Growing up as an only child, I spend a lot of my time hidden away in my bedroom quietly drawing away. I have always loved being creative, but the society pressures of being an artist wasn’t the smartest career path, led me to tuck that yearning away.

I have always been told that I am an old soul and nurturer. Whether that is because growing up without siblings with only my loving parents around me has shaped this in me I don’t know, but I knew I would make a great Mum with these qualities in me.

In 2018, my wish to become a Mum came true with the arrival of our little boy. But was devasted to realise that I was not the fantastic Mum I thought I would be. I was completely overwhelmed with never having a moment to myself, not even to pee. I spent every moment cleaning, washing, cooking and caring for a baby that was not soothed by my arms. I was miserable and was very quickly diagnosed with Post Natal Depression.

Upon the advice of my beautiful mid-wife to take time for me a little bit each day and forget the idea of having the immaculate house with dinner laid on the table at 6pm sharp, I turned back to my art and taught myself how to paint with watercolour. Watercolour was the perfect medium, it’s soft tones and the fact that I could set up and pack up so quickly was exactly what I was needing. Yes, my house was now a little messier, but my happiness was coming back and so was my bond with my little man.

In 2019 we welcomed our second little boy and this time I was mentally prepared for the messy beautiful life of being a new parent and retreated to my paintings the moment I could feel the stress building up on me.

As the boys have grown from babies to wild and happy children, I have realized my poor little house (and also my quiet only-child upbringing) is too small for their loud and boisterous play, so we retreat to nature often so they can play and be free without constraints. It’s while we are in the forests or Australian outback that I feel completely at ease and like I can breathe again, balancing my chaotic world of being a boy Mum. There is no social pressure to be a perfectly behaved family in perfectly clean and ironed clothes. There’s just us with wind in our hair and laughter in our lungs.

It is such a pleasure to be able to merge the two things that brings me the most inner peace and happiness, my art and my love for the outdoors and being able to share these bits of calming moments and comfort with others while making a career out of it.

That’s a little bit about my life and why I create what I do today.

Thank you so much for stopping by.

With smiles and kindness, Jay Xo