Hello beautiful spark of the universe how are you? I’ve had a week of ups and downs with a lot of sadness that I tried to embrace rather than resist, do you have it too sometimes, that you feel sadness out of the blue for no specific reason? I do once in a while. My Read More
♥ Willowing Love Notes to Inspire Self Love & Self Care ♥ Hello wonderful soul, Haven’t sent you a love note in a while! I’ve been dealing with a couple of difficult experiences recently and while working through them I was reminded of the quote: “The Wound is the Place Where the Light Enters You” Read More
Those of you who’ve been on my classes will have heard me talk about the arguments that happen between two parts of me: one part is ‘the illustrator’, the other is ‘the painter’. The illustrator in me loves clean lines, tight artwork, meticulous attention to detail. On the other hand: The painter in me loves Read More
Hello magical creative friend! Exciting news! :) Ever After 2019 is now open for registration AND we are running a blog hop and many give-aways to kick off this fun news! (Scroll down for blog hop and give away info!) Please note: this is the last year we will run Ever After! So if you Read More
Hello Beautiful YOU! Happy Self Love Valentine’s Day! Our Valentine Sale + Give Away is NOW ON! :D Get 50% off all my self study courses by using discount code: IAMLOVE2019 (offer expires on 19th Feb) Plus: GICLEE PRINT GIVE AWAY! I am also giving away 1 beautiful high quality hand-embellished Giclee Print of one of my most Read More
I’m so lucky to have Jane Davenport as a close friend. Guess what? She sent me a huge box of her latest line of art supplies and got to play with them all! :D Check out the video below in which I do an unboxing of what she sent me and create a new art Read More
Hello Friends! Welcome to a series we run on the blog called: Tea & Cake with Gracie :) Gracie interviews inspiring artists and posts the interviews (including some free offers not published elsewhere before) here on the blog. Today Gracie’s interviewing Jeanne Oliver. Make sure you check out Jeanne’s awesomely generous giveaway for TWO lucky Read More
Creative friends, I’m beyond excited to kick off the October, awesomely exciting & fabulously sparkly: Rainbow Unicorn Give Away! Over here at Willowing Arts we love connecting our beautiful audience of mixed media and personal development enthusiasts (YOUOUOU!) with inspiring businesses, people, services and products! What better way to do this by organising some super Read More
It’s here AND it’s time it’s time it’s tiiiiiiiiime to announce to you the AMAZING Life Book 2019 Teacher Line Up, hold a huge, big, mahoosive GIVE-AWAY and announce that we are giving out 10 scholarships this year! :D You ready? <3 New to me and to Life Book? What is ‘all the fuss’ about? :) Read More
Hey Good Friends! Many of you know that the magical Jane Davenport and I have been close art friends for many years now! I’m so very proud of everything Jane has achieved, it’s been a joy to see her come out with her amazing books and art supply line! I’m so blessed that she sent Read More
Hello Creative Friends! Once in a while we like shining a bright shiny spotlight on some amazing people out there who do amazing things!! For our very first spotlight we’d like to introduce you to artist, guidess and depth coach: Cat Caracelo! I love the work that Cat does with people, she dives deeply into Read More
Hello Friends! Welcome to a series we run on the blog called: Tea & Cake with Gracie :) Gracie interviews inspiring artists and posts the interviews (including some free offers not published elsewhere before) here on the blog. I love to create art and bring amazing artists & people together in my classes, in person Read More
Mental health struggles and trauma made me a seeker. I’ve been drawn to the spiritual from a young age. I started dabbling in ideas like astral travel at 15 (attempted doing it but never managed it, by the way 😅), read books about out-of-body experiences (hello, Robert Monroe!), and devoured stories by hypnotherapists who regressed their clients to past lives. It was (and still IS) deeply fascinating to me. A part of me was always looking for deeper answers through the spiritual.
Though I never felt called to the major religions (aside from a soft spot for Buddhism and Zen), I became intrigued by the more modern spiritual teachers of our time. I follow(ed) Eckhart Tolle, Matt Kahn, Ram Dass, Gangaji, Teal Swan, Adyashanti… and perhaps most notably, Byron Katie. I also loved listening to Alan Watts wax poetic about the nature of existence and the universe. For a while I worshipped these people in many ways and felt they held the answers to all of life’s mysterious problems.
Many of these figures have since fallen from their pedestals a bit, but their ideas and approaches to life helped me enormously in times of distress.
Byron Katie, in particular, was a huge influence on me for a time. I even interviewed her for my YouTube channel (the video is now private). During that conversation, she gifted me a scholarship to her "9 Days for The Work" program. I was deeply honoured, jumped on a plane... only to discover that the experience didn’t resonate with me at all. In fact, I found parts of it quite harmful.
I haven’t spoken publicly about this much, but those memories have been resurfacing lately. It feels important to acknowledge how easy it is to place ‘beloved gurus’ on pedestals, forgetting that they, too, are human. Flawed. Sometimes even dangerous.
In my own journey, I’ve learned to take what works from a teacher or teaching, and leave the rest behind. This painting (2014), featuring a powerful and beautiful quote by Byron Katie, reflects the love I had (and still have) for parts of her work. I still find some of it deeply helpful. But now I hold it all through a more balanced, humanised lens.
