First, welcome to my website! I’m Anne, and I am an illustrator. How did I find myself here? Well, as far as I can remember, I always loved drawing and creating, making things, and looking at how they work. Growing up, I wanted to be a scientist. I came to believe that creativity was something everyone had. Creativity was to be kept as a side activity (if kept at all) and more serious matters were to be pursued as careers.

So I jumped all in. Most of my time was spent studying, and then working, but I would cut the tiniest sliver of time every week to draw or see an exhibition. I would plan drawing dates with myself on Friday nights, once the week of “serious” work was done. I would collect stationary and pencils for “the right project”. Everything I did felt odd or somewhat off, but I did the “adult” thing and carried on.

Until I fell from my horse.

Now, you might be thinking: “Oh, she means a metaphorical horse, like high horse or something!” Well, yes, but also from a real horse. See, I thought taking up horseback riding would bring me joy and fill me with the satisfaction that was missing from my job or studies. Well, it kinda did… until I fell and got a serious concussion.

So, lying in bed, feeling like my head was a cloud, I had all the time to reflect. For the first time in my life, I couldn’t work or study, and rest was all that was expected of me. So, I thought. And with all the limited brain power I had at that moment, I realized that I didn’t really want to be an engineer, teacher or kinesiologist. I didn’t love science. I did like teaching but being a teacher sucked most of the time (hello working conditions?!). All I wanted to do, like really wanted to do was art. I wanted to draw, to do calligraphy, to play music. Art became a central and crucial part of my recovery. The only times I felt good and myself were when I was drawing or playing with colours.

Now, I’m still recovering from this concussion. Some days, I feel like I’m never going to be back at my 100% performance. But, you know what? I’m so grateful for this opportunity to seize the day and make ART! Because art is central and crucial not only to me, but to humankind (Here I go again on that high horse of mine!). Art brings people pleasure, food for thought and comfort. It ties people together for magical moments. It adds joy to mundane things.

And so, yeah, I choose Art. I choose art because the world needs beauty. People need to see weird, beautiful, colourful creations because it soothes the heart. It brings warmth to a cold day. It gives hope. It tells stories that are not told any way else. Art inspires people to care.

Finally, because nature is full of beauty, colours, and shapes, it’s kinda the ultimate art piece. Plus, it’s an interactive one! Time spent in nature is always time well spent in my book. Trees, animals, plants bring me such inspiration. It breaks my heart to see developers cut down trees to build houses, to find plastic waste on almost every hike or walk I take, to know that animals are dying because of our treatment of their habitats. Because of this, I want to make art that is relevant to the natural world: create stories based on plants and animals, use materials that are sustainable, and shed light on how awesome and beautiful nature is. I truly believe that people can only take care of what they know. And right now, people need to know nature and see how incredible it is in order to feel called to action. I think art is the perfect platform for this. Art can bring awareness to untold situations. It can touch the heart in a way that is sensitive and soft. It links people together through shared experiences. Art inspires people to care.

Seriously, what could be more serious than that?