Name: Tailte
Age: 23 years old
Country: Northern Ireland
Instagram: @motusliberi_art
Facebook: Motus Liberi
About the series
The Healing Craft Series features creators sharing their thoughts and feelings on crafting and healing through crafting.
“.. being able to work at my own pace and not have the pressures of ‘normal’ jobs really helps me. I’m not at the stage of it fully supporting me but I know I’ll get there.”
Tailte, @motusliberi_art
What kind of craft do you do and how long have you been doing it for?
I do fluid painting mainly but I’ve recently got into spray painting and palette knife painting! The fluid painting I’ve been doing for about a year and a half.
What is your favourite place/time of day to craft and why?
It really depends, I love painting during the day because the sunshine makes the colours pop but I also love the quietness of night time and I try and work with my energy levels that day! I love painting in my boyfriends shed because it’s a large space, I’m manifesting a clean, new studio/house into my life as we speak(?)
What inspires you (in life & in crafting)?
Colours and emotions. The style I do is very abstract so I try and take colours/topics and bring them to life on canvas. I did a painting called “Inside my head” which had black, grey, white and gold on one side and pink, purple, blue and gold on the other side to show how I imagine my brain looking. The left and right brain.
The use of gold is to highlight the beauty in both sides, the lows and highs.
How has/is crafting helping you and your mental health?
Well I went through a bit of a breakdown before I started taking the painting more serious. Now I’ve came to realise (from inspiration on here) that I will be able to have a life where I can let my art support me financially and work around my mental illnesse I struggle with anxiety, depression and a few other things.
One thing that really gets affected is my energy levels as I mentioned above.. being able to work at my own pace and not have the pressures of ‘normal’ jobs really helps me. I’m not at the stage of it fully supporting me but I know I’ll get there.
It’s helped me have goals and gives me room to channel low emotions like stress and anger into something beautiful or productive. Not to mention it making me let go of that inner perfectionist!
What is your advice to other creators (or newly started creators)?
My advice would be to start small, don’t go buying the most expensive things just yet. Mess around with different styles and allow yourself to be.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Patient, it won’t happen over night (still telling myself this!). Sometimes when we put so much money into something there’s this lingering guilt or pressure to do it even if it’s not for you, so keep trying until you find your medium. And allow yourself to make mistakes, again something I keep coming back to and struggle with, but sometimes I find out cool and interesting things from failing!