What about you? Have your gurus ever `fallen`? ♥️♥️♥️
✨ One Week to Go! Come Join the Cutie-Ful Fun ✨
Friends! Here a joyful reminder that Creating Cuties starts in ONE WEEK!
I’m so excited to begin this adorable, joy-sparking journey! Over the coming weeks, we’ll be painting the cutest animal characters, exploring playful colour palettes, and learning how to infuse our work with charm, expression, and warmth.
If you’ve been thinking about joining us, now’s the time! Doors will be closing soon and so does the 25% off early bird discount code, and I’d so love to welcome you in before we begin!
Here’s what Creating Cuties is all about:
🌈 You`ll learn to draw and paint whimsical animals in sweet, joy-filled scenes
🎨 I’ll guide you step-by-step with accessible, mixed media techniques
🐾 It’s beginner-friendly, playful, and full of feel-good vibes
💖 Most importantly, it’s all about creating art that lifts your spirit
The course officially starts on 12th August and you’ll get instant access to the classroom as soon as we begin.
✨ Don’t miss your chance to join this heartwarming, creativity-boosting adventure!
👉 Click here to sign up now:
https://bit.ly/CreatingCuties
Let’s paint some cuteness together; it would be an honour to have you in the class. ♥️♥️♥️
Big hugs and sparkly paws,
Tam
@everyone
I`m doing final preps for my new course (Creating Cuties) and just bumped into this super sweet image, totally forgot that I`d made this cute little character with funny speech bubble. One of the perks of perimenopause BRAIN FOG, is that you also forget the fun stuff you did for others and then are pleasantly surprised when you find random funny/ sweet things you did! 😂😁😆
"Angels Are Always With You" - This painting, created in 2014, was loosely inspired by the mystical works of Susan Seddon Boulet. Her art whispered to me of protection, connection, and unseen realms; and I was quietly enamoured by it all.
Looking back on my childhood, I realise that I grew up with a strong sense that I had to be independent, resilient, and self-reliant; a kind of emotional armouring that still echoes through me today. It’s something I’ve worked on in therapy for many years, but a streak of avoidant attachment still lingers. Being bullied in childhood and not receiving much support for this; I learned early on that depending on others often led to disappointment, so I built my safety through self-dependence.
My beautiful love Andy, and many of my close friends these days, continue to show me (again and again) that this belief doesn’t always hold true. That some people can be safe harbours and that is why kindness and true support heals me a bit, every day.
Still, you can see in this painting a deep yearning, perhaps even a knowing, that I’ve always held: a longing to be surrounded by protectors. Angels. Guides. Mentors. Elders. Ancestors. I feel them, both the ones in spirit, and a few very special ones in the flesh. 💕
I remember once, in my twenties, feeling so ready for a teacher that I approached a real, board-certified Zen master. I was prepared to be devoted, to be led. He invited me to meet at a pub and promptly spilled beer on my trousers. 😂 At the time, I was slightly horrified. Now I see: perhaps that was the lesson. (Very Zen.)
And so, I kept walking my own path. But even now, I believe those angels (seen or unseen) have always been with me. In whispers, in wings, in laughter, in love. Somehow, some way.
This is day 10 of a ‘gentle return to social media’ read more about this practice here: http://bit.ly/3IHFxir 🌱
In case you missed the newsletter! --> Coming in 2026: A whole year of magic & fairy tales! 🧚♀️📜
So many of you have asked about this…
“What’s the theme for your next year-long course, Tam?”
“Will there be another Year of Light or will we do something else?”
Well, I’m so excited to finally share it with you! 🌟 Ready? 😊
Next year’s magical, joy-filled, heart-expanding journey will be called:
✨ A Year of Magic & Fairy Tales ✨– a magical adventure through magic, story, wonder, and everyday enchantment.
This course is a heartfelt offering; not just for your creative practice, but also for your spirit. ✨🙏✨
I know that life can feel heavy sometimes (hello understatement). The world has been challenging for so many of us for a long while now. Personally, I’ve often found myself longing for comfort, softness, a sense of wonder… and that’s exactly what I’ve poured into this new course.
This course will offer a way to come back to yourself, to spark imagination, and to gently hold the parts of us that feel weary or overwhelmed. It’s balm for the soul; a little candle in the dark. 🕯️
In this course, we’ll explore magic in a broad sense, but also story, myth & lore and subjects like glowing forests, storybook characters, enchanted creatures, shimmering moons, and everyday objects or experiences turned magical. We’ll look for magic in the ordinary and extraordinary and paint it to our hearts’ content!
Expect a beautiful blend of my signature mixed media lessons, a stunning team of guest teachers, and a touch of playfulness, nostalgia, and wonder throughout. 🎨🦉🌙
I’ll share full details, the teacher line-up, and the early bird details & launch date very soon, but I wanted you to know the theme ahead of time, in case it resonates deeply and you’d like to save your spot.
If you’re craving magic, softness, enchantment and art that feels like a warm, whimsical hug; this one’s for you. 💛
With fairy wings and love,
Tam x ✨💕
PS. More details and all sign up info will launch near the end of August/ Early Sept ♥️♥️♥️
PPS. YES!! There will of course be an AWESOME taster event for this course too, can’t wait to share the details with you!!
