This photo was taken July 2022 by my good friend Jon, and it symbolises a really great moment in my work life. This was a project where I completely felt like I was meant to be where I am, and every decision I’ve made so far has been right. As I’m writing this, my forever, self-doubting mind is saying: “it could all turn to s*!t in the next few months” but you know, right now it’s great – and we keep cracking on!
Without a shadow of a doubt, 2022 has been insane. Not just my work life, but my personal life too; with getting married earlier in the year and our latest new addition- Bo. (He’s a puppy- I’m not quite onto the little human stage in life yet)
It’s been the year where I’ve gone back to what I love – creating art, and bringing happiness to you lovely lot in the process. I left a job that I had a love-hate relationship with and stepped back into that scary, but free world of working for myself. I’ve got to create the first mural in my hometown, Scunthorpe and share that process with the community too! I now spend so much more time with my boys, in the garden and out in nature – and really reconnecting with what I love.
May 2022 marked 5 years since I decided to step out on my own in the first place, and truth be told – I didn’t see 2022 being the year to re-ignite this art flame of mine. I thought that my career was heading somewhere different, working more with people and supporting creative start ups. Unfortunately, that wasn’t what the universe had planned and like a love sick teenager – my heart was broken as the closest thing I had to a creative home was ripped away.
Like it has done so many times before – art became my therapy, and my loving clients that I’d abandoned years ago, scooped me up and embraced me with their excitement for new mountains. I also found that my home hadn’t really gone gone – my creative family were just a bit more scattered than before – but we’re still there for one another. That – is what this picture is. To me, this was the moment I realised that our creative home was where we wanted it to be, and I wasn’t alone.
This is me – Rebecca Ellis – December 2022
Let me take you back to 2016, where it all started.
5″1 blonde, glasses, beany wearing, 19 year old me and my future husband took a trip of a lifetime. We’d been working and saving hard for two years to afford ourselves the opportunity to go to Canada for 6 months, to be ski instructors.
I remember arriving, so excited about our adventure, but terrified about meeting new people and setting into this new way of life – no way was I cool enough to hang out with these kids – and really, I was right. Luckily, Josh was, and so, that meant I was OK by default. Our first night was spent in the Fairmont hotel in Calgary – It was brilliant, the poshest place Josh and I had ever stayed as a young couple; and we were there in all our excess gear that wouldn’t quite fit into our suitcases. After a stupidly long, sweaty, dehydrated (free booze) plane journey, we both wanted out of our 3 million layers and a shower. We lunged in to open our suitcase – only for the combination not to work! We’ve all been there – I know that now – but oh my goodness, we tried everything! Eventually, brute force got us in and off we went for a night out on the town. First lesson – Jay walking is a thing in Canada – not in the UK.
The next day, we journeyed to Banff. This time we were excited over seeing our new digs, especially because we had the promise of a brand-new place with a window that would give us a view over the mountains. I don’t know why this window was so important to us, we were going to be seeing ALOT of mountains over the coming months, but there’s something quite dreamy about waking up and being able to see the mountains first thing isn’t there?
Brick wall.
We rushed through with all of our belongings, squeezed our bodies and two cases through the door opening, only to be greeted by a B-R-I-C-K-W-A-L-L. Our hearts sank. Yes, we were in Banff, and were going to be living there, earning money as ski instructors – but this tiny part of the dream we were promised had been crushed.
This brick wall viewing box, however, is where my mountains were born. Inspired by the colour of this bleak landscape and by all the incredibly adventurous people that surrounded me and lived in this part of the world. I don’t write “Banff” here – because we quickly learnt that Banff was expensive to live in, because it was a tourist town, and anyone who was there, being a die-hard adventurous athlete, didn’t really have any money – and so they lived in Canmore. The next town along.
Canmore was actually where I found the only artsy thing in the mountains too! Yes, there was a gallery on Banff Ave, but it didn’t sell paint or craft supplies – and that’s what I was after. Even though half of my suitcase was filled with art supplies – what’s a few more to my hoard. In Canmore, we found the best fabric shop I think I’ve ever visited; it was incredible! But the thing I really got into – was their quilt kits.
I will design my own! One that would feature the mountains and all the patterns and details and textures. An artsy, outdoorsy quilt! That was also round – because square has been overdone – obviously. Rather quickly the first design was done, but it was more like a piece of artwork than a plan for a quilt. This quilt never got made – it might do yet – but it had so many different parts to it that I’d need a year consecutively working on it to see it finished.
I quickly created the artwork however, and when it got to coming back home to North Lincolnshire – they were received really well, selling almost all of them on my first exhibition!
