The Three Weeks That Nearly Broke Me (But Got Us on the Road)
The reality behind starting the Watercolour Workshop Tour
To say getting set to hit the road for my 2026 Watercolour Workshop Tour was overwhelming and incredibly hard is an understatement.
I completely underestimated just how much was involved in turning everyday life into life on the road. Not just for a trip, but for a year of teaching, traveling and creating across Australia.
We always said to ourselves that if we were going to do this, we’d go all in. And we meant it.
But “all in” turns out to be a lot when you write it down.
What “all in” really meant
It meant selling my car.
It meant condensing my studio — 10 years of paintings, supplies, paper, frames and works in progress — and preparing it for a sublet.
It meant packing up our entire house, deciding what to keep, store, sell, donate or somehow fit into caravan cupboards.
It meant getting the house ready to lease.
It meant learning how to set up both the car and caravan so they actually function as a home, studio, classroom and office on wheels.
All the while still looking after two little kids.
Still running a business.
Still rehabbing a major ankle injury.
Still preparing workshops, answering emails and planning the tour route.
And of course, the laundry just kept coming. Because apparently laundry doesn’t care if you’re about to change your entire life.
The final three weeks
Those last three weeks before departure were intense. Not the romantic “last minute packing” kind of intense — more the “how do we still have this much stuff?” kind. The “why did we think this would be simple?” kind. The “is this excitement or mild panic?” kind.
There were moments where it felt like we were dismantling our whole life piece by piece.
Moments where it felt emotional.
Moments where it felt exhilarating.
And moments where it felt like we were absolutely mad to be attempting this.
But beneath all of it was this quiet sense of purpose.
This wasn’t just a trip.
This was the beginning of something I’ve been dreaming about for years — taking my watercolour workshops to communities all around Australia, especially regional places where creative opportunities can be few and far between.
That thought kept me moving on the hard days.
It took a village to launch the tour
We absolutely did not get on the road alone.
Friends helped pack boxes, shift furniture, watch the kids and talk me down when the to-do list felt endless.
Family stepped in with practical help, emotional support and the kind of encouragement you only get from people who know you well enough to say, “You can do this. And maybe sit down for a minute.”
People lent tools, time, muscles, storage space, and patience.
They showed up in big ways and small ones, and every single bit of it mattered.
The tour begins
Now that we’re here, actually on the road, with the workshops ahead of us and the country slowly unfolding outside the window, I can see those frantic three weeks in a different light.
They were hard.
They were messy.
They were overwhelming.
But they were also the bridge between dreaming about this tour and actually living it.
Big changes rarely arrive neatly packaged. They arrive in piles of boxes, late-night lists and slightly frazzled nerves. But they also arrive wrapped in generosity, encouragement and the people who help you get there.
So here we are.
A little tired.
A little emotional.
A lot grateful.
And very, very ready to bring some watercolour magic to towns all across Australia.
Want to follow the journey?
If you’d like to see where the tour is heading next, hear stories from the road, or be the first to know when I’m teaching near you, you can:
• Explore upcoming workshop dates
• Follow along on Instagram for behind-the-scenes moments
I’d love to have you along for the ride.
Pure studio chaos as I pull apart and rejig a space that I have worked from for 10 years!
I also (somehow?) managed to film 12 months worth of Youtube content before I left so I'll have some new videos to release as I go. Time to get editing!
The online store was also popping and keeping me extra busy! I so enjoyed packing everyone's orders before I left. It's something I'll miss. Vanessa and Kylee will be manning the ship once we're gone so it'll be business as usual. They are better at all that stuff than me anyway.
Oh and I also designed a new custom box for my painting kits! Thrilled with how it looks and can't wait to get it into production. Few little design tweaks and it'll head out into the world. (Ie. I forgot to put my name or website on it anywhere. What a goose. This is what happens when you are beyond tired)
