9 Years After Brain Surgery – Sometimes Things Happen for a Reason

If you read my December blog (here) you will know that at the back end of 2024 I celebrated a milestone moment for my little shop and studio, five years since it opened at Wyresdale Park. In the blog I touched on my beginnings and journey into watercolour painting, but as April marks a significant moment in my life, and one which led to all this in the first place I thought I would take the time to reflect a little more on my journey so far.

My Original Plan...

You may be surprised to hear that painting and having my own business wasn’t my original plan. Growing up I had ambitions to work in the fashion industry, and so after leaving school I went on to study fashion at college and then university. Although my original plan was to design clothes, my newfound love of textiles and illustration eventually led me to surface pattern design instead.

After graduating I came across Standfast and Barracks (a fabric printing company) in Lancashire Life magazine and I managed to secure an interview there. They were really helpful, and even though I didn’t get the job/placement, they encouraged me to build a portfolio with more artwork and surface pattern examples and to come back when I was ready. I did this in the background of working part time at a lovely local upholsters helping to make curtains and soft furnishings.

Image - A piece from my final collection - my style has softened over the years, but staying true to myself rather than following trends has never changed. I’ve carried this into my business, creating timeless nursery prints that stand the test of time.

But Life Took a Different Turn...

During this time, I was diagnosed with a brain condition called Chiairi Malformation Syringomyelia, a condition I was born with but that had gone undiagnosed until I was 21. For the first few years after the diagnosis, they tried to manage my symptoms with medication but unfortunately my health slowly got worse and had to stop work until I could have the much needed brain surgery.  

After the surgery I realised that I would need to rethink my plans and dreams. Even though the operation was successful, the daily symptoms of my condition wouldn’t allow me to work a 'normal' job.

Around the same time, we sadly lost our family boxer dog, Mellissa. I struggled to cope with the loss, so I started to paint pictures of her and this was also a way of practising painting. Friends and family encouraged me to post them on Facebook and I started to get pet portrait orders straight away.

Funnily enough, I hadn’t considered illustration as a potential job or career at this point, I just saw it as a way of getting more practise painting towards my portfolio, which I was planning/hoping to take back to Standfast and Barracks.

Image - Some of the first pet portraits I painted of Mellissa.

Searching for Magic...

During my recovery from the operation, I developed a ‘slight' obsession with children’s books, I think it was some form of escapism. I loved finding old, vintage children’s books in charity shops and car boots etc. I preferred getting them second hand, not knowing what I’d find was part of the fun, especially when they involved fairies and folk lore! I didn’t actually read many of them, it was purely for the illustrations and the warm fuzzy feelings and joy they brought me!

Image - A few of my favourite finds from my children's book collection.

While I was doing quite well painting pet portraits and I was getting lots of returning customers, I knew it wasn’t something I wanted to do long term! I kept returning to the inspiration I had found in the children’s books during my recovery and wondering how I could try and create the same warm fuzzy feelings in my own work.

I remember going for little strolls down the lane with Nikita (my horse who I had for 15 years and helped me through my recovery) looking for signs of fairies and elves in the hedges, whilst she stopped to eat grass.

Image - Nikita eating grass down the lane. (I still have lots of ideas to paint that I came up with while walking down the lane with her. These ideas feel extra special to me now, as I’ve since lost Nikita and really want to do them justice).

Illustrating My First Children’s Book...

When I became an aunty, I illustrated a book of ‘firsts’ for my niece’s first birthday, celebrating her little life so far with a whimsical fairy tale twist.

I shared it on social media and said I’d love to do more, not really expecting much, but then a small local publishers contacted me to put me on their list of illustrators.

Not long after I was asked to illustrate my first children’s book ‘Isn’t it time you went to bed?’ I couldn’t believe it!! I loved working on the book, and it helped to plant the seed to focus on creating artwork for children.

Since then I’ve illustrated 3 children’s books and one front cover for a ‘grown up’ book. 

Image - A page from the book I illustrated for my niece’s first birthday, featuring her three pet boxer dogs and fairies of course!

An Opportunity I Couldn’t Refuse...

In 2019 my health started to improve and the opportunity for my lovely little shop came up and it was too good to miss! I was NOT ready for it at all business wise, but I feel like I had unintentionally manifested it!

This is when I think it started to click into place, merging my love of children’s illustrations, animals, nature and of course whimsy! I had finally found a niche that brought me AND my customers joy, and my pet portraits started to take a back seat. 

Five years on and I now have lots of returning customers for my nursery prints, people decorating the nursery especially to fit my prints and even ‘grown ups’ buying for their own walls too! The shop has opened so many doors for me, and I’ve had the chance to work on lots of lovely and projects and meet lots of lovely people of the back of it.

Image - My little shop and studio based at Wyresdale Park, in the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire.

Another Unexpected Joy…

Before I got my shop I was asked if I’d like to teach a children’s watercolour workshop, I was quite hesitant as I’m naturally quite quiet and don’t like talking in front of large groups of people, but from a marketing point of view it seemed like a good idea, so I gave it ago. Long story short, the children's workshops went down a treat and I started to get interest for adult workshops too. What started as a way of spreading the word about my little business, has turned into something that brings me so much joy and love being able to help self-professed ’non creative’ people find their creativity in a lovely and mindful way.

I now regularly teach private watercolour workshops in my little shop/studio at Wyresdale Park and teach group watercolour workshops in lovely venues around the Northwest, like Beetham Nurseries.

Image - A lovely group watercolour workshop I taught at Beetham Nurseries last year.

Everything Happens for a Reason...

It sounds silly to say having brain surgery was ‘meant to be’ but I really think it happened for a reason and I’m so glad it did.  If it wasn’t for my operation, I probably wouldn’t have found a love of children’s illustration, I wouldn’t have my lovely little shop and I most likely wouldn’t have met my boyfriend either. 

My brain condition still affects me daily, but I feel incredibly lucky to have created a business I love that works around my health.

I have so many hopes and dreams for my little business and one day I’d like to bring it round full circle, taking it back to surface pattern design and create a collection of fabrics and wallpapers for nurseries (I’ve had quite a lot of wallpaper requests already)!

I’m hoping by writing this down and putting it out into the universe, that I’m going to magically manifest it (fingers crossed) just like I did with my first children’s book and my little shop!

I would love to know if there are moments in your life that have shaped you, changed your direction or set you on an unexpected path.