Meet Tasha
Adventuring in Chile, Cambodia, Bolivia
Hello, I’m Tasha - one half of the Artist’s Toolbox team! I’m an artist from London who loves to go on art journeys. My definition of an art journey: explore fascinating new places, make art about it and, have a painting exhibition to share my stories. My artistic exploration has taken me to East Africa, Cambodia and South America. I also run workshops on creativity. Here is one on ‘creative play’ from my days in Samaipata, Bolivia.
On my bucket list, nestled between climb a mountain and speak three languages fluently, was my creative dream: to have a solo exhibition of my artwork. The problem was I didn’t want to wait around for a gallery to discover me after I died. I wanted to do it then. So I did. I organized my first solo painting exhibition aged 26 and sold the majority of my artworks. They were inspired by three months I spent volunteering in Cambodia in Stung Treng, a province on the shores of the Mekong river.
My paintings whispered memories of the heavy monsoon skies, the delicate homes on stilts, and the elaborate Buddhist temples. I also had the privilege to stay with a Cambodian family who lived above the restaurant that they owned. Each morning we had rice porridge and in the evening delicious fish dishes served with a Vietnamese twist. In the evenings I would stroll with a friend along the shores of the Mekong river and have a fresh coconut juice. I even tried to learn some Khmer, the Cambodian language, but all I ever really remembered was how to order rice, egg and meat.
I realized that I didn’t need anyone’s permission to live the life I wanted to live. I also didn’t need anyone else to tell me if my art was good enough or not to put it in a gallery. If I wanted to declare myself an ‘art explorer’ and have my own exhibitions I would.
My next art journey took me to the boot of South America - Chile. I traveled from the arid deserts in the north of the country, down through the vineyards and past volcanic lakes, to the wild untamed beauty of Patagonia. Again, I returned to London and painted furiously for a year to create 30 canvases for my next exhibition. It was another great experience - I gave a talk on the opening night and sold a lot of my paintings.
But I wanted more…I couldn’t shake the call of South America. I started learning Spanish and eventually I booked myself a one-way ticket back to Chile with the plan of doing an even longer trip up to Colombia.
This time, I wanted to experiment with a different type of art journey. I would create more art along the way, painting murals and running workshops for art organizations. I decided I would become a street artist and threw myself head first into this new project. In Valparaíso I painted many murals in exchange for my bed and board at different hostels. My enthusiasm and determination outweighed the problem that I had no idea what I was doing! I taught myself mural painting ‘on the job’ literally. This meant embarrassing myself sometimes, making lots of mistakes and being under a fair amount of pressure. But I did it.
Reluctantly, I left Valparaíso for Bolivia because I had a commitment to volunteer with a small art therapy foundation there for one month. I had no idea I would fall in love with Bolivia and spend the next six years of my life there! I loved the laid back lifestyle in Bolivia, the warmth of Latin culture and weekly trips to the mountains.
My street art also flourished in Bolivia - I taught mural painting to groups of young people and I got the opportunity to paint with international artists on the city streets. I met Leah (the other half of The Artist’s Toolbox team) when we painted a mural for her cultural center together.
During the pandemic in Bolivia I lived alone and to cope with the solitude I painted and painted and painted. After a few months of total isolation I ended up with another 30 artworks for an exhibition. This time my art told my Bolivian story - the faces of the children from the children’s home I worked in, the political crisis Bolivia underwent in 2019, and the pandemic. In those long lonely months I painted the view of the mountain from my window over and over again. In the hope that by capturing it in paint, I could somehow bring myself closer to freedom.
I thought that exhibition would be the finale of my unexpectedly long Bolivian adventure. But I had one more gift in store from the land that had already given me so much: I gave birth to my daughter there who is the sunshine of my life.
When I returned to London with my little baby girl, Leah suggested we do The Artist’s Way program together though weekly online calls. I was enthusiastic (which is my default state) but didn’t think it would have that much to teach me. Wasn’t I an artist already? Surely I didn’t need creative unblocking?
Boy was I wrong! The Artist’s Way changed my life. It made me more committed to my art, more generous with my creativity and more playful in life. It was the little changes that came first: I got a yo-yo and took myself on a date to the circus. Then I allowed myself to start collecting natural abundance like leaves and flowers. Soon I was sketching in the puppet museum and training as a zumba dance teacher. It opened me up to the possibilities of life and my creative potential.
Allowing myself to treat my inner artist more generously, I signed up to two online drawing communities. I also bought myself new art materials. I wrote my morning pages everyday (even if that was at 4am in the morning after getting my baby back to sleep). They slowly revealed my inner voice to me. I began to listen to my intuition and wisdom more. I took myself out on a weekly artist date and filled my creative cup. My sketchbooks began filling up too.
Leah and I started the Artist’s Toolbox because we have gained so much from following the path outlined in The Artist’s Way. We wanted to share the abundance, creativity and inspiration with others. That’s why this year we are running monthly free sessions inspired by different aspects of The Artist’s Way. The Artist’s Toolbox is our online creative community that is there to support, inspire and celebrate creativity.
Curious to find our more about tools, tricks and tips to help you along your creative journey? Join our next creative session: Drawing the Wild Beauty of Bolivia: Llamas, Flamingos and Mountains. Tuesday 3rd June, 7pm UK time/11am Californian time. Open to all subscribers!