Woodland Whispers

Hi I’m Nadine. I’m an artist that works evenings to feed my creative habit

Stepping out of my own shadow

2025 has been the most exciting and yet challenging year of my life. It all started when I moved out on my own on March 4th. I haven’t looked back since I put my house keys in the front door.
For the first few months I felt like I was treading water. I felt uncomfortable in my own skin. I could barely sleep sometimes.

My heart skipped a beat if I heard an unfamiliar noise, a dog barking, or a neighbour shouting. Nothing prepared me for the boiler breakdown on for the electrics cutting out due to an electrical fault just last week. The electrician fixed it, but it’s a temporary solution until I can get the house rewired next year.

After listing some of the setbacks in the last paragraph I realise that those setbacks are as much opportunities for growth as the positive things. Now I have my own place I have a dedicated studio space to call my own. No one wanders in whilst I’m in the depths of creative work.

Before I got my own place I struggled with my creativity a lot. Sometimes I could create every day, and sometimes I’d go weeks without touching my sketchbook or painting a canvas. There was a growing tension inside of me. I wanted my independence but I also feared letting go of the familiarity that my family home gave me.

It took a long time to settle into my home, even though it was what I had wanted for years! It took about 6 months for my home to feel like home. Before then it felt like a dwelling that I ate, slept and sheltered in. For the first couple of months it felt like I was in self-catering hotel!

Through all the drama, art kept me sane. It was hard to do much art in the beginning of my new adventure. There was so much to do that I was running off adrenaline for the first few weeks. One weekend I go to Durham Botanic Garden and feast my eyes over a stunning art exhibition in the cafe area. I realised that the exhibition was done by a local art group in Durham. I wander and stare in awe of each painting. Everyone had their own style. I knew that I had to be part of it. I signed up in April and became a member in May.

My first meeting with Durham Art Group was exciting and nerve-wracking in equal measure. I had not been around a group of creative like myself in over a decade. I brought my sketchbook in, as advised. The entire group had a kind of show and tell, except no one had to stand and present their sketchbooks in front of the group. They were all open on a table, where curious eyes could drink in the artwork of each member is art. As I was chatting with the other members, it felt like I was in a room with kindred spirits.