all cozy. And now I'm thinking to myself, when's the next time that I can get down to Victoria? I really need to like, I really need a road trip. I need to like line up, line up some things and go on a little bit of a road trip when I can. Like it's it's been a while since I've been down in Victoria, actually.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:59

Yeah. Well, if you're, you know, wanting to get you know in hotter weather, November's a good time. I hear there's a great exhibition happening in while. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:08

Absolutely. No, send me all the details. I'm gonna put everything in the show notes and I'll put all your Instagram there so people can follow along on the journey. And yeah, definitely let me know the dates because I'll never say never. I'll never say no. Like if there's like a break in like the the parenting roster that I can or I can find some babysitters and just chop off for a few days, I get myself a little cheap flight down there and come for a visit for sure. And then we can we can actually have that um glass of champagne or margarita, you know?

SPEAKER_02 1:03:42

That'd be great. That would be great. No, I loved it. Thank you so much for chatting. That was like such an inspiring conversation. It's always great. Like, I feel like now I'm like all excited and I'm gonna spend the afternoon painting and just yeah, it's so nice having people to talk to about your creative work, and um, I really appreciate this. And I've listened to you a few episodes of your podcast and I love it. So, yeah, you do amazing things.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:06

Ah, thank you. But let's keep this conversation going. Like, I would be so happy for us to just start a little um text thread together and because every now and then, like this is the thing. It's like I I often question, and people ask me this because I'm an energizer sunshine person too. People are like, are you ever sad? Like, are you ever not okay? It's like, yeah, for sure. Like, I have days where I just want to like burn the entire studio down. Of course. So it's like sometimes it's on those days that I've like I need something to call about that. I need people like you in my life.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:46

Yeah, well, I'm always here. Always feel free to uh reach out on the I I can talk you down from burning the studio. Deal. Okay, so then done.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:57

Consider this a newfound friendship that will be continued.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:01

Yes, I love that. Oh, you're the best. No, this would be fun. This would be fun.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:05

All right, well, you have a wonderful rest of your painting day, and um we will. We will chat again very soon, and I'll shoot you my email, and you can send me a nice headshot and send me any links that you want, and we will celebrate you because you're doing amazing things. Thanks, have a good day. Thanks, Corey. Bye.