Natalie Eslick is a full time artist and chief of staff to two kitties, living just north of Sydney. While she was always going to be an artist 'when I grow up', Natalie actually ended up in academic and managerial roles for over 20 years until an episode of utter burn-out saw her picking up a graphite pencil for the first time in decades... and she has hardly put it down again since! As a fine artist and creative guide, Natalie is deeply connected to the process and nurturing of intentional creativity, with a lens of compassion and reciprocity. Natalie primarily uses graphite, coloured pencils and watercolour, though is branching out into oil paintings now too.

When Natalie first came back to creating art, she was instantly drawn (all puns intended) to realistic renderings, though found herself absorbed in a lot of imaginative realism, much of it based in myth and lore, which are still very big passions of hers. Over time she found she was incorporating more and more animals and birds into her drawings until she realised that is what really interested her – realistic honourings of wildlife and the natural world. Moving from graphite to coloured pencil was the perfect medium to slowly and intentionally dive into the incredible intricate details of our non-human kin, and the more she worked on creating pieces that portrayed their personhood, their inherent magic, the more devoted she became. She now works in watercolour and oils as well, and is always expanding her honourings of all creatures great and small, and landscapes too. To Natalie, her work is a form of advocacy – she wants to inspire more people to stop and really connect with nature, with their non-human kin, and be humbled by how much beauty is all around us that we forget to see let alone acknowledge in our busy modern lives.

Today, you’ll find Natalie in her little corner of Australia striving to live an intentional life – one brimming with wonder and curiosity and abundant respect and reverence for nature and our non-human kin.

Wamly,
Natalie

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Natalie's Workshop on Art is Magic:
☆ Illuminate Lunary ☆

Why do you create art?

Art is a necessity for me now – I can no more imagine going a day without something to do with my creative practice than I could imagine going through a day without air. This is my means of connection to something profoundly beautiful and bigger than just me – it gives me perspective and direction, keeps me humble and in awe. Putting pigment to substrate has become a deeply nourishing, connective practice. I create because I am curious, I am inspired, I want to celebrate and share. I want to celebrate nature, the everyday splendour of the world, and I want to honour that divine/universe given insight and learned skills by sharing, to both build community and to spark that curiosity and wonder in others. 

What sort of creative walls do you hit?

Perfectionism is a big one, and something I am working on constantly. The other is rest – I have never been very good at giving myself down time, but the longer I do this, the more important I am finding that restorative practices are. They provide my brain with a moment to disentangle, to follow new rabbit holes, and to work my way around a problem I may have encountered. Unravelling the first, and strengthening the second, are some of my goals for this year. 

How has your process evolved?

My work is an ever-evolving process. With each passing day, week, month, I know more, and as with anything, when you know more, when your skill grows, things that surround your practice must evolve too. Interests deepen or fall away. My values and priority have been strengthened. My focus has shifted as my process evolved, and it may happen again later too. This is not a start and finish process, being a creative. It is circuitous, it is winding and looping and full of hidden adventures. Where once I worked on a single piece or idea at a time, I am now planning a year ahead, always looking at how what I am doing can enliven and strengthen my ultimate goals and dreams.

What do you wish you had known at the beginning of your creative journey?

Just how wonderful the life of an artist can be! That there is no room for ‘starving artist’ thoughts, or scarcity, that the world is filled with art at every turn of the head, and it is a huge honour to be dedicated to creating. But also, that it takes time, sometimes a lot longer than you thought it would – that goes for all aspects of a creative adventure, whether it is a hobby or a business. You may think you can finish a piece in a certain amount of time, but often the muses say differently. Not only is that ok, but if you are open to it rather than work against it, all sorts of other beauty unfurls.

Do you have a Creative Self Care Practice?

I try to move a little slower in the morning, give myself time to really be in my routine, the one I mentioned before – meditation, journaling, moving my body. I do some breathwork often through the day, and make sure I get up and move often – stretching, massaging my hands etc. I light incense when I wake up, and will often put another stick or two on through the day. And tea, lots of ta and water. Before bed I try to read something that will help me develop either my business or myself, and sometimes my ruminating on that will provide fodder for my journaling the next day, or inspiration to work on further in another way. Mostly, I am trying hard to be as present to this beautiful world and life, and participate in it in the most passionate and reciprocal way I can!

To Learn more about Natalie watch our Talking with Artists interview Here