How I Became an Abstract Artist

On finding my own way of painting.

I've always been creative. As a child, I was constantly drawing, reading, or writing.

Being an abstract artist was not something planned. Creativity wasn't something I had to discover; it was simply part of how I understood the world.

As I got older, life took me in a different direction. Like many people, I worried about whether a creative career could offer stability, so I chose what felt like a safer path and studied Hospitality Management.

Looking back, I don't regret that decision for a second. It gave me experiences I would never trade. I lived in different countries, met incredible people from all over the world, and learned to step far outside my comfort zone. Those years shaped me in ways I couldn't have imagined.

Rethinking Success

Life changed again when I was diagnosed with a benign brain tumour that required surgery. What followed were several years of operations, rehabilitation, and learning to adapt to a very different version of life. During that time I even returned to university to study journalism, partly out of curiosity and partly to see what my mind was still capable of.

After my final surgery in 2023, something shifted. My ambitions hadn't disappeared, but they had changed. Success no longer meant moving faster or climbing higher. I wanted a slower life, one that left room for the people I love and for my creativity.

I started painting because I needed to reassure myself that I was still capable of creating something worthwhile. At first, I found myself waiting for other people to tell me they liked my work. Looking back, I realise I needed that reassurance. But after a few months of painting full time, something changed. I no longer painted for validation, I had simply fallen in love with the process itself.

Discovering My Process as an Abstract Artist

I have explored many different styles of painting, and I still feel the need to keep doing that. I learn through trial and error. It's how I discover what I enjoy, what I need, and what makes painting exciting rather than something that feels forced.

Something I realised quite early is that I need speed. I don't enjoy working on the same painting for what feels like too long. I get bored easily. I need change. New ideas appear constantly, and I'm usually impatient to start exploring them.

For a long time, I thought this was something I needed to fix. Now I understand it's simply the way I create.

Why Abstraction Felt Like Home

Although I spent years working figuratively, I gradually found myself moving towards abstraction.

I don't enjoy obsessing over tiny details or recreating something exactly as it appears. What excites me is responding to a painting as it develops, allowing it to surprise me and change direction instead of forcing it towards a predetermined result.

Being an abstract artist wasn't a decision I made overnight. It was something I slowly arrived at because it matched the way my mind naturally works.

The Materials Knew Before I Did

There were also small clues that pointed me in the right direction.

I would buy beautiful, expensive brushes only to keep reaching for the same old worn-out ones. I kept choosing raw cotton canvas because I loved its texture and honesty, even though I knew it wasn't always the easiest surface to work on.

Looking back, I think the materials were telling me something before I was ready to listen. They kept pulling me towards a way of working that felt instinctive, tactile, and free.

Why I Paint Today

Today, my practice brings together many of the things I've always loved: colour, materials, architecture, interiors, travel, and the Mediterranean.

Painting slows me down in my own way. It gives shape to restless thoughts without asking me to silence them. It allows me to follow curiosity instead of certainty, and to trust that not everything needs to be planned before it begins.

That's why I paint today. Not because of what happened to me, but because painting has become the most natural way for me to understand the world and contribute something meaningful to it.