Mostly by colour, oftentimes also by incorporating humour. I create when I’m right in the middle of my feelies, which means that my emotions just roll into whatever I’m busy with and I actively try not to filter them too much. I want my drawings to be bold reflections of what I was experiencing at the time instead of watered down versions that’s ‘palatable to a wider audience’. It’s authentic and sometimes just a little bit rude.

College was a particularly challenging time for me in my artistic journey as we were moulded and shaped into ‘industry ready professionals’. It was only after I was halfway into my 3-year course I realised that packaging design would be the bane of my existence if I went down the path paved by my studies. I spent little to no time creating while I was studying and I rarely experimented with my own style; rather shoving every bit of creative inspiration into projects that never ended up how I intended.

The thing with being an ‘all or nothing’ type individual is that if you pour your heart, soul and all your creative energy into someone else’s name, brand or company – there’s nothing left for yourself. So, I finished my studies and moved over to a completely different field. Something simple, straightforward and so far removed from the creative industry that you wouldn’t be able to see it coming even if you had your binoculars on. I started work at a financial planning firm. And I have never been more satisfied and motivated in my creative journey than I have been since then.

For now, I don’t HAVE to create in order to pay the bills or get to the deadlines, I create because I want to and feel inspired to. I’m using this time to explore my style, my viewpoints, my body, my sexuality and who I am as an individual and as a creative. I have the time to indulge, the time to explore and the time to translate my experiences into visuals that take viewers with me on my journey; even just for a minute or two.

If you’re going through a crisis – you’re not alone. You’re not the only one having a panic at what the point of everything is or why you’re meant to save money for your future if everything is burning down around you anyways. You’re not alone and it’ll be okay.

Also; if looking at my illustrations makes you a little uncomfortable (even just a tiny bit) or gives you a good chuckle: I WIN.

I find myself sometimes consciously pushing boundaries and creating works and visuals that I know would elicit a reaction from more conservative viewers. Sometimes it’s something small that, when people see it, it runs the possibility of getting a huff from an Afrikaans dad muttering grumpily under his breath; “everything is art nowadays”. While this doesn’t influence everything I do, I do gain a certain amount of gleeful pleasure from it.

Mostly digital, although I do enjoy creating mixed media works. The mixed media works are more fine art/display focused and incorporate embroidery and/or gold leaf. There’s nothing more satisfying than creating something impactful in a medium often disregarded as silly or playful.

All of my works have a *noticeable feminist undertone. Nothing too crazy, just a little
something to get the grandpa’s upset and give the grandma’s a giggle.

I have a trippy, liquid-y style and am constantly going through some crisis or another. Whether it be existential, quarter-life, financial, situational, identity… there’s always something. Oh and it goes full circle with the cherry on top being either a) phases of manic confidence and self love or b) someone said something somewhere without realising the impact it would have and SURPRISE! Now it’s an artwork. These are the themes, that and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE (always).

I enjoy hiding little hints as to what’s going on in the rats-nest I call ‘my brain’ throughout my drawings too. And yes, there’s symbolism – but it’s no fun if I TELL you what it is because who’s going to ask me what anything means in my comment-section then?

Yes, currently I have two favourites. One of them is “DAMN SHE’S SUCH A LIBRA” and the other is “Is it right?”. BUT I love talking about the latter more;

“Is It Right?”
This illustration was made when the relationship I was in at the time ‘felt right’ on the
surface, but some small, deep, part of me wriggled at the thought whenever I wasn’t actively spending time in their company. There was nothing inherently ‘wrong’ with the relationship or with the person, but some part of me felt constantly on edge, and I found I could never quite get comfortable or put my finger on where the feeling came from. Which led to this work; where the question is “Is It Right?”. And ultimately, I realised that the frequency with which I asked myself whether it was ‘right’, should have indicated to me that it wasn’t. I should have trusted my body and my intuition.

I aim to be relatable and I like the idea of my artworks being a conversation starter; even if the conversation isn’t necessarily around something revolutionary. It could be a similar experience or a reaction the viewer might have to the subject matter. Art should, to a certain extent, be provocative and meaningful although that doesn’t mean it has to be inaccessible too.

My sense of humour naturally flows into everything I create; whether it’s short form written content or illustrations. I’ve found that often it’s the titles, or the captions that people tend to interact with the most.

If you haven’t been able to piece together the process by now; it starts with some form of conflict of crisis whereafter I immediately run to my sketchpad, notebook or notes app and start making frantic notes or drawings. If I’m near enough to my computer and drawing setup I’ll sketch for hours, while listening to whatever genre is fueling the fire at that point in time. I’ll hyper-fixate on whatever I’m busy with for days, weeks, sometimes even months until it says everything I want it to say and looks how I want it to look. Most of my ideas start traditionally first, and are later translated into digital.