This Is My Creative Corner...

Right then. First blog post. Here we go....eeeek!

I’m Kerry, an art teacher, Head of Art, mum of two little ones, and someone who has always needed creativity in my life.

Welcome to my little corner of the internet. I’m so glad you’re here. YAY!!!

How I got here

For most of my career, I’ve been a secondary Art teacher. That was the world I knew, and I loved it.

Then, in 2024, a door opened that I had not expected at all, a role as an Art Specialist in an inner-city London primary school. It came completely out of the blue, and honestly, it changed everything for me.

I now work as Head of Art at a prep school, and I’m also still in secondary two days a week. So yes, life is full. But creativity has never just been my job. It is part of who I am.

Why creativity matters so much to me

Being creative is good for my soul. It calms me, grounds me and brings me back to myself. In many ways, it has been a lifeline. It is the thing that helps me feel most alive.

I make things. Lots of things. Usually nature-inspired, often a little bit wild, and nearly always with some sort of thread, print or natural treasure involved.

What I love Creating

My own artwork is mostly freehand machine embroidery on vintage fabrics. No hoops, no patterns, just me, a sewing machine and the freedom to see where it takes me.

I’m endlessly inspired by the nature and wildlife right outside my back door, robins, deer, squirrels, owls, branches, seed heads, changing seasons, all of it.

I also love printmaking, especially lino and gelli printing. There is something so satisfying about carving, layering and pulling a print for the first time.

I have gone through a definite mushroom phase too, layering dried flowers and crystals over mushroom prints and stitching back into them. More recently, I have fallen in love with the idea of a dye garden, growing plants to create natural colour. That still feels a little magical to me.

Nature runs through everything I make, it always has!

Motherhood changed everything

But the truth is, I did not fully understand how much I needed creativity until I became a mum.

After my first baby, everything changed. Life became smaller, louder, more exhausting and more beautiful all at once. There was no art room, no space, no real time to make. Alongside that came postnatal depression, sleep deprivation, and a real sense of losing myself.

I would never change my children for the world, but I can say honestly now that it was a hard season. And in that time, I realised creativity was not just something I enjoyed. It was something I needed.

When I slowly found my way back to making, something in me woke up again...

The beginning of Kerry’s Creative Corner

Since then, I have been piecing things back together, as a mum, a teacher, an artist, and someone who wants to share that joy of making with other people too. That is really where Kerry’s Creative Corner comes from.

In fact, I first came up with the name while sitting in my counsellor’s therapy chair about eight years ago. The name stayed with me through motherhood, teaching, making, surviving, growing and slowly working out who I was becoming.

And now, here we are. Whoop whoop!!

What you’ll find here

Kerry’s Creative Corner is a place for all the things I love most, creativity, children, nature, seasonal changes, thoughtful making and finding beauty in everyday moments.

It is where I will share craft ideas, inspiration, little glimpses of my own work, days out, projects with my children, and the things that spark ideas along the way.

So whether you are a parent, a teacher, a fellow maker, or simply someone who enjoys a creative nosy, welcome.

I’m very glad you found your way here.

Kerry xxx