Artists are inevitably drawn to subjects that they feel a deep connection towards - we draw what inspires and matters to us. Often those connections are formed over an entire lifetime’s worth of experiences, creating a profound bond between an artist and their art. I find this personal element of art to be hugely important, which is why I want to talk a little bit about why I draw animals, and the connection I have to the natural world.

These have been a challenging last few months for all of us, so I thought I’d take this time to reflect on what has been one of the few bright spots for me personally, being able to host and run my Art Telly classes. Like many great things, these classes were born out of necessity more than anything else - needing to transition my classes to an online format. I decided to host them from my studio, with children (and sometimes parents) watching along at home. Since then, I’ve hosted around 60 of these classes!

I’ve previously written about how we can heal ourselves through art and how it helps children and how bad art can actually be good for you. In this post, I want to talk about how we connect with other people through art. It’s no surprise that practicing art has many benefits, for children, teenagers, and adults alike. While other activities, such as sports, connect us by a means of staying fit and healthy, art can have the same effect, just on our minds rather than bodies.