Talk at Teignmouth Pavilions theatre for U3A

I was thrilled and honoured to be asked by the Teignmouth branch of U3A to give a talk at our lovely Pavilions theatre about my career as an artist. The talk was scheduled for October 9th in the afternoon, and it was to consist of a Q & A session, as well as a presentation with slides. The Q & A section was set in a living room style setting with comfy chairs, dressed with the square cushions and lamp that we sell at the gallery, so I felt right at home!

I always get nervous before these events and I think this was the largest audience I have spoken in front of (around 160 people I believe!), but the more I do these, the more comfortable I feel. In my presentation I recalled my journey to becoming a professional artist and the adversity I faced along the way. I talked about how I dealt with these adversities to push through and keep going until I achieved my goals. I found that it takes a lot of tenacity and determination to make your dreams come true but it's really worth it!

I also got the opportunity to talk about Goose, it's evolution from being my final project at university to being well loved children's book published and sold around the world. I also discussed the Goose workshops I hold both in Teignmouth and in countries which is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job.

My presentation ended with me talking about moving to my current gallery in Northumberland Place in 2019 and how happy we were to win National Art Retailer of the Year is 2022, along with all the new collaborations with suppliers that we've made, and products that we now have at the gallery in addition to my artwork.

The talk seems to have been very well received, I had a fabulous time and felt very appreciated, and I hope that those who came, found it interesting and informative, and perhaps took from it that good things can come when you follow your dreams.